Friday, February 23, 2007

WARRIORS GLIDE TO QUARTERFINALS

If Ryan Lampi is dreaming, please don't wake him up.

The Warriors junior guard overcame a turnover-plagued first half to score 20 points as Warrenton defeated the Glide Wildcats 57-50 in a first round OSAA 3A State Playoff game.

With the win, the Warriors return to the state tournament final site for the first time since 2004 and the fourth time this decade, making the noughties the most successful decade in the history of Warrior basketball.

"When [this year's seniors] were freshmen, I was telling the guys that all I heard when we went with that group to Pendleton was it's going to be a long time before we get back to the state tournament," said first-year Warriors head coach Josh Jannusch, who led the C-team in then head coach Gary McBride's final season, which ended in a 4th place trophy. "Everybody was thinking the cupboard was a little bare. They knew they had a little bit of talent, they just didn't think they were gonna be able to persevere through it."

Warrenton will take on the top-ranked Regis Rams at 6:30 p.m. Thursday night at Willamette University following Regis' 59-44 win over Sheridan Friday.

The emergence of Lampi as an offensive force has keyed Warrenton's late surge. The Warriors have now won ten of their last eleven games, and are 18-4 since a stumbling 2-5 start to the season that saw Warrenton lose to the likes of Naselle and Reedsport.

While Glide had beaten Reedsport twice by twenty-point margins, the visiting Wildcats expected a much tougher Warrenton team that the one they saw on film from early December's Harrisburg Eagle Classic, when Warrenton dropped back-to-back games to Reedsport and Heppner.

After a close first half ended with a 20-16 Glide halftime lead, the Warriors outscored the Wildcats 18-10 in the third period, connecting on 8-of-15 shots (53%) after shooting a woeful 23-percent (5-for-22) in the first half.

"They played hard tonight," said Jannusch. "They didn't get their heads down. Especially in that first half where we turned the ball over quite a bit. We got some rebounds and came out strong in the third quarter and just held on."

Lampi, who struggled handling the ball against Glide's trapping defense in the first half, opened the third period by dropping in an open J, beginning an 8-0 Warrior run as Warrenton grabbed a 24-20 lead. Andre Basiliades, whose twin brother Dana led the Wildcats with 19 points, grabbed a missed three pointer and scored on a putback to tie the game at 24-24 before the Warriors responded with seven straight points.

Junior post Jordan Little started the run when he scored on an offensive rebound putback at the front of the rim and was fouled, missing the ensuing free throw. Kevin Moore outraced a Glide player to the corner and tipped the ball back into play in the direction of Eric Gantenbein, who drained a 3-pointer for a 5-point possession.

"Everyone just followed Eric's lead," said Jannusch of the 1st-team all-Lewis & Clark League senior guard, who should move into the school's all-time top ten in scoring with two more games at state. "I can't explain how much Eric means to our team, both scoring-wise and leadership."

Gantenbein, held scoreless in the first half, hit two more big 3-pointers in the fourth quarter and and had two key steals and a drawn charge down the stretch in the fourth quarter, finishing with 11 points in the contest.

"Eric is one of those kids that leads by example as well as vocally," said Jannusch. "He stepped in an he was willing to take one on the chin, diving on the floor. Everyone responds to that."

The second steal led to a Michael O'Casey layup and a 46-39 lead. After a Dana Basiliades three, O'Casey scored on a rebound putback. Following an exchange of turnovers, Patrick Ridgley hoisted a three from the right corner, cutting Warrenton's lead in half as the Wildcats pulled to within 48-45.

Warrenton's Michael Davis, who missed the second half of the Rainier playoff game and all of the Portland Adventist game last week after suffering a bruised jaw, hit a key pair of one-and-one free throws with 1:47 left to put Warrenton back up by two possessions. Gantenbein hit a long three, then scored on a breakout layup after picking up a loose ball in backcourt in the final 15 seconds to seal the game for Warrenton.

O'Casey had 14 points for the Warriors and Jordan Little hauled down a game-high 12 rebounds to go with six points.

Lampi, averaging eight points per game heading into the league rematch at Clatskanie exactly one month ago, is averaging 16.5 points per game since then, with double figure scoring in ten of those twelve games and twenty points or more five times. The 5-10 junior added four assists and six rebounds to his game-high 20 points, turning the ball over just once in the second half after five first-half turnovers.

Andre Basiliades scored 16 points and had seven rebounds for the Wildcats, who were making their first state tournament appearance since 1957 and are playing in the postseason for the first time in at least five years. Glide ends the season with a 14-13 overall record, while Warrenton reached twenty wins for the fourth time in six years, improving to 20-9 overall.

In order to reach their first state semifinal since 1981, the Warriors will have to knock off the 24-3 Rams, who saw their three year run of state championships and five year run of championship game appearances end in a 46-36 loss to Santiam Christian in last year's quarterfinals. The two teams became league opponents this season in the new 3A PacWest League, splitting a pair of league games. Santiam Christian also advanced to the quarterfinals Friday with a 45-39 win over Rainier, while Clatskanie's fizzling postseason prospects ended in a devasting 80-70 loss at home to Riverside, as the once top-ranked Tigers dropped four straight games to end the season.

The last Warrenton team to win a quarterfinal game was the 1981 state runner-up team coached by the late Bob Cole, which lost to Scio 65-63 in double overtime in the finals. The prior season, Warrenton lost to Regis 57-42 in the quarterfinals on the way to a 4th place finish at state. The teams met two more times in the mid-90's, both Warrior losses, giving the Warriors an 0-3 all-time record against the Rams in boys basketball.

GLIDE 12 8 10 20 -- 50
Hernandez 4, Standish 2, Smith, A. Basiliades 16, D. Basiliades 19, P. Bonnell, Ridgley 5, Edwards, Jackson 4.
WARRENTON 10 6 18 23 -- 57
Davis 2, Gantenbein 11, Little 6, O'Casey 14, Lampi 20, Garcia 3, Moore 1.
FIELD GOALS-GLI: 22-52-41%, WAR: 22-51-43%
3-PT FG'S-GLI: 4-14-29%, WAR: 5-14-36%
FREE THROWS-GLI: 3-6-50%, WAR: 8-15-53%
REBOUNDS-GLI: 30, WAR: 34
TURNOVERS-GLI: 12, WAR: 12

Tuesday, February 20, 2007

COMETTES SURVIVE PREZ DAY ELIMINATION

With balanced scoring and a strong rebounding effort, the Naselle Comets girls basketball team overcame a poor start to defeat their K-M rivals Wahkiakum 65-49 in a loser out game at the 2B District IV Tournament at Bo Griffith Gymnasium in Montesano Monday night.

Down 12-4 in the first period, Naselle responded with 18 straight points to close the quarter, completing a 20-0 run early in the second period to take a 24-12 lead. The Mules never really challenged from there. Wahkiakum cut the lead to six in the second period, then made their final run to close within 47-40 with 5:56 to play in the game. From there, a 12-1 Naselle run put the game out of reach.

The Comets controlled the paint, outscoring Wahkiakum 21-9 on second chance points.

"A lot of effort tonight," said Naselle head coach Bob Torppa. "Defense definitely made the difference. We stepped up offensively and were able to get the ball in the basket. We started really slow, but the girls stayed with it and got it done when we needed to get it done."

Comets senior guard Erin Saari recorded a triple-double with 11 points, ten rebounds and ten steals, while Cheryl Steppe (13 points, 8 rebounds), Ashley Ahlstrom (12 points, 8 rebounds) and Brandi Keightley (12 points) all scored in double figures for Naselle, which moves to within two games of clinching a state tournament berth.

The Comets face Raymond for the third time this season Wednesday night, this time with the loser eliminated. The game will be at Rochester High School at 6:30 p.m. and will be broadcast live on KAST-AM 1370 with pregame coverage beginning at 6:05 p.m. A win over the Seagulls would put Naselle in a winner-to-state game Friday night and provide the Comets with another "get out of jail free card" should they lose.

With five district seeds to the state tournament this season, teams that lose Friday night's loser's bracket semifinals will play off for the fifth seed, setting up a "triple elimination" format for the fifth berth.

"We played them early and we beat them without Keightley," said Torppa, of the Comets first win over the Seagulls without the junior guard, then laid up with a broken finger. "Then we went down to Raymond and we didn't play very well and they got us pretty good at Raymond. We're gonna need to play much better than we did at Raymond and I know they will. They want to move on so they're going to step up when we need to."

Naselle improved to 13-10 overall with the win, while Wahkiakum season ended with an 0-2 district tournament and a 6-16 overall record. Naselle is vying for its first state tournament appearance in girls basketball since the 7th place 2003 team, led by current Carnegie-Mellon guard Nora Darcher.

Naselle's boys likewise have not graced the floor at Spokane since the 2003 tourney. They will have to wait at least another year following a 56-50 loss to Northwest Christian Monday.

The Navigators never trailed after sprinting to leads of 9-1 and 17-6 in the first period, however, the Comets never let them get comfortable, closing to within 25-22 at halftime and trailing only 49-45 with 1:42 left in the game following a 3-point play by junior Kyle Burkhalter.

A missed 1-and-1 free throw by N.W. Christian guard Ryan Fox gave the Comets the ball with 1:02 left, but Burkhalter missed a shot and the Comets were forced to foul the Navigators, who hit 7-of-8 at the line down the stretch to seal the win.

Burkhalter finished with 22 points, completing an outstanding season in which he averaged 20 points and ten rebounds per game. Talented 6-4 senior forward Matt Myers paced the Navigators with 26 points.

The Comets kept in the game with a strong rebounding effort, outboarding the Navigators 33-22 with a 17-3 edge on the offensive glass.

Northwest Christian moves on to play White Pass, a 61-55 winner over North Beach Monday.

GIRLS
-
WAHKIAKUM 12 11 13 13 --49
NASELLE 22 10 14 19 -- 65
Pakenen 4, Keightley 12, Saari 11, Steppe 13, Ahlstrom 12, Rodriguez, Green, Klinger, Laney, Beaulaurier 3, Landis.

BOYS

NASELLE 8 14 14 14 -- 50
Heagy, Griss, K. Burkhalter 22, A. Burkhalter 13, Smith 8, Sultemeier 5, See 2, Hines.
N.W. CHR. 17 8 16 15 -- 56
Fox 12, Hamilton 6, Cummings 3, Myers 26, Groeschell 1, Owens, Dunn 4, Hobbs 2.
FIELD GOALS-NAS: 19-54-35%, NWC: 17-29-59%
3-PT FG'S-NAS: 4-16-25%, NWC: 3-7-43%
FREE THROWS-NAS: 8-11-73%, NWC: 18-27-67%
REBOUNDS-NAS: 33, NWC: 22
TURNOVERS-NAS: 13, NWC: 14

Sunday, February 18, 2007

ONE MORE TOWARDS GOLDEN TICKET TO YAKIMA

The third time was not a charm for the Rockets from Castle Rock as the Lady Fishermen from Ilwaco stormed past their over-matched Trico League opponent with ease from Mark Morris High School Saturday in the District 4 Girls Basketball Tournament.

Anna Kitzman poured in 24 points as Ilwaco romped to a 61-35 victory over Castle Rock in a loser-out matchup at the Southwest 1A District girls basketball tournament.

