POSTSEASON HOPES TAKE A HIT

"Our backs are severely against the wall."

Those were the words of Ilwaco first-year head coach Paul Jarrett following Tuesday night's 65-49 loss at Castle rock, which dropped the Fishermen to 3-5 in the Trico Division of the S.W. Washington 1A League with four games remaining.

Ilwaco, Rochester and La Center are all four games behind first-place Stevenson, battling for the fourth and final berth to the District IV Tournament.

"Realistically, we have to win our next four in a row to get in," said Jarrett. "7-and-5 and we're in, 6-and-6 maybe, 5-and-7...no way."

Unfortunately, Ilwaco's remaining schedule includes rematches against Stevenson and Kalama, the teams currently leading the league. Stevenson, which destroyed Ilwaco 81-45 in an earlier meeting up the Gorge, plays at Ilwaco this Friday.

Anthony Wirkkala led Ilwaco with 18 points and 6-8 junior post Ryan Blake scored a career-high 14, but Ilwaco's towering post combo was no match for the physical Rockets on the glass, where Castle Rock won the rebounding battle 28-18.

"We had good defensive energy, but the rebounds just killed us," said Jarrett. "We were one shot and out and they got second and thirds."

"You can't win if you can't control the ball."

Ilwaco fell behind in a hurry, but sliced a 12-point halftime deficit in half going into the fourth quarter. But Clint Burgoyne nailed a 3-pointer to open the period and the Rockets hit their free throws when Ilwaco was forced to foul in the final three minutes.

Burgoyne finished with 19 points to lead all scoring. Isaiah Goodman added 15 for the Rockets, who improved to 6-3 in the Trico and 10-6 overall. Castle Rock currently sits in third place, a game-and-a-half behind the first place Bulldogs, who defeated White Salmon 75-60 Tuesday night. Kalama kept pace, a half-game back in second place with a 59-53 home win over Rochester.

Ilwaco dropped to 7-9 overall with the loss. The Fishermen travel to La Center for a critical makeup game against the Wildcats Saturday night.

ILWACO 6 18 16 9 -- 49
Blaylock 2, Wirkkala 18, Talancon 6, Kaino 9, Blake 14, Colten Chalker, Cody Chalker, Desimone, Kirby, Whealdon.
CASTLE ROCK 15 21 11 18 -- 65
Hamilton 6, Goodman 15, Burgoyne 19, Myers 7, Karnofski 12, Smith 6, Gehring.

BLUE JAYS ESCAPE KNAPPA WITH WIN

The Northwest League runner-up race is shaping up to be a mighty good one.

While Portland Christian runs away with the league title and automatic state tournament berth, Knappa, Portland Lutheran and De La Salle are duking it out for the all important second seed and home league playoff game.

After winning an intense overtime thriller Saturday at De La Salle, the Loggers let one literally slip through their grasp Tuesday night, falling to Portland Lutheran 62-57.

Knappa led by eight at halftime and had a 1-point lead in the final minute, but failure to execute down the stretch allowed the Blue Jays to overcome and record a rare win at Knappa.

"We turned the ball over three straight possessions," said Knappa head coach Craig Cokley.

Meanwhile the Jays used the window to their advantage, with Cody Stiller banking in the go-ahead field goal to put Lutheran up 58-57, followed by a pair of bank shot free throws by Joon Kim to give the Jays a 3-point advantage. Another Knappa turnover, another foul and two more made free throws accounted for the final score.

"We didn't have our best stuff," said Cokley. "Maybe riding a little high from our win at De La Salle? Who knows. We definitely need to play better against the tough teams."

Brian Riffe scored 15 of his team-high 18 points in the first half, while Abel Araya erupted for 12 of his game-high 31 points in the third quarter, when PLS outscored Knappa 21-14 to cut the Loggers 8-point lead to one entering the final quarter.

Saturday, Knappa travels to Nestucca to take on the Bobcats.

