Prep Girls Basketball Roundup: Scores and Reports from The Blast Zone
Full Court Press — Kelso rides hot start to big win over Ridgefield
Jordan Nailon / blastzonenews@gmail.com
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Lassies share the rock to overwhelm Spudders
The Kelso girls basketball team used a quick-start offense and a stingy defense to land a 45-28 win over Ridgefield at home, Friday night, in non-league girls basketball action.
The Hilanders posted 20 points in the first quarter to take a 13-point lead and held a 33-17 advantage at the break. Aubree Freeman and Peyton Champagne each scored 10 points for Kelso.
“In the first half, our offense was clicking as we moved the ball effectively, tallying nine assists on 12 made baskets,” Kelso coach Andrew Johnson said. “However, the second half was a different story, as our offense stalled and struggled to find a rhythm.”
Kelso shot just 29 percent from the field in the contest, including 4 makes on 24 attempts from downtown. The Hilanders also coughed the ball up 20 times on offense and scored just 12 points after the intermission.
“Full credit goes to Ridgefield for their ball pressure, which we didn’t handle as well as we needed to,” Johnson noted.
Kelso overcame a cold night shooting the ball by forcing 27 turnovers and netting 18 points in transition. Bregan Ruhland helped out the cause with nine points on the night.
“On the defensive end, I couldn’t be more pleased,” Johnson said. “Our pressure and rotations caused problems for Ridgefield throughout the game, and it was a highlight of our performance.”
Johnson went on to point out Freeman, specifically, for her contributions as the sixth-Lassie.
“(She) came off the bench with incredible energy and knocked down key shots in timely situations,” Johnson said. “Our team’s energy all night was outstanding—a major focus for us this week—and we executed that goal beautifully.”
Kelso (2-0) will play at Skyview on Tuesday at 7 p.m.
Guthrie, Bockert help Beavers burn Hub City down
Woodland came out on fire Friday and ended its time in the Hub City with a 56-18 win over Centralia in non-league girls basketball action on Ron Brown Court.
Kennedy Bockert and Kynzie Guthrie led the Beavers with 13 points each. Bockert, a sophomore, also tallied eight rebounds, while Guthrie, a freshman, pulled down five rebounds and swiped four steals.
Brooklyn Sprague led Centralia with nine points.
Senior guard Addi Stading helped the Beavers out with 10 points, while senior Lainey Haden added seven points, six rebounds and four steals. Sophomore Carly Coltrin grabbed a team-high nine rebounds in the win.
Woodland (2-1) will host Mark Morris for a 2A Greater St. Helens League contest on Monday at 7:30 p.m.
Rockets misfire in loss to Black Hills
The Castle Rock girls basketball team fell behind by 19 points in the first quarter but nearly scrapped all the way back in a 53-39 loss at Black Hills on Friday.
The Rockets outscored the Wolves 20-4 in the second quarter and were on the cusp of flipping the script in the third quarter before their momentum stalled out. Dakota Davis notched another double-double with 18 points and 12 rebounds in the loss.
“The product we put on the floor in the second and third quarters of the game was filled with grit, determination, and flat out hard work,” Castle Rock coach Jordan Garbe said. “Most teams would take a 20-2 deficit and roll over, but not my girls. They fought all the way back and were in the game until shots didn’t fall in the fourth quarter. It was truly something to watch.”
Kiley McMahon led Black Hills with 22 points. Tyler Venable added 14 points and grabbed 15 rebounds.
The Rockets battled hard on the boards to get back in the game, with Ashlyn Meyers and Sophia Buchanan each grabbing 10 rebounds.
“It is my hope that this team can carry some of that ‘never give up’ energy with us moving forward,” Garbe said. “I’m excited to have three games next week, and hope we can show up with that same aggressiveness and hunger to win.”
Castle Rock (1-1) will play at R.A. Long on Monday at 7 p.m.
Defense carries Mules over Winlock
The Wahkiakum girls basketball team outlasted Winlock for a 47-38 win in non-league action, Friday, in Cathlamet.
Bailey McKinley led the Mules with 14 points.
The Cardinals finished the first quarter with a dozen points and a one point lead on the scoreboard, but never reached double digits in any other quarter. Natalie Cardenas led Winlock with 17 points and four steals.
Wahkiakum held the line on defense to take a 21-18 lead at the intermission and pulled away from there. Jessica LaFever posted 13 points in the victory and Brie Cothren added 11 points.
Tori Sancho chipped in nine points, seven rebounds and four steals for the Cards. Kendyl Guenther also grabbed seven boards in the loss.
Winlock (0-2) will host Columbia Adventist on Monday at 7:30 p.m. The Winlock boys will play at 6 p.m. to get that double feature started.
Sizemore, Clatskanie outclass Gervais
The Tigers held Gervais scoreless in the second quarter and led 36-2 at halftime on the way to a 57-14 road victory in non-league girls basketball play, Friday.
Joey Sizemore once again led Clatskanie with a game-high 27 points and six steals. She also sat the entire fourth quarter.
The Tigers allowed three points in the third quarter to bring the score up to 53-5 entering the final frame.
“(In the) fourth quarter (we) pulled starters and was able to get some great touches and work on rotations with (the) second string,” Clatskanie coach Dawn Warren said. Joey Sizemore did not play a minute of the 4th quarter and still pulled off these stats.
Mya Jensen tallied 12 points for the Tigers, Lacey Willis added six points, four rebounds and a team-high four assists.
Clatskanie also saw Olivia George score eight points, while Payton Taylor pulled down six rebounds and Karielle Carlson grabbed five boards.
Clatskanie (2-0) will host Riverdale on Tuesday at 6 p.m.