"They (Castle Rock) had a great game plan to keep Lanie (Kary) off balance." Ilwaco coach Ned Bittner remarked. "But Anna and the rest of the team stepped up and carried us when we needed it."

"Kitzman just got loose too many times and she's a ball player," CR coach Scott Spencer said. "She shot the lights out."

But it wasn't all offense. Bonnie Perez for the Lady Fishermen held sharp-shooting Lacey Seidl to just 8 points and with Melany Bliss and Allison Brooks providing tight defense and timely rebounds, the defense turned to offense as the Fishermen converted 41% of their shots and built their lead to as many as 30 points in the second half.

The Rockets (9-11), on the other hand, struggled from the field, hitting a mere 28 percent and found the charity stripe not so charitable, where they made just 1-of-12 (8 percent).

"We found our stride and just at the right time." said Bittner. "The girls shook off the disappointment of losing to Montesano and did the work. Now we have just one more to get to state."

And that will come against a familiar opponent. The Fishermen (17-5) advanced to a loser-out, winner-to-state game against Kalama on Thursday at 6:30 p.m. in Centralia.

"One real good team is going to end up staying home on that one," Ilwaco coach Ned Bittner said.

CASTLE ROCK - 9 8 4 14 - 35
Melton 10, Seidl 8, Mitchell 6, Moore 4, Byrum 3, Hensley 2, Moore 2, Swanson, Watkins , Bishop.
ILWACO - 10 15 18 18 - 61
Kitzman 24, Kary 14, Bliss 10, Perez 6, Brooks 4, Moses 3, Banute, Ulbricht, Hankins, Milner, McDonald.

FIELD GOALS: CR: 17-60-28%, ILW: 22-53-41%
FREE THROWS: CR: 1-12-8%, ILW: 11-15-73%
REBOOUNDS: CR: 32, ILW: 52

THE LONG AND WINDING ROAD

This one hurt.

And it could be the game that knocks Astoria out of the playoffs.

An inspired Banks Braves basketball team did just enough at home to hang a devastating Cowapa League loss on the Fishermen, 55-54 and put the post-season hopes of Astoria in peril.

It wasn't one or two plays that changed the game. In fact, Astoria had two chances with under 6 seconds left in the contest on two separate in-bounds plays to wrest the lead from the scrappy Braves and couldn't convert.

"Our backs are against the wall now." said Chris Hunt, Astoria coach after the game. "We could have controlled our own destiny for a high seed into the post-season. Now we need some help."

In the last of three consecutive road games, Astoria never could shake Banks during the game, with neither team having any more than a 5 point lead in this closely fought contest. Up by two at 15-13 after the first quarter, Astoria found some offense in the defensive-minded Senior guard Josimar Macareno, who dumped in 5 points in the 2nd period. But with balanced scoring from the Braves throughout the contest, the teams were tied at the break, 26-26.

It was Senior Night at Banks as the team honored the lettermen who'd be playing their last home game of the season and the Braves responded with an inspired effort in the game, notably from Nathan Horlacher, who poured in 18 points on his 18th birthday, and wingman Jeff Stradling who added 10 for the Banks cause.

During the half, Astoria only spent 2 minutes in the locker room, as Hunt brought his charges back on the floor with over 6 minutes left in the half to begin their warm ups for the final two periods.

"I said all I wanted to say." stated Hunt afterwards in response to the early re-emergence from the locker room. "We missed opportunities and the was no sense going over and over it. We said what we wanted to say and that was it."

The game was back and forth again in the second half, with Banks holding the slim 37-36 lead going into the 4th quarter. Which is where Horlacher took over for the Braves. Dumping in 11 of his 18 points in the stanza, Horlacher almost single-handedly held off the challenge of the Fishermen, who had a couple of chances to win the game out-right due to their staunch defense.

Down one with just 5.5 seconds in the game and with no timeouts, Astoria needed a turnover, a steal, or a quick foul on Banks to have any chance. With Jordan Poyer defending the baseline, the Fishermen defense caused Banks to burn their last timeout before a five-second count was called. Then, with no timeouts left for either squad, Josh Marsh threw the ball inbounds over the outstretched arms of Poyer, but Macareno tipped the pass to Fishermen guard Brent Culver, who quickly found Brendan Landwehr on the right wing. As the clock ran down, Landwehr drove towards the basket, but lost control of the ball out of bounds, turning it back over to Banks with a mere 1.1 seconds remaining.

The last in-bounds play gave Astoria one more shot at redemption. Poyer deflected the Marsh entry attempt, this time right to Landwehr on the left baseline...the shot left Landwehr's hand 8 feet away from the basket before the buzzer sounded, but slid off the rim as the Banks faithful stormed the court. It was a bitter pill for Landwehr, who helped keep the Fishermen even with Banks by hitting 2 huge 3-point bombs in the fourth quarter, and his teammates to swallow.

Three Cowapa League road games for Astoria in the past week resulted in three losses by a total of 4 points. From second place to 4th just that quickly in this tough Cowapa League. Plus, continuing the season past the home finale against Seaside is now in jeopardy unless Astoria defeats the Gulls and gets some help. Either Scappoose (hosting Yamhill-Carlton), or Tillamook (entertaining Banks) must lose and Astoria must defeat Seaside for the Fishermen to have any chance at one of the three Cowapa League berths to the OSAA playoffs. If both Scappoose and Tillamook lose coupled with an Astoria victory, there would be a three-way tie for second place. If both the Indians and Cheesemakers win on Tuesday, then the season is over for the Fishermen.

The Astoria-Seaside clash can be heard on KAST 1370 AM, as the second half of a girls-boys doubleheader from the Brickhouse Tuesday night beginning at 5:32 pm.

ASTORIA - 15 11 10 18 - 54
Macareno 13, Robinson 12, Murray 10, Landwehr 9, Poyer 4, Alfonse 4, Anderson, Culver
BANKS - 13 13 11 18 - 55
Horlacher 18, Stradling 10, Quinones 8, Shulund 6, Marsh 5, Bayless 6, Rupp, Linehan, Moore

FIELD GOALS: AST: 20-58-35%, BAN: 20-42-48%
3 PT. FG'S: AST: 5-18-28%, BAN: 5-14-36%
FREE THROWS: AST: 7-11-64%, BAN: 10-13-77%
REBOUNDS: AST: 24, BAN: 27

Thursday, February 15, 2007

THURSDAY PREP SCOREBOARD

GIRLS BASKETBALL
1A District IV Tournament
Montesano 50, Ilwaco 44
Kalama 56, Onalaska 27
Forks 50, Castle Rock 34
Toledo 55, Columbia 31
Casco League Semifinals at McMinnville
Jewell 52, Open Bible 30
St. Paul vs. Perrydale, 5:00 p.m.
BOYS BASKETBALL
Scappoose 62, Seaside 51

Wednesday, February 14, 2007

WEDNESDAY SCOREBOARD

BOYS BASKETBALL
Lewis & Clark League Tournament (Winners to State)
PORTLAND ADVENTIST 60, Vernonia 44
WARRENTON 59, Rainier 48
2B District IV Tournament
NORTH BEACH vs. Morton 49, North Beach 47
OCOSTA vs. White Pass 60, Ocosta 47
Napavine 54, Naselle 22
Mossyrock 72, South Bend 52
GIRLS BASKETBALL
Lewis & Clark League Tournament (Winners to State)
PORTLAND ADVENTIST 48, Vernonia 42
WARRENTON 37, Neah-Kah-Nie 20

HOLY JUMPING UP AND DOWN...

What happened in the final seconds Tuesday night at Yamhill-Carlton will leave a lasting impression on Astoria Coach Chris Hunt and his boy's basketball team when they reflect on the 2006-07 campaign when it's finally over.

The burning question will be: What if?

What if Astoria is able to work for a game-tying 3-point shot with under a minute left instead of two free throws by Andy Murray with under 10 seconds left? What if Yamhill-Carlton's Zach Anderson made his free throws with 3.3 seconds left which would have given Astoria a natural stoppage in play, allowing them to set up for a last-second shot?

What if Astoria would have been able to get the timeout the bench was so desperately calling after Tony Robinson pulled down Anderson's miss on the front end of a 1 and 1?

Drama, throat-numbing excitement, and a bitter road defeat for the 6th ranked Fishermen, as they let the 3rd ranked Tigers slip through their fingers, 44-43 at Barnett Court Tuesday night.

In this, the third meeting between the two teams this season, Astoria came out with a plan: Not to let Anderson torch them for 20 plus points, keep the Tigers off-balance with controlled, smart, offensive possessions, and to not fall behind by more than 10 points in the contest.

Check, check, and check.

"We did everything we were supposed to but win the game." a disappointed Coach Chris Hunt said after the defeat. "I'm proud of our guys. They did everything we asked of them. Now we have to go out, win the last two, and hope for some help. This thing (the Cowapa League playoff positions) is still up for grabs."

The Fish, who dropped the two previous meetings to Yamhill-Carlton, 77-68 and 59-53, showed that they would not be intimidated by the raucous and packed Barnett Court crowd, staying even in the 1st Quarter and went to the break up by three, 25-22. Sophomore Jordan Poyer, Senior guards Josimar Macareno and Tony Robinson were huge in the first half for Astoria, scoring 6, 5, and 5 points respectively. But the bigger impact on the tempo of the first half was the defense on Anderson, who was held to just 2 points as the teams headed to the half.

"I thought we did our best job tonight on Zach," according to Hunt. "He is a great player. Normally, we get that kind of effort defensively against him and we win the game."

In the second half, no team led by more than 3 points, see-sawing with the advantage. Astoria held the slim 33-31 lead going into the final quarter. In the 4th, Anderson came alive for the Tigers, but more on the defensive side of the ball, blocking 4 shots and pulling down 6 rebounds to clog up the middle on the Fishermen.

An Anderson lay-in against pressure with just over 3 minutes left in the game tied it at 40-40. After Murray hit one of two free throws to put Astoria up, 41-40 with 2:17 left, Walter Skuzeski, the fleet 6th man for Yamhill-Carlton, put the Tigers up for good with a teardrop 16-foot jumper, 42-41. After a Murray miss was rebounded by Skuzeski, tried to wind the clock down, but Brendan Landwehr picked off the Skuzeski pass and the Fishermen had another opportunity.

But it was short-lived. Driving down the lane with the ball, Landwehr was called for the offensive foul, banging against Anderson. Turnover, Astoria. With just 1:33 left in the game, Yamhill-Carlton with the ball, Astoria down 1, the Fishermen still only had 5 team fouls which meant they would need to foul the Tigers twice to get them to the free-throw line. Astoria played tight defense and tried to cause a turnover, but ended up fouling Anderson with 43 seconds left, sending him to the line for the 1 and 1. The senior buried both shots and Yamhill-Carlton held the 44-41 lead.

Astoria worked the clock down, searching for the best possible shot, but could only manage a Murray drive in the lane and a JT Sorensen foul with 4.1 seconds left. Murray hit the pair to pull Astoria within 1, 44-43, and the Fishermen immediately fouled Anderson on the inbounds.

With a mere 3.3 seconds on the clock, Anderson toed the charity stripe for a 1 and 1. Astoria, with a timeout remaining, needed a miss.