PLS 10 14 21 17 -- 62
Araya 31, Stiller 13, Kim 6, Winter 5, Covelle 4, Colvin 2, Burris 1, Yu.
KNAPPA 17 15 14 11 -- 57
Riffe 18, P. Isom 12, Moreland 9, R. Isom 9, Aho 7, Bokor, West.
FIELD GOALS-PLS: 22-52-42%, KNA: 19-47-40%
3-PT FG'S-PLS: 5-15-33%, KNA: 4-17-24%
FREE THROWS-PLS: 13-17-76%, KNA: 15-23-65%
REBOUNDS-n/a
TURNOVERS-n/a

WARRIORS BOYS GET DEFENSIVE AGAIN

It seems that whenever Warrenton and Riverdale meet on the basketball floor, the game turns out a lot closer than expected.

That was not the case Tuesday night, as the Warriors welcomed the return of Eric Gantenbein's shooting stroke and parlayed another strong defensive half into a commanding lead on the way to a 66-45 victory over the visiting Mavericks.

An 8-0 first quarter fun preceded a second half lockdown in which the Warriors held the Mavs scoreless for more than five minutes while extending to a 28-12 lead and an eventual 36-16 halftime advantage.

"Defensively, I'm so pleased with how we're progressing," said Warriors coach Josh Jannusch, whose team had held their last two opponents under 30 total points. "It's been a focus point of practice and we want to increase the intensity on the defensive end."

Gantenbein tossed in a 3-pointer to open the second half to give the Warriors a 23-point lead, one of five made threes in seven attempts on the way to a 20-point night. Riverdale never challenged in the second half until snipping the lead to 14 in the fourth quarter with a number of Warrior freshman on the floor.

"The beat us the first year they were in the league at their place," said Jannusch. "Last year they played us tough and then the first game this year they actually had a lead in the fourth quarter."

"We wanted to come out and establish a couple things. We really wanted to get our posts scoring early in the offense and we were able to accomplish that right away. We were able to dictate what we wanted to do and came out real strong on the defensive end."

Ryan Lampi added 16 points and Michael O'Casey added ten points and nine rebounds for Warrenton as the Warriors kept pace with the pack chasing first place Clatskanie.

Portland Adventist fell to Clatskanie 77-70 to drop the Cougars a half game behind Warrenton and Oregon Episcopal, a 63-27 winner over Neah-Kah-Nie. The Warriors and Aardvarks are each 9-3 in league, tied for second place a game and a half behind the 10-1 Tigers.

Warrenton hosts Vernonia Friday, then travels to Portland Adventist on Saturday night. Wins in both games could lock up a second place finish and a home playoff game on Valentine's Day.

RIVERDALE 7 9 10 19 -- 45
Simkoff 17, Chapman, Sabol 4, Roberts 4, Nance 3, Peterson 12, Drummonds 5, Rozek, Van Buren, Wolfe, McFarland.
WARRENTON 17 19 9 21 -- 66
Davis 4, Gantenbein 20, Little 4, O'Casey 10, Lampi 16, Garcia 3, Moore 4, Aira 3, Hackwith, Burkhart 2, Morrison, Patterson, Bentley.
FIELD GOALS-RIV: 15-47-32%, WAR: 24-47-51%
3-PT FG'S-RIV: 3-11-27%, WAR: 7-12-58%
FREE THROWS-RIV: 12-18-67%, WAR: 11-22-50%
REBOUNDS-RIV: 30, WAR: 27
TURNOVERS-WAR: 9, RIV: 15

WARRIORS STIFLE MAVERICKS, NOW 18-3

For the second time this season, the Warrenton Lady Warriors completely overmatched winless Riverdale in a 65-15 victory.

With substitution platoons every four minutes or so, the Warriors rotated all of their players into the game for significant minutes, with only one player not in uniform for the game.

Freshman sharpshooter Brooklyn Campbell stayed in a civilian uniform, her minutes being reserved for Warrenton's J.V. game against Jewell's varsity. That didn't stop Campbell from knocking down a pregame 3-pointer that allowed the Warriors to accumulate $6.00 for every made free throw, courtesy of a local business.

Pam Wilkins and Emily Ogren led the Warriors with 11 points each and Jordane Marxer chipped in with 10. Six Warriors had at least five rebounds in the game, led by Lesleanne Hayward with 10. Marxer had six steals.

Leading 20-6 after scoring 11 straight points to close the first quarter, the Warriors held Riverdale scoreless for the entire second period, outscoring the Mavericks 19-0 in the frame, while holding them to 2-for-22 shooting in the first half.

All ten Warriors who played scored in the game. Senior Liz Hampton had six points and 10 rebounds to lead Riverdale.

