Prep Boys Basketball: Scores and Reports from The Blast Zone
Man-to-Man — R.A. Long knocks off Seton Catholic in home opener
Jordan Nailon / blastzonenews@gmail.com
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Jacks overcome slow start to net win over Seton Catholic
The Lumberjacks did not get off to the start they’d envisioned in their home debut, Thursday, but battled back to secure a 56-47 win over Seton Catholic in non-league boys basketball action at The Lumberdome.
The Cougars scored the first eight points of the contest while R.A. Long looked a little jittery with the basketball. You can probably chalk that slow start up to nerves and a desire to impress, but once the Jacks calmed down they handled business the rest of the way.
It was a strong showing following a dominant win at Aberdeen in the Jacks’ season debut earlier this week
R.A. Long led 14-12 by the end of the first quarter and never trailed again, although they had to look over their shoulder from time to time to see if the Cougars were gaining on them.
Landon Irwin led the Jacks with 15 points.
“We got up by 12 points or so at times with chances to put the game away but couldn’t get it done where Seton Catholic kept crawling back in,” R.A. Long coach Jeray Key said. “We missed three or four layups and were 4 of 10 from the free throw line and didn’t shoot the ball all that well… But we still put up about 60 points and that’s the scary thing.”
TraMayne Jenkins and Cameron Newsome each tallied 10 points in the win, while Payton Thill chipped in nine points.
“What we do know is our defense will be there every night and that’s what we lay our hat on,” Key noted. “We held their star player (Kadien Wilson), a Division 1 talent, to 15 points. Tra Jenkins guarded (him) the whole game and did an outstanding job.”
The Cougars were playing without one of their starters, who was busy with the football team preparing to play in the State championship game. However, the Jacks were also down a starter with center Rhett Young forced to sit out due to illness.
Jeffrey Rookldge added seven points for the Jacks and Joshua Crane dropped in five while battling cramps at times in the contest.
“We’ve got some stuff to clean up but not going to overreact — the season is still young,” Key said.
R.A. Long (2-0) will begin 2A Greater St. Helens League play at Hockinson on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m.
Hilanders offense sputters against Spudders
Kelso was held to just nine points combined in the first and fourth quarters of its season debut on the way to a 53-36 non-league loss at Ridgefield, Thursday.
Justus McCann led the Spudders with 20 points. The Spudders enjoyed a 31-22 lead at halftime and looked nothing like the team that stifled to score against La Center earlier in the week.
Meanwhile, Kelso was making its regular season debut following a jamboree at Mark Morris High School early last week.
The Hilanders found rumors of the Spuds offensive struggles to be unfounded.
“It seemed fine to me,” Kelso coach Joe Kinch said.
Bryar Iddings led Kelso with 13 points and four steals in the loss. Triton Hagdahl-Daniel contributed eight points with four rebounds and one block.
The loss left Kelso with more than two questions to answer before its home opener next week.
Kelso (0-1) will host Skyview on Tuesday at 7 p.m.
Woodland stymies Centralia at home
The Beavers allowed just three first half points and held Centralia scoreless in the second quarter on the way to a 51-22 victory over a District IV foe from the Hub City, Thursday.
It was a reunion of sorts for Woodland coach Justin Gabbard who graduated from Centralia High School and played for Hall of Fame coach Ron Brown. With Brown’s recent passing, the contest represented more than just a non-league contest to the Beavers’ boss.
“There were some emotions there a little bit,” Gabbard said after picking up the win against his alma mater.
The victory came on the heels of a loss to Kalama in the 8-Mile War earlier this week. The Beavers had been busy in practice refining a few elements of their game and that was evident against the Tigers.
“The kids responded pretty well and we practiced really well yesterday,” Gabbard said.
“They worked hard on defense, and their shot selection was much better than it was in Game 1. We were able to run our offense effectively, with better patience and composure and everyone contributed.”
Jackson Gabbard led the Beavers on offense with 14 points while going 7-for-7 from the free throw line. He added five steals and two assists to his tally before checking out for the evening.
Michael Belvin added 11 points on 6 of 9 shooting and hauled in a team-high seven rebounds, while Elijah Andersen tallied six points and five steals.
The Beavers were also 14 of 19 from the charity strip as a team.
“We got them on the rebounds and we did our part,” Coach Gabbard said. “Shooting 14 of 19 from the free throw line is pretty good shooting. That's something we have been talking about and working on, is getting to the rim, to contact, and taking advantage of free opportunities.”
Kadin Young and Jordan Young led Centralia with nine points each.