They got it, as Anderson brushed the front of the rim with the attempt. Robinson snatched to rebound, as the Astoria bench was screaming for their final timeout. The officials did not acknowledge the bench, Robinson took a dribble and had his pass downcourt intercepted by Anderson.

Game over.

Heartbreak for the Fishermen. Joy on senior night for the Tigers.

Astoria dropped to 5-3 in league play, now tied with Tillamook and Scappoose for 2nd place. Yamhill-Carlton mvoed to 7-1 in their inaugural season in the Cowapa League. Next for the Fishermen is a road contest at Banks before they finish the regular season at home against Seaside. Yamhill-Carlton is on the road at Tillamook, then at Scappoose to close out the regular season.

It is still anyone's league title, but the Tigers now hold the aces in their hand.

ASTORIA - 11 14 8 10 - 43
Macareno 9, Robinson 9, Murray 9, Landwehr 6, Poyer 6, Alfonse 3, Culver, Faulkner
YAMHILL-CARLTON - 12 10 9 13 - 44
Weber 10, Sorensen 5, Anderson 8, Bryant 8, Skuzeski 8, White 4, Morgan, Garcia

ASTORIA GIRLS TAME TIGERS

Talk about grabbing a tiger by the tail.

Facing an uphill battle to match Seaside's late season surge for the 3rd playoff spot in the Cowapa League Girls basketball race, the Astoria Lady Fishermen took to the road for the last time in the regular season in search of a must-win against Yamhill-Carlton. The Tigers, winners of just one game in the Cowapa this year, would not lay down for the Fishermen, pushing out to a 23-8 halftime advantage and throwing serious doubt into the Astoria faithful that the Lady Fish would have any chance to grab a precious road victory.

But whatever Astoria Coach Gordon Thompson said to his charges at the break, worked.

"Let's just say that I let them know that they didn't perform to my level of expectations." Thompson said wrly after the Fishermen staged a second half comeback and secured a 37-33 victory. "We weren't playing defense and I made some adjustments. The girls knew that if they didn't follow our plan in the second half, they's be sitting on the bench."

After falling behind by 15 in the first half, Astoria came out after the break with blood in their eyes, stifling the Tigers offense, allowing only 1 free throw at the 2:12 mark remaining in the 3rd Quarter and only 3 points in the quarter, as the Fishermen closed the gap down to 5, at 26-21, heading into the final stanza.

Key in that 3rd Quarter was the play of Junior guard Sara Cullen, who buried 3 jumpers in succession down the floor, and reserve Alex Hillard, who dumped in 4 points in the quarter that saw Astoria outscore Yamhill-Carlton 13-3.

"That quarter was key." said Thompson. "The energy was better, the execution was better, and our girls stepped up when they needed to."

The Fishermen took the lead midway through the final period on a Jamie Coggins offensive rebound and put-back, then held off the pesky Tigers on their way to the important road victory. Astoria improved to 3-5 in League play, 12-11 overall. Yamhill-Carlton dropped to 1-7 in the Cowapa and 3-17 on the season overall.

Next up for Astoria is a pair of home dates. This Friday night the Lady Fishermen host Banks, then close out the regular season with Seaside on Tuesday. The Fishermen need to sweep those games and have Seaside lose on Friday to Cowapa League leader Scappoose to pull into a tie with the Gulls for the 3rd and final OSAA playoff position. If that happens, then the two teams would have a one-game, winner-in contest at a neutral site to determine the team that would advance to the post-season.

ASTORIA - 4 4 13 16 - 37
Coggins 10, O'Bryan 2, Saulsbury 4, Cullen 9, Wilson 2, Stephens 4, Hillard 8, Roman, Carr
YAMHILL-CARLTON - 9 14 3 10 - 33
Bellwood 10, Larson B. 9, Findley 2, Whitehead 2, Dunham 8, Larson S. 2, Chamberlin, Witham

FIELD GOALS: AST: 13-34-38%, YC: 7-29-24%
3 PT FG'S: AST: 0-0-0%, YC: 2-7-28%
FREE THROWS: AST: 11-21-52%, YC: 13-25-52%
TURNOVERS: AST: 17, YC: 23

Tuesday, February 13, 2007

TUESDAY'S PREP SCOREBOARD

BOYS BASKETBALL
Lewis & Clark League Tournament (losers out)
RAINIER 56, Catlin Gabel 36
O.E.S. vs. Vernonia, 7:00 p.m.
N.W. League Playoffs
Nestucca at De La Salle (loser out), 7:00 p.m.
KNAPPA 76, Portland Lutheran 55 (winner to state)
Cowapa League
Yamhill-Carlton 44, Astoria 43
GIRLS BASKETBALL
Casco League Playoffs (losers out)
Falls City at Willamette Valley Christian
Country Christian at Perrydale
Lewis & Clark League Tournament (losers out)
NEAH-KAH-NIE 42, Clatskanie 31
CATLIN GABEL vs. Vernonia, 7:00 p.m.
N.W. League Playoffs
Corbett at De La Salle (loser out), 7:00 p.m.
Nestucca 53, Knappa 37 (winner to state)
2B District IV Tournament
VALLEY vs. Wahkiakum, 7:00 p.m.
NASELLE 43, Morton 33
Tacoma Baptist at White Pass, 7:00 p.m.
N.W. Christian at Toutle Lake, 7:00 p.m.
Cowapa League
Astoria 37, Yamhill-Carlton 33
Seaside at Banks, 7:15 p.m.
Scappoose 38, Tillamook 31

BRAVES OUTSHOOT GULLS, TIE FOR 5TH

The Seaside Seagulls discovered a little scoring punch Monday night, but could not slow down the hot-shooting Banks Braves.

Senior guard Jeff Stradling scored 19 points leading four Braves players in double figures as Banks defeated Seaside 73-54 at the Gulls' Nest.

The two teams are now tied for fifth place in the Cowapa League standings at 1-7, both with 7-14 overall records.

Stradling and 6-4 wing Nathan Horlacher stroked 3-pointers on Banks' first two possessions of the game--a sign of things to come as the Braves consistently shot a high percentage throughout the contest.

"They shot the ball well tonight," said Seaside head coach Bill Westerholm of the Braves, who hit 59% of their shots and half of their 12 3-point shot attempts in the game. "It wasn't just Horlacher or Stradling who shot the ball well. They had a couple of other kids shoot the ball for them. Their role players played very well."

The Seagulls fell behind 9-4 before beginning a rally on a steal and thunderous two-handed dunk by Ed Kauffunger, who finished with 12 first half points scored in a variety of ways. Back-to-back long bombs by Donnie Strite and Damian Olivar gave Seaside a 14-13 lead. The lead changed hands six times before Banks pulled ahead 19-16 at the end of the period.

The Braves would never trail again, outscoring Seaside 20-11 in the second period. Stradling punctuated the quarter with a long 3-pointer with three seconds left.

The Braves led by 15 points early in the third quarter before Seaside cut the lead to 48-42 on the third of Olivar's four 3-pointers. The Braves responded with scores on their last five possessions, a 9-0 quarter-closing run put Banks up 57-42 and they maintained a double-digit lead the rest of the way.

"We did a pretty good job offensively," said Westerholm. "We had little bursts when we had some turnovers right in a row. I think what happened is they turned a lot of our turnovers into points and we didn't turn their 21 turnovers into a lot of points."

Kauffunger finished with 18 points for the Gulls and Olivar topped double figures in scoring for only the second time this year, finishing with 14 points on 4-of-9 shooting from beyond the arc, while adding three assists and four steals. Matt Peinhardt had eight points and a game-high 13 rebounds for Seaside.

"That's probably one of the better games we've had on the offensive end," said Westerholm. "We just had too many turnovers and we played a team that was playing very well tonight."

The Braves got strong contributions off their bench from Bryce Shulund (10 points) and Gabe Linehan (11 points and five rebounds).

Seaside hosts Scappoose on Thursday while Banks entertains Astoria on Friday. Scappoose defeated Tillamook 50-47 Monday night, pulling into a third-place tie with the Cheesemakers at 5-3. Astoria (5-2, 15-5) travels to Yamhill-Carlton (6-1, 19-3) tonight with a chance to tie the Tigers for first place in the Cowapa League standings with two regular season games remaining. The game will be broadcast live on KAST-AM, 1370 following the girls game, with coverage beginning at 5:32 p.m.

BANKS 19 20 18 16 -- 73
Stradling 19, Horlacher 9, Quinones 12, Marsh 7, Bayless 5, Rupp, Shulund 10, Linehan 11, Hammond, Rue, Martin.
SEASIDE 16 11 15 12 -- 54
Senick, Walker, Olivar 15, Kauffunger 18, Peinhardt 8, De Gandi 7, Strite 6, Carlson, Olstedt, Carow, Truax.
FIELD GOALS-BAN: 26-44-59%, SEA: 22-57-39%
3-PT FG'S-BAN: 6-12-50%, SEA: 7-18-39%
FREE THROWS-BAN: 15-21-71%, SEA: 3-6-50%
REBOUNDS-BAN: 29, SEA: 27
TURNOVERS-BAN: 23, SEA: 21

Monday, February 12, 2007

FISHERMEN THIRD ON THE MATS

In one of their stronger district performances in recent memory, the Astoria Fishermen wrestling team placed third at the District 1 Championships at Tillamook this weekend, placing all 13 wrestlers that entered the tournament.

The host Cheesemakers won the team title with 405 points, followed by powerful Scappoose with 325.5 then Astoria with 185 points.

Six Astoria wrestlers will head to the state meet in Salem on Thursday, two as district champions.

Jake Banta won his second consecutive district title, avenging an earlier dual meet loss to Tillamook's Adam Barichio, to take the 215-pound championship. Banta is the number one seed in his weight class and will receive a first-round bye at the state meet.

"It was a little closer match than we thought it would be," said Astoria head coach Cam McFarland. "He ended up having to hit a reversal in the end to win it out."

Banta will be making his third straight trip to state after a third place district finish in 2005. Banta placed third at the state meet last year.

Jake's twin brother Josh won the other Fishermen title, using a third round takedown to defeat Scappoose's Kyle Goodnight for the 152-pound title.

At 103 pounds, two Astoria wrestlers battled for the final spot to state, with Kenny Dowell defeating Dustin Morrison in overtime for a third place finish.

The Fishermen will send two wrestlers in both the 215-pound and 285-pound weight class with Ricky Welty placing third at 215 and Ben Mattingly and Colton Schwarz taking second and third respectively in the heavyweight division. Mattingly fell to Bubba Owens of Tillamook, the state's top heavyweight regardless of classification, in a second round pin.

Mason Brause nearly became the seventh Astoria state qualifier, as the sophomore first-time wrestler was taken down in sudden death overtime by Ron Nue of Tillamook in the third place final. Freshman Tim "Cardiac" Clark also placed fourth for Astoria, one match away from a state berth.

"I couldn't be more proud of a group of guys," said McFarland. "They've just done a great job."

For Seaside, the weekend was not so enjoyable, as the Gulls placed sixth out of six teams and did not qualify a wrestler for the state meet for the first time in years. Three Seagulls got close, as Justin Near (112), Aidan Marinelli (119) and Casey Chambers (189) all lost in the third place, winner-to-state finals.