The Warriors remain a half-game behind Rainier in the Lewis & Clark League standings, improving to 11-1 in league and 18-3 overall. The Columbians also won last night, defeating Catlin Gabel 39-24.

Warrenton hosts Vernonia Friday night, then travels to Portland Adventist on Saturday before facing Rainier at home on Tuesday night.

RIVERDALE 6 0 7 2 -- 15
La. Hampton 2, Li. Hampton 6, E. McEvoy 3, Brooks, K. McEvoy, Kahn 2, Hammer, Manashe, Leasia, Bruderlin, Owens, Stoffer 2.
WARRENTON 20 19 9 17 --65
McBride 2, Jo. Marxer 10, Holt 6, Hayward 3, Neahring 7, Ju. Marxer 4, Ogren 11, Wilkins 11, Hackwith 5, Dove 6.
FIELD GOALS-RIV: 6-47-13%, WAR: 26-63-41%
3-PT FG'S-RIV: 1-9-11%, WAR: 4-11-36%
FREE THROWS-RIV: 2-4-50%, WAR: 9-24-39%
REBOUNDS-RIV: 31, WAR: 55
TURNOVERS-WAR: 10, RIV: 20

LADY FISHERMEN FEND OFF BRAVES

With some clutch free throw shooting in the final period, the Astoria Lady Fishermen secured their second straight victory with a 35-29 win at Banks.

Both teams struggled to make baskets, but junior guard Sara Cullen took care of nearly all of Astoria's offense in the final period, scoring seven of their eight points at the free throw line, as the Fishermen hit 8-of-10 at the stripe in the final period to secure the victory.

Cullen led Astoria with 11 points, with K.J. Carr adding 10 points and five rebounds and Kristina Wilson contributing nine points, five steals and four blocks to go with three assists. Astoria played without junior guard Jennifer Stephens who stayed home sick.

"We had opportunities to open up a lead," said Astoria head coach Gordon Thomson, "but we couldn't finish."

The Fishermen were just 11-for-43 from the field in the game, but fortunately Banks didn't do any better.

"It was not the prettiest of basketball games this evening," said Thomson, "but we were able to go on the road and get a win."

The Fishermen evened their Cowapa League record at 2-2 and improved to 11-8 overall heading into their Clatsop Clash Cowapa League matchup at Seaside Friday night. The game will be broadcast live on KAST-AM, 1370, starting at 5:30 p.m., followed by the boys varsity game at approximately 7:15 p.m.

COMET GIRLS WIN AT SOUTH BEND

The Comets overcame a turnover-plagued performance to defeat the South Bend Indians 38-31 at Koplitz Fieldhouse in South Bend Tuesday night.

"It was really close the whole way," said head coach Bob Torppa. "We seem to have been plagued with turnovers lately. We had 28 in the game tonight. But, when it came right down to it in the fourth quarter, the girls did what they needed to to get the win."

Ashley Ahlstrom, Cheryl Steppe and Erin Saari all had 10 points for the Comets, with Ahlstrom and Steppe combining for 15 rebounds and Saari picking up eight steals and dishing out five assists.

"Ashley Ahlstrom really picked it up in the fourth quarter with her rebounding and scoring underneath," said Torppa, whose Comets improved to 7-4 in Pacific 2B League and 11-6 overall.

Naselle hosts Tacoma Baptist on Friday in the first meeting of the season between the two teams.

NASELLE 10 10 9 9 -- 38
Keightley 8, Pakenen, Beaulaurier, Steppe 10, Saari 10, Ahlstrom 10, Klinger, Landis.
SOUTH BEND 7 8 11 5 --31
Coma 2, Nisbet 2, Smith 6, Heffernan 9, Nhotsoubanh 2, McCoy, Anderson 10.
FIELD GOALS-NAS: 16-39-41%, SB: 12-34-35%
3-PT FG'S-NAS: 1-4-25%, SB: n/a
FREE THROWS-NAS: 5-13-39%, SB: 5-18-28%
REBOUNDS-NAS: 23, SB: n/a
TURNOVERS-NAS: 28, SB: n/a

TUESDAY PREP BASKETBALL ROUNDUP

BOYS BASKETBALL
Scappoose 58, Seaside 28...The Indians shot 57% for the game to scorch the Gulls at Scappoose. Justin Engstrom led three players in double figures with 15 points. Ed Kauffunger paced the Seagulls with 10 points and seven rebounds.
Willamette Valley Christian 57, Jewell 39...