If there was one area where the Beavers could have been better it was taking care of the basketball. Woodland turned the ball over 18 times on the night, which will be an area of focus going forward.
“There’s room for improvement on rebounds, assists, turnovers, little things we can work on to execute and keep our composure,” Gabbard said. “It doesn't get any easier from here on out. We have Washougal tomorrow, Columbia White Salmon Monday, and Ridgefield on Tuesday.”
Woodland (1-1) will host Washougal for a 2A Greater St. Helens League contest at 7 p.m., Friday.
Wahkiakum slips by Ilwaco in West End rivalry match
The Mules made the trip out to the coast, Thursday, and picked up a 51-43 win over Ilwaco in non-league boys basketball action.
Wahkiakum outscored the Fishermen 34-22 in the first half and rode that advantage to victory even as its offense lost some punch in the second half. Jayden Stoddard led the Mules with a game-high 18 points to go with seven rebounds, and Cooper Carlson added 13 points with six rebounds for the visitors.
“Fun game with a great atmosphere. Ilwaco has become a good rivalry,” Wahkiakum coach Rob Garrett said. “We got off to a solid start in the first half and looked really good at times.”
It was the second win in a row for Wahkiakum after dispatching Tahlolah earlier in the week.
Meanwhile, first game nerves were a factor for the hosts. The Fishermen were led by Dylan Pelas who scored a career-high 17 points with eight rebounds and three assists.
“(We) started the game out really clunky on the offensive end, Wahkiakum did a good job of staying in front of our guys and forced us into some tough looks at the basket,” Ilwaco coach Eric McMillan said. “We shot the ball pretty poorly from 3 point land all night (4-21 from 3 as a team) and settled for far too many in the first half while Wahkiakum was able to capitalize on our misses and got some good looks in transition to build their lead.”
The Fishermen were able to shave a few points off the gap in the second half but didn’t have enough fuel in the tank to cash in a win at the docks.
Haddox Hazen added nine points with seven rebounds and two assists in the loss. Diego Hernandez posted six points for Ilwaco, while Cooper Petit tallied four points, four rebounds and three assists.
“The second half we did a pretty solid job defensively, but still had a tough time getting the ball in the basket,” McMillan noted. ”Our execution was definitely not what I wanted it to be and our aggressiveness on the offensive end wasn't stellar, but that will come with more confidence and time together.”
As for the Mules (don’t you dare call them Donkeys!), Parker Leitz added nine points and five steals to the happy totals, while Joe Merz posted eight points and four rebounds.
“Defensively our guys are really working hard, we just need to be more vocal and see (the) big picture better, but I like what I see so far,” Garrett noted.
The Mules saw Gage Robinson and Carlson both get into foul trouble in the second half, which forced Garrett to get creative with the lineup.
“It was nice to see other guys step up and play quality minutes and maintain the lead,” Garrett noted. “It will be a great learning opportunity to go back and watch on film with the guys.”
Wahkiakum (2-0) will play at Willapa Valley on Saturday at 7 p.m.
Ilwaco (0-1) will host Ocosta on Wednesday at 7 p.m.
Winlock picks up a win at Stevenson
The Cardinals earned their first win of the season on Thursday with a 53-42 decision at Stevenson in non-league boys basketball play.
Jude Travinski led the Bulldogs with a game-high 17 points.
Winlock took control of the game in the third quarter by outscoring Stevenson 17-4. Landen Cline and Jaxyn Pelagio each scored a dozen points to lead the Cardinals.
The win for the Cards came on the heels of a close loss at Morton-White Pass earlier this week.
Freddy Patching added 11 points with four assists in the victory. Cline notched nine helpers in the contest, while Mason Ruiz chipped in eight points and a team-high eight rebounds.
Winlock (1-1) will open Central 2B League play on Friday at home against Adna at 7 p.m.
Columbians folded by Portland Adventist
The Rainier boys basketball team couldn’t find the offense to keep up with Portland Adventist, Thursday, in a 63-30 non-league loss at home.
Dane Petersen led the visitors with 24 points as they racked up a 40-16 lead at the intermission. Oliver Thompson added 18 points as the Cougars picked up their first win of the season in their first try.
Colton Turner led the Columbians with 14 points, while Quinten Jackson added seven points.
Rainier (0-2) will play at Elmira on Tuesday.
Editor’s Note: Please send all scores, reports and other news tips to: blastzonenews@gmail.com
The Woodland VS Centralia boys game was actually in Woodland, not Centralia, but thanks for the great write ups.