TEAM SCORES: Tillamook 405, Scappoose 325.5, Astoria 185, Banks 122.5, Yamhill-Carlton 107, Seaside 63

SATURDAY BASKETBALL ROUNDUP

BOYS BASKETBALL
Catlin Gabel 45, Warrenton 33...The Warriors saw a 6-game win streak end in a loss at Catlin Gabel. Warrenton (12-4, 16-9) finishes the regular season in second place in the Lewis & Clark League and will host a playoff game Wednesday night. No details from Saturday's game were reported...The Warriors weren't the only Lewis & Clark team to slip up in a meaningless game as top-ranked Clatskanie fell to Oregon Episcopal School 56-49. The Tigers will play Northwest League champion Portland Christian tomorrow night in a non-league game. In other Lewis & Clark League games Saturday...Portland Adventist topped Rainier 58-47 and Riverdale defeated Vernonia 45-37

GIRLS BASKETBALL
Catlin Gabel 39, Warrenton 36...Despite a poor shooting performance and two players missing from the lineup, the Warriors fought back to tie the Eagles in the final three minutes before a buzzer-beating 3-pointer gave Catlin the victory. Jordyn Holt had 12 points for Warrenton and Emily Ogren had ten points and nine rebounds for the Warriors, who open Wednesday's playoff doubleheader at home against an opponent to be determined. Coverage of both Warrenton games begins at 4:35 p.m. on SportsRadio 1230 ESPN...In other Lewis & Clark League finals, Clatskanie knocked off O.E.S. 66-53, Rainier defeated Portland Adventist 41-33 and Vernonia topped Riverdale 51-30.

LADY FISH SWIMMERS HANG FIFTH DISTRICT BANNER

A gutted Lady Fishermen swim team still had enough to edge Taft and Seaside for the District 1 Championship Saturday.

The mounting losses for the Fishermen boys were simply too much to overcome, as they slipped to third place behind Tillamook and Rainier.

Both teams were decimated by the flu bug heading into the weekend and times were slow as a result. The Astoria boys also lost three swimmers for various disciplinary reasons leaving them without five bodies, including junior Dustin Manley, a number two seed in two different events.

To put a capper on a challenging day for the Fishermen boys, junior Manassah Israel failed to get off the platform for several seconds at the start of the 100-yard breaststroke and finished last in an event which he was seeded third.

All of those frustrations were forgotten, momentarily, as the final girls scores were announced. With key swimmers hacking and coughing and speaking in scratchy voices, the ravages of illness were still present. But despite predictions to the contrary, the Lady Fishermen still had enough energy and womanpower to come out on top in a competitive field, beating Taft by six points and finishing 23 points ahead of third place Seaside.

"We've had such a rough, rough week," said an emotional head coach Carla Oja. "The season has gone so good and to come up against the obstacles we've had...it's been kind of disheartening for the whole team to lose teammates for different reasons, illness being one of the easiest ones to take. Nevertheless, its very, very hard to be sick as a team.

"To come out with some good swims and maintain positions is pretty nice. To have this win for our girls, to carry on a tradition that has lasted five years, is bittersweet in a lot of ways. I'm proud of them."

The win is the fifth straight district championship for Astoria's girls team.

Junior Bridget Nurding recorded Astoria's only individual win, finishing the 50 yard freestyle in 27.65, just .29 seconds ahead of a strong swim by Seaside freshman Stephanie Hanthorn. Nurding also assisted Astoria's 200 and 400 freestyle relay teams to victory.

"We definitely didn't think we were gonna win," said Nurding. "I actually didn't believe that we'd won so I actually didn't celebrate because I assumed that a few seconds later they were going to say, 'Just kidding, we messed up the scores.'"

Senior Wendi Agalzoff took a pair of second places in the 100 and 200 freestyle and Rachel Gascoigne placed third in the 50 free and 100 breaststroke.

A healthy junior Eddie Duret was forced to carry the load for the depleted Astoria boys squad and came up with a pair of first place finishes in the 200 individual medley and 500 freestyle, but could not carry a relay team to state by his lonesome, as Astoria's second-seeded 200 medley and 400 freestyle teams dropped to fifth in each event.

"I felt pretty good, " said Duret. "My 200 was the fastest I had gone, but my 500 has been pretty slow lately. At least I get to go to state now and prove myself."

Hanthorn had an impressive meet for the third place Seaside girls, winning the 100 freestyle in 59.90, breaking the minute barrier for the first time this year to defeat the favored Agalzoff. Junior Laura Coddington had strong swims in the 200 IM and 100 backstroke for a pair of second place finishes, her backstroke time earning her a spot at the state meet.

Seaside's boys best finish came from sophomore Cole Schwarz, who placed third in the 500 freestyle. The Seagulls' 200 and 400 free relay teams also placed fourth, but due to a strong district the 400 free team reached the state meet.

TEAM SCORES
GIRLS: Astoria 253, Taft 247, Seaside 230, Newport 151, Rainier 136, Scappoose 128, Tillamook 45, Toledo 32
BOYS: Tillamook 276, Rainier 190, Astoria 176, Newport 160, Seaside 157, Taft 135, Scappoose 64, Toledo 31

Sunday, February 11, 2007

LOGGER BOYS LOCK UP SECOND

The Knappa Loggers built a huge first-half lead, then held on to the finish in a 57-47 victory over the visiting De La Salle Kngihts Friday.

Brian Riffe scored 13 of his team-high 19 points in the first quarter as the Loggers shot to a 25-9 lead. The Knights would get no closer than seven points the rest of the way as Knappa secured a second place finish and a home playoff game on Tuesday.

Knappa will take on Portland Lutheran at home Tuesday night for the right to face league champion Portland Christian for the top district seed to state. The winner will play the Royals at Milwaukie High School Saturday night in the final game of a playoff quadrupleheader at 8:00 p.m. If Knappa should lose to PLS Tuesday, the Loggers would still have a shot at the third seed and would play the winner of a Tuesday playoff between De La Salle and Nestucca.

The Knights were playing their second game without talented 6-0 junior guard Amanuel Lemo, who was suspended for grades. Even his presence on the floor likely would have little impact on Knappa's smoking start to the game.

After the Loggers missed their first three shots, Knappa hit six of their next seven and ten of the next twelve shots from the field. Brian Riffe canned three 3-pointers, two of which were set up by kick-out passes by Ryan Isom, who has been the Loggers long bomber all season and is one of the state's top long range shooters.

Isom was held scoreless in the game, the first time the senior guard has been blanked since the final reguar season game at Warrenton last year, but produced five assists in the first quarter. Isom's twin brother Paul, Knappa's point guard, picked up the slack with eight points in the quarter, finishing in the paint while Riffe extended the defense.

"We made some nice reads in transition offensively," said Loggers head coach Craig Cokley. "We had a nice flow."

Knappa continued its strong start early in the second period, going up 34-14 on a Jesse Moreland basket. The Knights would respond with a defensive switch and an 11-0 run, forcing a Knappa time out as the lead was sliced in half in a span of two minutes.

"Their zone gave us a little bit of trouble," said Cokley of the primarily man-to-man Knights. "They move well in their zone and they cover the perimeter."

"They really keyed on Ryan."

Out of the time out, Moreland was fouled and hit both free throws ending the run. Baskets by Paul Isom and Moreland closed the half with Knappa leading 40-27.

De La Salle would again cut the lead to seven points as wing guard Luke Leonard hit one out of two free throws to make it a 44-37 game with just under five minutes remaining in the third quarter. Freshman post Robert Auger (pronounced ro-BARE o-JAY) scored seven points in a 10-2 Knights run early in the period and would finish with 19 points.

Both teams would go through a two-and-a-half minute scoreless drought before Ryan Isom fed Nate West underneath for a Knappa basket. West hit a pair of free throws to put the Loggers up 51-39 entering the final period.

In the fourth quarter, backup guard Jonathan Hardy picked Paul Isom's pocket in backcourt and the resulting layup made it a 53-43 game. After Isom was called for travelling, Auger scored to cut the lead to eight once again with more than five minutes left in the game.

Baskets by Paul Isom and Moreland put the Loggers back up by 12 with 3:35 left and Knappa went into its "Cuts" delay game at about the 2:30 mark, leading 57-47. A miscommunication on a perimeter pass saw the ball sail out of bounds untouched, giving De La Salle the ball with 2:25 left. The Knights were unable to capitalize as Donta Harris missed a shot and Moreland secured the rebound.

With only three team fouls on the board, the Knights committed two fouls, but did not continue to foul. The Loggers ran more time off before Riffe drove in the lane and missed. Leonard missed a three on the other end and Bruce Farrell's rebound putback attempt was blocked by Moreland with Riffe controlling the rebound.

Another De La Salle foul stopped the clock with :42 left, but the Knights threw up the white flag and allowed Knappa to run out the clock.

Along with Riffe's hot early shooting, the 5-9 senior wing did a standout defensive job on Farrell, holding one of the league's most dangerous scorers to seven points in the game. Farrell attempted just two shots in the first half as the Loggers played a box-and-one defense. Auger had nine rebounds and two steals for the Knights.

"Riffe was huge," said Cokley. "He actually is a prety good perimeter shooter. His unorthodox style belies the fact that he is a good perimeter shooter, especially from three."

"I couldn't be happier with the way he's developed his game this year."

Five Loggers scored in the game as both teams used just seven players. Jesse Moreland recorded a double-double with 14 points, ten rebounds and five blocked shots. Paul Isom scored one off his career high with 12 points. Steven Bokor had seven rebounds for the Loggers.

Tuesday's playoff game against Portland Lutheran will be broadcast live on SportsRadio 1230 ESPN following the Portland Blazers game at Miami.

DE LA SALLE 9 18 12 8 -- 47
Farrell 7, Dom. Harris 2, Leongard 8, Auger 19, Don. Harris 7, Fuqua 2, Hardy 2.
KNAPPA 25 15 11 6 -- 57
R. Isom, P. Isom 12, Moreland 14, Aho 8, Bokor, Riffe 19, West 4.
FIELD GOALS-DLS: 20-64-31%, KNA: 23-57-40%
3-PT FG'S-DLS: 2-16-13%, KNA: 4-17-24%
FREE THROWS-DLS: 5-8-63%, KNA: 7-10-70%
REBOUNDS-DLS: 33, KNA: 39
TURNOVERS-DLS: 8, KNA: 13

CHEESEMAKERS CREAM ASTORIA AGAIN

The flu has been running through the Astoria Lady Fishermen basketball team at the worst possible time. .

The Lady Fish are trying to make a run late in the season to catch Seaside for the 3rd spot heading into the Cowapa League playoffs and a possible slot in the OSAA State Tournament which begins later this month. So you've got girls ill, you're behind the eight ball in terms of playoff seeding, and you're coming off an embarrassing loss on the road against the co-leaders of the Cowapa League, Scappoose.

Sure, bring on 4th-ranked Tillamook. Why not?

"It has been a tough stretch," said Head Coach Gordon Thompson of Astoria. "I have to give our girls credit. They keep battling and scrapping and that effort will translate into wins."

But not on this night. Not against the 'Mooks, who are trying to keep pace with Scappoose for the top seed in the Cowapa.

Astoria fell behind early and the Lady Cheesemakers put it on cruise control in the second half, on their way to a 60-24 league victory at the Brickhouse on Friday night.

