High School Boys Basketball: Toledo and Ilwaco set for District semifinal clash
The 2B Roundup – Riverhawks ruffle Mossy, Fishermen slug it out with Ony; plus the final Toutle Lake score
Jordan Nailon for BlastZoneMedia.com / blastzonenews@gmail.com
2B Prep Boys Basketball / Roundup
The Toledo boys basketball team has been on a quest all season long and the Riverhawks didn’t miss a beat in its playoff opener last week. After winning the District championship last year, the Cheese Town hoopers have been to Alaska and back this season in order to stay sharp come crunch time.
The Riverhawks had to wade through a delayed start to their season because the football team was too good, but since then they’ve been making up for lost time in impressive fashion. And now, crunch time has arrived.
Toledo led from jump ball to final horn in an 87-48 win over Mossyrock in the 2B District IV quarterfinals last Wednesday at Centralia High School. The victory set the Riverhawks up with a date to play Ilwaco in the semifinals on Wednesday.
Those Fishermen had to survive a scare with Onalaska in the quarterfinals, prevailing 67-61 in a tooth-and-nail contest at Rochester High School. That victory over the Loggers extended Ilwaco’s win streak to 16 games entering its semifinal tilt with Toledo.
But the Fighting Ducks of East Cowlitz County were not as lucky in their endeavors last week. After falling to Onalaska in the opening round of the tournament back on Saturday, Feb. 7, Toutle Lake saw its season end in a 41-34 loss to Rainier (WA) last Friday at Rochester High School.
While the Ducks had to turn in their jerseys after their loss, the victories for Riverhawks and Fishermen left both teams with a full week of empty space to fill with practice and contemplation. It’s an experience Toledo already experienced leading up to its quarterfinal victory, and it was a jarring change of pace for a team that had become accustomed to a jam packed schedule.
“It was definitely weird. It felt so consistent playing every day or every other day,” Toledo senior Trevin Gale said after leading the ‘Hawks to victory in their playoff opener. “Practices this week just felt kind of slow. We just wanted to play one.”
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