Without Kristen Saulsbury and with Christina Wilson, Jamie Coggins, KJ Carr, and Hillary O'Bryan all battling the throes of the flu, Thompson opened up his bench and substituted liberally throughout the contest more from necessity than design.

"There's no sense making it worse on the girls by playing them a lot of minutes." Thompson said before the game. "The girls have been sick all week and it's been hard to even practice."

Despite the disadvantage, Astoria did show some signs of life midway through the second quarter, slicing a 12 point deficit down to 6 at 18-12 with just over 3 minutes before the half. But a 13-0 run, triggered by 3 straight steals and transistion baskets by 'Mook guard Jessica Valencia set down any Fishermen rally as Tillamook went to the break up 31-12.

Tillamook swept the season series from Astoria, winning the 3 games by an average margin of 33 points. Valencia led all scorers with 14, Melissa Waud added 12 as the Cheesemakers improved their record to 16-1 overall, 6-1 in league play.

Astoria dropped to 11-11 and 2-5 in the Cowapa League with an important stretch up-coming as they close out the regular season with a road contest against Yamhill-Carlton, then home games against Banks and Seaside. If Astoria can sweep the last three, they keep their hopes alive for the 3rd seed in the Cowapa League playoffs and a chance at State. Astoria, if they finish 4th or 5th, would have to win 2 league playoff games to make the post-season. Tillamook clinched their playoff berth (either a #1 or #2 seed) with the win.

TILLAMOOK 16 15 11 18 - 60
Valencia 14, Beeler 8, Jacob 4, Waud 12, Bellan 6, Boge 6, Mello 1, Collett 2, Bake N. 8, Bake R. ASTORIA 6 6 6 6 - 24
Wilson 8, Coggins 2, Cullen 2, Carr 4, Hillard 6, Roman 2, Stephens, O'Bryan, Schaurman, Lilley, Pope.
FIELD GOALS: TIL: 23-48-43%, AST: 11-30-37%
3 PT. FG'S: TIL: 0-6-0%, AST: 0-0-0%
FREE THROWS: TIL: 14-26-54%, AST: 2-7-29%
TURNOVERS: TIL: 12, AST: 25

LADY LOGGERS ENTER PLAYOFFS ON HIGH NOTE

With nothing to gain or lose Friday night, the Knappa Lady Loggers shook off a couple of shaky outings and ended the regular season with a sharp 46-37 victory over visiting De La Salle.

The Loggers (11-3 N.W.L., 17-7 overall) finished in third place in the N.W. League standings, completing a season sweep of the Knights (8-6, 12-12), who were likewise locked into their fourth place finish. Knappa will travel to Nestucca on Tuesday in the first round of the league playoffs, while De La Salle hosts Corbett Tuesday in a loser out playoff.

The Loggers moved the ball crisply in their halfcourt zone offense, ran the fast break efficiently and went toe-to-toe on the boards against the bigger, more athletic Knights.

Amanda Nichols had a career night, scoring 16 points with seven rebounds. Racehele Schuyler added eight points, nine rebounds and four steals and Kirsty Coghill dished out five assists to go with five rebounds and seven points.

The Loggers led throughout the first half, opening up a 19-10 lead on a pair of Meagan Harn Free throws midway through the second period.

Trailing 26-21 at the break, the Knights rallied in the third quarter, scoring the first five points of the half and tying the game on a 3-pointer by sophomore guard Mia Robinson.

Another three gave the Knights a brief 31-28 lead with 4:17 to go, but Schuyler scored then set up Coghill and Nichols for baskets as the Loggers ended the period with a 6-0 run to go up 36-31.

Scoring on three straight possessions early in the final period, the Loggers opened up a 44-34 lead. Knappa held De La Salle scoreless over the final three minutes of the game to seal the victory.

The Loggers will play Tuesday, then again on Saturday. If Knappa defeats Nestucca Tuesday, the Loggers will play first place Portland Christian at 6:00 p.m. Saturday at Milwaukie High School for first or second seed to the state playoffs. If the Loggers lose Tuesday's game at Cloverdale, they will play the De La Salle-Corbett winner at 2:00 p.m. Saturday at Milwaukie, with the loser eliminated and the winner advancing to the state tournament as the league's #3 seed.

In other N.W. League games Friday night, Portland Christian defeated Faith Bible 84-28, Nestucca defeated Corbett 84-28 and Portland Lutheran's Cheryl Burris scored 48 points, ending her career as the school's all-time leading scorer in a 65-41 victory over Gaston.

DE LA SALLE 7 14 10 6 -- 37
Mitchell 10, Robinson 6, Hohnstein, Fesser 2, Fordnay 6, Stanley 2, Martin 2, White, George 3, Miller 3.
KNAPPA 10 16 10 10 -- 46
Harn 4, Coghill 7, Barendse 2, Van Gundy 1, Schuyler 8, Nichols 16, Cameron 6, Kaul 2, Oja.
FIELD GOALS-DLS: 13-50-26%, KNA: 18-46-39%
3-PT FG'S-DLS: 5-18-28%, KNA: 1-6-17%
FREE THROWS-DLS: 6-13-46%, KNA: 9-21-43%
REBOUNDS-DLS: 38, KNA: 39
TURNOVERS-DLS: 18, KNA: 16

GULLS FALL TO LEAGUE-LEADING Y-C

The Yamhill-Carlton Tigers used a 16-3 second quarter to pull away from Seaside, holding off the Gulls in a 61-44 victory at Yamhill Friday night.

The win, coupled with Astoria's loss to Tillamook Thursday night, put the Tigers in sole possession of first place in the highly competitive Cowapa League with a 6-1 league record, 19-3 overall.

With the exception of one stretch in that second period, the Gulls played fairly evenly with the highly-ranked Tigers for the duration of the game, despite missing starting junior guard Dominick Walker.

"They got a little run on a three minute stretch of the second quarter," said Seagulls assistant coach Jim Poetsch. "16-3 and 12 of it in a three minute stretch."

"They hit their shots. We got good looks, we just didn’t hit them in that one little stretch. They must have hit six in a row and we missed six in a row. It was all quick."

Zach Anderson led all scorers with 18 points. Ed Kauffunger paced the Seagulls with 12.

"Ed had a good second half, said Poetsch. "He ended up with ten in the second half. Alec Carlson came off the bench and had a good second half. All six points came in the fourth quarter."

The Gulls outrebounded the Tigers 25-15, but their weren't many rebounds to be had on Y-C's side of the court, as the Tigers shot a sizzling 62% compared to 34% shooting for Seaside. Matt Peinhardt and Damian Olivar had eight rebounds apiece for the Seagulls.

"They are a good team," said Poetsch, "a team that’s tough in their place. Its hard to get a win."

"I think we played better tonight than we did at our place. I think they looked better too."

Seaside (1-6 Cowapa, 7-13 overall) hosts Banks on Monday, while Yamhill-Carlton prepares for a rematch against second place Astoria at Yamhill on Tuesday. Both boys and girls games will be broadcast live on KAST-AM 1370 beginning at 5:32 p.m.

SEASIDE 12 3 10 19 -- 44
Kauffunger 12, Senick 7, Peinhardt 7, De Gandi 6, Carlson 6, Olivar 4, Truax 2, Strite, Carow, Olstedt.
YAMHILL-CARLTON 13 16 14 18 -- 61
Anderson 18, White 13, Sorensen 10, Skuzeski 8, Garcia 7, Echauri 3, Rhodes 2, Bansen, Weber, Jahnke.
FIELD GOALS-SEA: 18-53-34%, Y-C: 23-37-62%
3-PT FG'S-SEA: 3-9-33%, Y-C: 5-8-63%
FREE THROWS-SEA: 5-9-56%, Y-C: 10-15-67%
REBOUNDS-SEA: 25, Y-C: 15
TURNOVERS-SEA: 10, Y-C: 4

FISHERMEN END SEASON WITH LOSS

The La Center Wildcats picked up their second win over Ilwaco in a week, defeating the Fishermen 66-50 at Aase Gymnasium Friday night.

Eric Gore led the Wildcats with 24 points and Kash Kelly, the Trico Division's leading scorer at over 23 points per game, added 17 for the Wildcats.

Anthony Wirkkala closed out his outstanding senior season with another double, scoring 14 points and pulling down ten rebounds. Junior Matt Kaino led Ilwaco with 19 points, coming up big in the third quarter, when Ilwaco rebounded from a bad start to outscore La Center 20-13 and cut the Wildcats big first half lead down to five points.

"He came out and fought and got us back in the game," said Ilwaco head coach Paul Jarrett, who finishd 4-8 in the Trico Division and 8-12 overall in his first campaign. "He had a huge offensive night and played some excellent defense."

Ilwaco graduates four other seniors in addition to Wirkkala, who should garner 1st-team all-Trico status after averaging 19 points and around ten rebounds per game this season.

Both teams will miss the district tournament this year. La Center finished in a 4th-place tie with Rochester, but lost both games to the Warriors, who nabbed the final Trico berth to districts with a 63-35 victory over White Salmon. In other Trico Division action, Castle Rock defeated Kalama, dropping the Chinooks to a #3 seed as the Rockets nabbed the divisions #2 seed. Stevenson had a bye Friday night after clinching the Trico championship and top seed with a 10-2 record.

LA CENTER 21 9 13 23 -- 66
Wilson 12, Roggenkamp 9, Gore 24, Kelly 17, Murray 2, D. Kelly 2, Wilson, Smith.
ILWACO 5 9 20 66 -- 50
Kaino 19, Wirkkala 14, Colten Chalker 7, Blaylock 5, Whealdon 1, Cody Chalker 2, Kirby 2, Talancon, Desimone.

FRIDAY NIGHT ROUNDUP

GIRLS BASKETBALL
Seaside 51, Yamhill-Carlton 34...The Seagulls improved to 4-3 in the Cowapa League and 12-9 overall with the win, opening a 2-game lead on Astoria in the race for third place.
Jewell 58, Open Bible 44...The Blue Jays closed the regular season with a second place Casco League finish and will play Thursday at McMinnville in the district playoffs.

Friday, February 09, 2007

PLAYOFF COVERAGE BEGINS TUESDAY

Here is a look at upcoming basketball broadcasts on ESPN 1230 and KAST-AM 1370.

TUESDAY-N.W. League Boys Playoffs: Knappa vs. Portland Lutheran, 6:35 p.m. on ESPN Radio (winner to state)
Astoria doubleheader at Yamhill-Carlton, 5:32 p.m. on KAST
WEDNESDAY-Lewis & Clark League Playoffs: Warrenton doubleheader, 4:35 p.m on ESPN Radio (winners to state, losers out)
2B Boys District IV Tournament-First Round: Naselle at Central #4, 6:32 p.m. on KAST
THURSDAY-S.W. Washington 1A Girls District Tournament-First Round: Ilwaco vs. Montesano, 5:35 on ESPN Radio.
FRIDAY-Astoria at Banks, 7:05 p.m. on KAST

FRIDAY QUICK RECAP

Knappa's boys built a 20-point first half lead and went on to defeat De La Salle 57-47 to clinch second place in the Northwest League.

The Loggers will host Portland Lutheran Tuesday night at 7:00 p.m. in the first round of the league playoffs and will play again Saturday at Milwaukie.

Brian Riffe hit four 3-pointers to lead the way with 19 points. Riffe also put forth a strong defensive effort on De La Salle's leading scorer Bruce Farrell, limiting him to seven points in the game. Robert Auger led De La Salle with 19 points. The Knights played without Amanuel Lemo, who will be unavailable for the remainder of the playoffs after failing to meet the school's grade requirements.

The Lady Loggers made it a sweep with a 46-37 victory over the Knights. Knappa will travel to Nestucca for a first-round playoff game on Tuesday.

In other games played Friday night, Zach Anderson scored 18 points to lead Yamhill-Carlton past Seaside 61-44. Ilwaco got 19 points from Matt Kaino, but closed out their season with a 66-50 loss to La Center.

In other girls games, Tillamook stomped Astoria for the third time this season, defeating the Lady Fishermen 60-24, Seaside got past Yamhill-Carlton 51-34 and Jewell closed out its regular season with a 58-44 victory over Open Bible. The Lady Jays head into the Casco League playoffs with a number two seed and will play Thursday at McMinnville High School for a state tournament berth.

Check back this weekend for full game stories with statistics on The Last Dam Blog.

FRIDAY NIGHT SCOREBOARD

Friday, February 9
BOYS BASKETBALL
KNAPPA 57, De La Salle 47
La Center 66, Ilwaco 50
Yamhill-Carlton 61, Seaside 44
Nestucca 53, Corbett 44
PORTLAND CHRISTIAN 97, Faith Bible 61
GASTON vs. Portland Lutheran 7:30 p.m.
Kalama at Castle Rock 7:15 p.m.
Rochester at Columbia (White Salmon) 7:15 p.m.
GIRLS BASKETBALL
Tillamook 60, Astoria 24
KNAPPA 46, De La Salle 37
SEASIDE vs. Yamhill-Carlton 7:15 p.m.
JEWELL 58, Open Bible 44
Scappoose at Banks 7:15 p.m.
Nestucca 60, Corbett 22
PORTLAND CHRISTIAN 84, Faith Bible 28
GASTON vs. Portland Lutheran 6:00 p.m.

LADY FISHERMEN CLAIM SHARE OF TRICO TITLE

Getting all they could handle at La Center, the Ilwaco Lady Fishermen weathered a third quarter storm to defeat the Wildcats 50-39 to clinch at least a share of the S.W. Washington 1A Trico Division title.

With the win, Ilwaco stays in the hunt for a top seed to the District IV Tournament, which begins Thursday at Mark Morris High School in Longview and Centralia High School. Finishing the regular season 11-1 in the Trico and 16-4 overall, Ilwaco now must wait until at least Sunday, or even as late as Monday to find out who their first round opponent will be.

The Kalama Chinooks stayed in the league title race with a 54-43 home win over Castle Rock Thursday night. The 10-1 Chinooks have one more make-up game scheduled at Stevenson on Monday night. If they win, the flip of a coin will determine the #1 and #2 seeds to districts and the teams will share the Trico championship.

The road to Ilwaco's second co-championship in five years was anything but easy. Leading 29-17 early in the third period, Ilwaco watched as La Center scored on five straight field goal attempts, three from beyond the arc. Two steals in the backcourt turned into Wildcats layups and within a three minute span the Wildcats outscored the Lady Fishermen 20-4 to take a 37-31 lead.

La Center junior Brooke Gaston hit a pair of threes in the run and freshman Lauren Baker and sophomore Shay Cheeseman each knocked in long range bombs as the Wildcats played absolutely possessed for several minutes.

When things finally started to slow down, the Lady Fishermen scored five straight points to end the quarter down 37-36, then continued the run with the first seven points of the fourth quarter. Baker scored for La Center to end the 12-0 run, but that would be all of the scoring for the Wildcats in the period, as Ilwaco outscord La Center 14-2 in the final quarter to pull out the win.

Junior post Lanie Kary had another big night with 20 points and ten rebounds and should merit serious consideration for Trico League Most Valuable Player. Kary, teammate Anna Kitzman and Kalama seniors Amanda Clark and Mandy Wall will also be in the running for that honor. Kitzman had a rough night offensively, going 2-for-11 from the field and 0-for-5 from beyond the arc, but contributed eight rebounds, five assists and three steals. Junior post Melany Bliss had a career-high 13 points and added 14 rebounds.

The Lady Fishermen shot just 35 percent from the field, but held La Center to 28 percent shooting and outrebounded the athletic Wildcats 47-27 with an 18-6 edge on the offensive boards.

Lauren Baker paced the 'Cats with 17 points and six rebounds while Gaston was a defensive menace with seven steals and added 14 points and five boards.

The Wildcats could have reached the district tournament with a victory, but ended the season with a 6-14 overall record with all six wins coming in league play.

If Ilwaco earns the top seed, the Lady Fishermen will play Evergreen Division #4 Montesano at 6:00 p.m. at Mark Morris. With a #2 seed, the Fishermen would play the second game at Mark Morris against old rival Onalaska, the team they last shared a division title with in 2002. Thursday's district playoff game will be broadcast live on SportsRadio 1230 ESPN, with pregame coverage beginning 25 minutes before the scheduled tipoff.

ILWACO 13 14 9 14 -- 50
Perez 2, Kitzman 9, Brooks 4, Bliss 13, Kary 20, Moses 2, Hankins.
LA CENTER 6 11 20 2 -- 39
Wilen, Grove 2, De Kalb, Baker 17, Gaston 14, Cheeseman 6, Verhagen, Trigg.
FIELD GOALS-ILW: 18-52-35%, LAC: 15-54-
3-PT FG'S-ILW: 0-6-0%, LAC: 4-24-25%
FREE THROWS-ILW: 14-25-56%, LAC: 3-3-100%
REBOUNDS-ILW: 47, LAC: 27
TURNOVERS-not available

ROUGH AND TUMBLE, ASTORIA FALLS

It was definitely not the pace the Astoria Boys Basketball is used to or prefers. And in a gymnasium that has not allowed too many visitors to come away with victories proved difficult again as #4 Astoria dropped a hard-fought 37-35 Cowapa League contest to Tillamook on Thursday night.

The Fishermen reputation for frenetic defense, high-octane offense, and propensity for dictating the tempo was set aside as the Cheesemakers packed in a 2-3 zone the entire evening. Tillamook waited out the Astoria stall to try and pull the 'Mooks out of their zone and moved themselves into a second-place tie with the Fishermen in the Cowapa League and split the season series between the two rivals.

"It was just a matter of us not making the best decisions," said Chris Hunt, Astoria coach after the league loss. "A play here, a play there and the outcome might have been different."

The Fishermen came out blazing in the 1st Quarter, scoring 15 unanswered points as Tillamook and their normally raucous crowd seemed shell-shocked. The 'Mooks finally got a bucket on a Buster Hartford 5-foot jumper with just 1:44 left in the quarter. Outscoring Astoria 8-3 to clsoe out the 1st, Tillamook found themselves down by 10 after the 1st period buzzer, 18-8.

Then the Cheesemakers climbed back from within the hole by scoring the first 8 points of the second quarter as Travis Churchill and Hartford combined for 7 points and the 'Mook defense held the Fishermen to just 7 points in the period.

"We got out of what we wanted to do," according to Hunt. "You get comfortable (with the lead) and start making some bad decisions because it seemed that everything was dropping for us."

At the break, Astoria still held the lead, 23-17, but the partisan crowd was back in the game, and the confidence of the Cheesemakers started to climb. Astoria kept quiet on the offensive end in the 3rd Quarter, as Tillamook outscored the Fishermen 10-5 to pull within one heading into the final frame, 30-29.

Playing without Chris Barksdale, who was serving a one-game OSAA suspension for being ejected against Seaside, Tillamook relied on Senior swingman Andrew Baertlein, who responded by pouring in 9 points in the decisive second half, including the final bucket for the 'Mooks with just over a minute left in the game, off a Hartford miss, giving the Cheesemakers a 37-35 advantage.

Astoria still had a chance to either tie or win the game with a three, and patiently looked for an open shot, holding the ball and trying to pull Tillamook out of their zone. The 'Mooks wouldn't budge, and after a timeout, Astoria's Andy Murray drove down the lane, only to be tied up by Tillamook's Travis Churchill. The jump-ball possession arrow pointed to the Fishermen with just 2.6 seconds left.

"The play was designed for Tony (Robinson) to come off a set of screens and get an open look," Hunt stated. "We got the shot we wanted."

But the launch from the right baseline corner was just off the mark, and Tillamook secured the win at home.

Astoria (15-5, 5-2), now travels to Cowapa League-leader Yamhill-Carlton on Tuesday night, while Tillamook (11-5, 5-2) will head on the road against Scappoose. The Astoria game can be heard live on KAST 1370 AM starting with the pre-game show at 7:05 pm.

ASTORIA - 18 7 5 5 - 35
Murray 9, Landwehr 4, Poyer 6, Macareno 5, Anderson 9, Faulkner 2, Culver
TILLAMOOK - 8 11 10 8 - 37
Baertlein 14, Hartford 13, Churchill C. 5, Ellison 1, Churchill T. 4, Begin, Widmer

FIELD GOALS: AST:13-24-54% TIL: 14-31-45%
3 PT FG'S: AST: 5-7-71% TIL: 3-11-27%
FREE THROWS: AST: 4-7-57% TIL: 6-8-75%
REBOUNDS: AST: 17 TIL: 13

Wednesday, February 07, 2007

RED-HOT WARRIORS GRAB SECOND PLACE

The Warrenton Warriors are not the deepest team around, but they proved they could win without one of their key post players this past weekend.

Which doesn't mean they aren't darn glad to have him back around.

Michael O'Casey returned to the lineup after nast bout of food poisoning to have one of his best nights of the year and Ryan Lampi continued a recent offensive tear that has seen the junior guard top the 20-point mark in three consecutive games as the Warrenton Warriors defeated the Rainier Columbians 66-55 at Warrenton Tuesday night.

With their sixth consecutive victory, the Warriors (12-3 Lewis & Clark League, 16-8 overall) avenged an earlier loss to the Columbians and secured a second place finish in the Lewis & Clark League standings. Warrenton's first playoff game will be the second game of a doubleheader next Wednesday at home. One win would earn them a trip back to the state playoffs.

O'Casey and fellow post Jordan Little each recorded double-doubles and Lampi netted 25 points, giving him 76 points over Warrenton last three games. O'Casey matched his season-high with 14 points and Little added 11 points and ten rebounds.

"Having Michael down at the low post, especially at the beginning of the game, he was able to draw some fouls on Rainier's big kids right away," said Warriors head coach Josh Jannusch. "He shot 10-of-14 at the line. He was able to establish himself right away."

"He was really a difference maker tonight and did a great job."

Bobby Harding paced the Columbians (9-5, 11-10) with 18 points, but the Columbians two other dangerous perimeter scorers, Cole Jackson and Hazze Walker, were held to a combined 17 points while the Warriors dominated the middle.

"Last time we allowed Jackson to go off for 31 points and the majority of them were layups," said Warriors head coach Josh Jannusch. "The defensive intensity wasn't there. Coming in that was definitely a talking point, a defensive point that we made."

The Warriors have a game to tune up for the league tournament, as they close out the regular season at Catlin Gabel on Saturday.

RAINIER 13 14 15 13 -- 55
Walker 5, Jackson 12, Schuff 10, Harding 18, Paddock 6, Cataldo 4, Schiedler, Schiedler, Yeoman, Bodenhamer.
WARRENTON 13 16 20 17 -- 66
Davis 5, Gantenbein 11, Little 11, O’Casey 14, Lampi 25, Garcia, Moore, Burkhart, Aira.
FIELD GOALS-RAI: 20-55, WAR: 19-35
3-PT FG’S-RAI: 4-16-25%, WAR: 4-12-33%
FREE THROWS-RAI: 9-14-, WAR: 24-40
REBOUNDS-RAI: WAR: 40
TURNOVERS-RAI: WAR: 7

LET'S GET SMALL! WARRIOR GIRLS FALL TO RAINIER

Playing for a shot at first place in the Lewis & Clark League, the Warrenton Lady Warriors found themselves literally shorthanded Tuesday night.

Already without junior Chelsea Neahring, who missed her third straight game with a sprained ankle, the Warriors hung tough with first place Rainier until the fourth quarter, when foul trouble cost them their two other experienced posts. The Columbians were able to pull away for a 45-30 victory, nailing down a state tournament berth by clinching the league championship.

Warrenton (13-2 Lewis & Clark League, 20-4 overall) will finish in second place and host a playoff game next Wednesday against an opponent to be determined.

"Emily Ogren sat most of first half and fouled out early in the fourth," said Warrenton head coach John Matilla. "[Audrey] Dove fouled out in the middle of the fourth. Chelsea Neahring was not able to play. We finished the game with no posts.

Warrenton led briefly in second and third quarters. Down 9-8 in second quarter, Rainier scored the last eight points to lead 16-9 at half. Despite the foul trouble and paltry 13% field goal shooting, the game was close into the fourth quarter until about the five minute mark.

"I thought we played much better than last time," said Mattila, whose team lost 49-30 at Rainier for their only other Lewis & Clark League loss. "The pulled away with the fouls and took care of it at the end."

"I still feel that we can beat them and if we get the opportunity, I'll be very happy."

In order to do that, Warrenton must win two games, one at home Wednesday and another at a neutral site Friday. The first win would clinch a state tournament berth and the second would set up a third meeting with Rainier to determine first and second seeds to the 3A State Tournament. As of Wednesday morning, the league was still trying to finalize sites for Friday and Saturday's tournament finals next week.

Rainier's sophomore point guard Mollee Schwegler scored 10 of her game-high 18 points in the fourth quarter and senior Heidi Jackson added 16 points for the Columbians (14-0, 16-5).

"Jackson's a heck of a player and Mollee had maybe her best night of the year," said Mattila. "Jackson is a college-potential-type player."

Jordyn Holt led the Warriors with seven ponts. Dove added six points, eight rebounds and three assists before fouling out.

The Warriors close out the regular season at Catlin Gabel on Saturday. Warrenton is in pursuit of its first state tournament appearance in girls basketball since 1993.

RAINIER 8 8 12 17 – 45
Jackson 16, Wright 2, Nagunst 1, Hanks, Benson 7, Minium 1, Schwegler 18 (10 pts in 4th qtr)
WARRENTON 6 3 16 5—30
Ju. Marxer, Ogren 6, McBride, Jo. Marxer 3, Wilkins, Hackwith, Holt 7, Hayward 2, Campbell 6, Dove 6 (8r/3a).
FIELD GOALS-RAI: n/a, WAR: 7-53-13%
3-PT FG’S-RAI: n/a, WAR: 3-15-20%
FREE THROWS-RAI: 10-16-63%, WAR: 5-13-38%
REBOUNDS-RAI: 26, WAR: 26
TURNOVERS-RAI: n/a, WAR: 12

LADY FISHERMEN WILL PLAY FOR TRICO TITLE

Anna Kitzman had the attention of the fans on senior night, as she became of the few girls basketball players in school history to score 1000 career points. She also had the attention of a Kalama defense designed to keep her from reaching that plateau on their watch.

They should have paid a little more mind to Lanie Kary. While the seniors got the balloons, Kary's eye-popping junior year stats ballooned even further with a 24 points, 13 rebound performance to lead the Lady Fishermen to a 50-45 victory over the Chinooks.

With the win, Ilwaco moves past Kalama temporarily into first place with a 10-1 Trico Division record. The Chinooks slip to second at 9-1 with two games remaining on their schedule. If both teams win out, they will share the division title, Ilwaco's first since tying Kalama for the S.W. WA 1A South Division title in 2002.

While Kitzman struggled to free herself from the tight clutches of Jade Morales' shadow defense, Kary stepped up her game against the tall, veteran Kalama front line. Ilwaco's 5-11 junior post had 15 points and nine rebounds at halftime and the only thing stopping her was foul trouble.

Ilwaco led 26-24 at haltime and led 35-31 when Kary picked up her fourth foul on a driving layup by Kalama's Mandy Wall. Wall converted the 3-point play and Kary joined point guard Bonnie Perez on the bench as Ilwaco tried to ride it out without two key starters on the floor.

Alex Moses made the transition easy, knocking down a 3-pointer 13 seconds after entering the game to replace Kary. But Kalama would pull ahead 41-39 entering the final quarter.

Head coach Ned Bittner waited until the 6:39 mark in the fourth quarter to get his two starters back into the game, going right to Kary, who scored inside to make it a 43-42 ball game.

Kalama went up 45-42 when Wall picked Perez' pocket in backcourt and drove for a layin, but the Chinooks ran into foul problems of their own shortly thereafter. Star post Amanda Clark fouled Alison Brooks hard trying to block a shot, her fourth personal. Brooks missed both freebies, but Perez hustled down the rebound.

Ilwaco was unable to score on that possession, but Kitzman stole the ball from Morales and pushed the ball downcourt on the dribble. With Clark in her hip pocket, the veteran guard drew contact on the way to the basket and managed to foul Kalama's leading scorer and rebounder out of the game at the 3:11 mark. Kitzman hit one of two free throws to pull Ilwaco to within two before Kary tied the game on a rebound putback with just over two minutes remaining.

Another rebound putaway by Kary gave Ilwaco a 47-45 lead with 1:06 left as the large Ilwaco student section shook the rafters with frenzied noise.

Leading 47-45, the Fishermen closed out the game hitting 3-of-4 free throws, while Kalama went scoreless over the final 4:07 of the game, a span of eight possessions.

Alison Brooks had an outstanding game for Ilwaco, with four of her eight rebounds coming in the final three minutes. Brooks also hit three key field goals as the Chinook defenders were preoccupied defending Kary and Kitzman.

Kitzman scored her 1000th point on a third quarter free throw, tossing the ball to her parents in the stands. The emotion and adrenaline of the game was obvious, as the ball nearly sailed to the back row of the bleachers. Kitzman finished the game with 12 points under constant pressure, adding seven rebounds, four assists and two steals. Melany Bliss hauled down ten boards to go with five points.

Clark fouled out with just seven points, a season low and less than half her per game average. The 5-10 senior post also had four blocked shots and seven rebounds. Wall carried the Chinooks with 18 points, 13 rebounds and five steals.

Ilwaco will clinch at least a share of the Trico Division title with a win at La Center on Thursday night. The game will be broadcast live on SportsRadio 1230 ESPN at 7:05 p.m. Kalama plays its final home game against Castle Rock before closing out the regular season at Stevenson, needing wins in both games to force a coin flip to decide the top seed to the District IV Tournament.

KALAMA 12 14 15 4 -- 45
Wall 18, Morales 4, Loveall 5, Schuh 5, Clark 7, Sarocco, Nelson 6, Shagool.
ILWACO 10 14 15 11 -- 50
Perez, Kitzman 12, Brooks 6, Bliss 5, Kary 24, Moses 3, Hankins.
FIELD GOALS-KAL: 17-50-34%, ILW: 18-50-36%
3-PT FG'S-KAL: 3-7-43%, ILW: 2-4-50%
FREE THROWS-KAL: 8-17-47%, ILW: 12-29-41%
REBOUNDS-KAL: 33, ILW: 49
TURNOVERS-KAL: 16, ILW: 18

ILWACO BOYS UPSET KALAMA

With their postseason hopes likely shot and their roster riddled with injuries and illness, the Ilwaco boys came out and played one of their finer efforts in recent weeks, upsetting a Kalama team with Trico title aspirations 49-41 in front of a senior night crowd at Aase Gymnasium.

The boys' senior night is technically Friday, when they play their final home game against La Center, however, with a doubleheader featuring a league title matchup between the Ilwaco and Kalama girls later in the evening, the Fishermen boys took advantage of the emotion in the gym and ran with it.

"I'm very pleased with the win," said Ilwaco head coach Paul Jarrett. "We've been in a slump. This was definitely a big one. We needed this to end on a good note."

Anthony Wirkkala, who missed Saturday night's game at La Center with walking pneumonia, showed no ill effects. The 6-5 senior post scored 17 points and collected 13 rebounds and was part of a defensive effort that limited Kalama's 6-6 Matt Trautman to just two points and one rebound in the game.

The Chinooks team that could not miss two weeks ago in a win at Kalama was not in evidence. The visitors shot just 35% for the game and shot a dreadful 2-for-10 at the free throw line, including four misses in four attempts by Trautman.

"They shot 60 percent against us the first time we played them," said Jarrett. "Tonight I hoped and prayed that they couldn't shoot that way again. Luckily, they didn't."

Ilwaco grabbed the early advantage, scoring the first five points of the game and holding a 13-4 first quarter lead before Kalama narrowed the gap with a 6-0 run to close the quarter down 13-10. The Chinooks grabbed their first lead in the third period, going up 27-24 before Ilwaco pulled back to tie the game at 32 going into the final period.

A Brandon Walker 3-pointer gave Kalama a 37-35 lead in the fourth quarter before Ilwaco regained the lead and hit 9-of-13 free throws in the period, including six straight from Wirkkala, Matt Kaino and Kolby Kirby down the stretch to seal the victory.

Colten Chalker returned from a 2-game illness absence to score a career-high 10 points on 5-of-6 shooting from the field. Matt Kaino retured from an ankle injury to score 11 points and pull down eight rebounds with two steals. Paul Blaylock sprained his ankle on the stairs leading from the locker room to the gym floor. The senior point guard did not start, but did play, scoring six points.

"It's been a weird year for me," said Jarrett. "Colten got hurt early and he was out a long time. We've had other kids ill and sick and with injuries. It's one of those things, you've got to take it as it comes. Every day it's something different. I mean, who's going to roll their ankle on the way down the stairs to the locker room before a game?"

Robby Sanders paced the Chinooks with 13 points and Walker came off the bench to score 11.

Unfortunately, Ilwaco got no help from La Center last night as the Wildcats defeated Columbia 84-43, likely ending Ilwaco's slim playoff hopes. With Rochester's sweep of La Center during the regular season and split against the Fishermen, the Warriors would have an edge in a 3-way tiebreaker situation with Ilwaco and La Center.

KALAMA 10 10 12 9 -- 41
Schmit 7, Vossen 4, Arn 2, Sanders 13, Trautman 2, Walker 11, Berry 2, M. Pollock.
ILWACO 13 11 8 17 -- 49
Col. Chalker 10, Wirkkala 17, Desimone 3, Whealdon, Kaino 11, Blaylock 6, Cod. Chalker, Kirby 2, Talancon.
FIELD GOALS-KAL: 17-48-35%, ILW: 17-39-44%
3-PT FG'S-KAL: 5-19-26%, ILW: 2-9-22%
FREE THROWS-KAL: 2-10-20%, ILW: 13-20-65%
REBOUNDS-KAL: 21, ILW: 36
TURNOVERS-KAL: 14, ILW: 19

CLUTCH FREE THROW GIVES TILLAMOOK OT WIN

Francy Bellan's free throw with no time remaining in overtime lifted the Tillamook Cheesemakers to a 24-23 victory over the upset-minded Seaside Seagulls at Seaside Tuesday night.

A slow-paced game reached a crawl in the second half, as the two teams combined scored just two points after halftime, with Seaside notching a fourth quarter bucket to tie the game at 21, sending it to overtime.

Tillamook led 20-8 halfway through the second quarter, before Seaside hit a couple of three-pointers, going on an 11-1 run to close withing two. The Gulls held for a final shot for the final three minutes before the the end of the half, barely missing.

Neither team scored in a low possession third period.

"We came out and ran our zone offense and missed a shot," said Seagulls head coach Mike Jacobson. "We were switching up our zones and going man and they were real tentative. They were playing right with us. They didn't look to speed it up at all, taking their time and being patient on offense.

"We got the ball back with about three minutes left in the third quarter and looked at the possession arrow and saw we had it to begin the fourth so we just went to our spread again. They never came out. They stayed in their zone defense."

Again, the Gulls could not convert on a final shot opportunity and Tillamook carried their 21-19 halftime lead into the final period. The Gulls got a score to tie the game and both teams stayed patient on offense. The Gulls again went to their spread offense with about two minutes remaining with Tillamook staying back in their zone.

With 15 seconds left, Jacobson called time out and drew up a play. An open shot by Megan Potter did not fall at the buzzer and the two teams went to overtime.

"At the end of regulation he did come out man," said Jacobson. "I was expecting him to do that again, but he went back to the zone."

With the ball and the score still tied, the Gulls again called time out with 18 seconds remaining to design a play. An open look from close range for Alix Richardson slipped off the iron and Tillamook collected the rebound. With a foul to give, Seaside stopped the clock with six seconds left, setting up a sideline out of bounds play for the Cheesemakers, who inbounded the ball to Francy Bellan.

"She was peeling off on a curl cut," said Jacobson. She caught it and shot and we fouled her at the buzzer."

With no time on the clock and no players on the free throw lane, Bellan hit the first of two free throws to end the game, giving Tillamook the win.

Melissa Waud led all scorers with nine points. Ashley Mayfield had seven points, three assists and three steals for Seaside. The Gulls forced 15 Tillamook turnovers and only turned the ball over seven times, but missed layins and wide open shots came back to cost Seaside in the end.

"It was a heck of a high school basketball game," said Jacobson. "I was smiling between the end of regulation and overtime. I went into the huddle and told the girls, 'This is what basketball is all about!'

Some Tillamook fans might dispute that, but they left smiling as well, as the Cheesemakers stayed tied with Scappoose atop the Cowapa League standings at 5-1, improving to 15-1 overall. Seaside dropped to 3-3 (11-9 overall) still two games back of the league leaders and one game ahead of Astoria in third place.

The Seagulls host Yamhill-Carlton on Friday. The Tigers gave Tillamook its only loss of the season in a 42-38 victory last week.

TILLAMOOK 16 5 0 0 3 -- 24
Jacob, Valencia 4, Boge 1, Waud 9, Beeler 4, Bake 2, Bellan 4.
SEASIDE 6 13 0 2 2 -- 23
Olstedt 6, Mayfield 7, Johnson 6, Pfund 2, Potter, Richardson 2, Lent.
FIELD GOALS-TIL: 7-23-30%, SEA: 8-32-25%
3-PT FG'S-TIL: 1-4-25%, SEA: 3-13-23%
FREE THROWS-TIL: 9-12-75%, SEA: 4-6-67%
REBOUNDS-TIL: 14, SEA: 13
TURNOVERS-TIL: 15, SEA: 7

TUESDAY PREP ROUNDUP

BOYS BASKETBALL
Portland Christian 74, Knappa 55...The Loggers pressured their way to an early 14-3 lead before a 23-0 Portland Christian run gave the Royals control of the game. PC outscored Knappa 26-8 in the second quarter. Jesse Moreland led Knappa with 16 points and drew three charges on the defensive end. Gary Aho added 13 points and Ryan Isom scored 10 for the Loggers, who can sew up second place in the N.W. League and a home playoff game with a win Friday over De La Salle. The game will be broadcast live on SportsRadio 1230 ESPN beginning at 7:35 p.m.
Jewell 58, Clatskanie J.V. 43...The Blue Jays picked up their second consecutive win, led by another monster night from Will Steinweg. The senior post scored 28 points with 17 rebounds, five steals and six assists. Loren Thompson added 14 points and 17 rebounds for the Blue Jays.

GIRLS BASKETBALL
Scappoose 52, Astoria 19...Jacki Cunningham scored 20 points and Salinas Abbott added 10 points for the Indians, who built a 36-11 halftime lead. The Fishermen played without Kelly Roman and Kristen Saulsbury, both out with illnesses. Astoria hots just 6-for-39 from the field and turned the ball over 23 times in the loss. Sara Cullen and Jamie Coggins each scored seven points. Astoria hosts Tillamook on Friday
Portland Christian 50, Knappa 28...The Lady Loggers dropped their second straight game to fall into third place in the Northwest League. Knappa closes the regular season at home against De La Salle Friday night.
N.W. Christian 47, Naselle 37...Inconsistency on offense and too many turnovers cost the Comets Tuesday night at Lacey. Brandi Keightley led Naselle with 11 points. Kellyn Pakenen did not play because of illness. The Comets final regular season game at Tacoma Baptist has been moved to Thursday night. Naselle needs a win over the Crusaders to move into fourth place in the Pacific 2B League and earn a home playoff game in the opening round of the district tournament.

ASTORIA SETS ASIDE TRIBE, 'MOOKS NEXT

Workman-like, lunch pail, blue collar.

Another day at the office for the #4 Astoria boys basketball team as they started out slow, played the game #7 Scappoose wanted to play, and ground out a 49-39 Cowapa League victory Tuesday night at the Brickhouse.

"We came out a little flat, but our guys hung in," Chris Hunt, Astoria Head Coach remarked after the win. "We got a lift from Tony (Robinson), and Nic (Alfonse) to pull us even before the end of the first quarter. From there, we made some good decisions and did what we had to do for the W."

It was the first game back for Alfonse, who tweaked his left ankle late in the win over Tillamook two weeks ago. The senior swingman buried a 3-pointer from the left angle off the free throw circle to close the first quarter after Astoria found themselves down 6-2, then 8-5 to the Indians. After tying the game at 8-8 entering the 2nd period, Astoria scored the first 6 points of the frame and never lost the lead again.

But it wasn't the high-flying, jet-fueled attack this Fishermen team have been known for that keyed the win: defense and taking what the Indians would give them helped Astoria maintain a tie atop the Cowapa League with Yamhill-Carlton.

"We knew that they (Scappoose) would try and slow it down, but we came in with the mindset that we'd let (Justin) Engstrom get his points, but not let Weston (Powers) or (Marcus) Kienlen go off." said Hunt after his team improved to 5-1 in league play, 15-4 overall.

Engstrom did get his. The senior post poured in 25 points, but no other Indian player had more than 7, as Astoria clamped down on the Scappoose guards and never let off the pressure, forcing 21 Indian turnovers on the evening. Powers, whose 22 points keyed the Indians to their upset win over Yamhill-Carlton on Friday night, was held to just 2 points, getting his only bucket with 30 seconds left in the game.

Up 23-17 at the half, Astoria held Scappoose to just 5 points in the 3rd Quarter, extending their lead to 10 points after three frames, 32-22. The lead would grow to as many as 14 points in the 4th Quarter before Scappoose made a short run, cutting the Astoria advantage down to 8 points with 4:17 remaining. The Fishermen, behind the suprising offensive push by Senior post Brendan Landwehr, who hit connected on consectuive trips down the floor, one from outside the arc, kept the pesky Tribe at arm's length. Landwehr led all Fishermen scoring with 12.

While the tempo might not have been to Astoria's liking, the outcome was welcome. It's the 6th straight victory over Scappoose for the Fishermen, and it completes the season sweep for Astoria over the Indians. Scappoose dropped to 3-3 in Cowapa League action, 12-7 overall.

Next up for the Fishermen, a quick turnaround as they get one day off and then head down Highway 101 for a critical Cowapa League matchup with Tillamook. The 'Mooks are just one game back in the League standings at 4-2, and will look to avenge a 52-49 loss to Astoria from January. The Astoria-Tillamook matchup can be heard on KAST AM 1370 Thursday night beginning at 7:05 with the pre-game.

SCAPPOOSE - 8 9 5 17 - 39
Engstrom 25, Kienlen 7, Powers 2, Cronin 2, Nelson 1, Craig, Rice, Wilson
ASTORIA - 8 15 9 17 - 49
Landwehr 12, Robinson 11, Macareno 6, Murray 1, Anderson 8, Alfonse 9, Faulkner 2, Poyer, Culver

FIELD GOALS: SC - 16-29-55%, AST - 14-36-39%
3 PT. FG'S: SC - 1-6-17%, AST - 8-20-40%
FREE THROWS: SC - 6-11-54% AST - 13-20-65%
REBOUNDS: SC-22, AST-17
TURNOVERS: SC-21, AST-13

Tuesday, February 06, 2007

FISHERMEN SWEEP KALAMA, WARRENTON BOYS CLINCH 2ND

Anna Kitzman scored her 1000th career point for Ilwaco, but it was the broad shoulders of junior Lanie Kary which carried the Lady Fishermen to a senior night win over Kalama. Kary scored 24 points and hauled down 13 rebounds and helped limit the dangerous Amanda Clark to seven points in the win, which gives Ilwaco temporary possession of first place in the Trico Division.

The Ilwaco boys added to the festivities with an upset win over the Chinooks to complete a memorable senior night doubleheader in front of a raucous crowd at Ilwaco.

Warrenton's boys nailed down second place in the Lewis & Clark League with a home win over Rainier as Ryan Lampi continued a recent offensive tear with 25 points. The Lady Warriors fell short in their attempt to catch Rainier as the Columbians clinched the league title and a state playoff berth by beating Warrenton for a second time. Warrenton will host a playoff doubleheader on Valentine's Day.

Seaside's girls slowed down the game and nearly knocked off Tillamook as the Cheesemakers' Francy Bellan hit a free throw with no time remaining on the clock at the end of overtime for a 24-23 win.

Aside from Ilwaco, it was a tough night for area girls teams as Astoria, Warrenton, Knappa, Naselle and Seaside all lost.

Astoria's 4th-ranked boys led most of the way in a 49-39 home victory over Scappoose and will play in front of a packed house at Tillamook Thursday night.

Check the Last Dam Blog tomorrow morning for more details and statistics from these games and others and check in for playoff and broadcast schedule updates.