GIRLS BASKETBALL
Knappa 65, Portland Lutheran 42...The Loggers improved to 10-1 in the Northwest League and 16-5 overall with the win. Amanda Nichols had 15 points for Knappa and Rachele Schuyler chipped in 12. Cheryl Burris (27 points) and Dominique Jacoy (13) scored all but two of the Blue Jays points.
Jewell 72, Willamette Valley Christian 28...Frances Dugan's 30 points led the Blue Jays.

WRESTLING
Warrenton 48, Vernonia 34
Warrenton 53, Neah-Kah-Nie 15
Rainier 34, Warrenton 24
Astoria 46, Yamhill-Carlton 30
Seaside 48, Astoria 30
Ilwaco results not reported

ANDERSON, ASTORIA SINKS BRAVES

Brian Anderson is starting to make this a habit.

Astoria Head Coach Chris Hunt won't mind, as long as the outcome is the same.

For the second time in a week, the senior transfer from Knappa sank the final shot of the game to lift Astoria to a hard fought, 60-58 Cowapa League win over Banks Tuesday night at the Brickhouse.

"The play was actually designed to go several different ways," Hunt said about the game-winning shot. "We would look for Tony (Robinson) first, but since he wasn't open, Brian found some space and hit a big shot for us."

Big, indeed. The Fishermen had to survive the loss of starting guards and leading scorers Nic Alfonse (ankle), and Andy Murray (OSAA suspension) against a Braves squad that hadn't won a game in the Cowapa League this year, but has shown that they will not simply roll over and hand an opponent a win.

"They (Banks) are a tough, scrappy team." remarked Hunt after the last-second heroics from Anderson. "This just goes to show you that there are no night's off in the Cowapa League, home or away."

Astoria seemed to have no lingering effects of a disappointing loss last Friday night to Yamhill-Carlton by jumping on the Braves, staking themselves to a 23-17 lead by the end of the 1st Quarter. Robinson led the initial Fishermen charge, dumping in 7 points in the first frame, on his way to a 10-point night.

Banks, with solid play by swingman Nathan Horlacher (14 points), Senior guard Jeff Stradling (12 points), and Junior Josh Marsh (14 points), started chipping away at the Astoria advantage, trimming the lead to 3 by the half at 36-33.

The 3rd Quarter opened with 4 quick points by the homestanding Fishermen, but the Braves came storming back once again, led Stradling, who came off the bench to fill up the cup with 9 points, two buckets coming from outside the arc. Banks forged to the lead by the end of the third, 50-48.

Both teams came out like determined prizefighters in the 4th Quarter, with no team holding any more than a 4 point bulge. The quarter belonged to Astoria's Jordan Poyer, placed in the starting lineup because of the absence of Murray and Alfonse, the super sophomore made drive after drive to the hole, pouring in 8 points in the quarter to answer every Banks bucket.

With 55 seconds left and down by 2, Banks worked the clock and executed a beautiful back-door Alley-Oop, with Stradling laying off a picture perfect pass to Horlacher, who pushed it softly off the glass for the game-tying bucket.

Tied at 58, Astoria had 16 seconds to work the clock, got the ball to mid-court, then called timeout with just 6.7 seconds remaining. On the inbounds, Robinson took the return pass and drove the rigth baseline, only to skirt the endline with his shoe and turn the ball over to Banks. Since the clock didn't start on the beginning of the inbounds play, the officals conferred and determined that a mere 3.6 seconds would remain on the clock, and Banks would have to go the entire distance to get a chance at pulling off the upset. But on the Braves inbounds play, guard Jordan Quinones was called for steps, turning the ball over yet again to Astoria with only 2.1 seconds left, setting up the Anderson heroics.

Brushing off the Poyer screen, Anderson caught the inbounds pass, spun and shot from the left hand side of the top of the key over the outstretched arms of Banks Junior Josh Marsh for the game-winner as the buzzer sounded and the Brickhouse crowd exploded.

Astoria (13-4, 3-1) now travels to Seaside on Friday night to conclude the 1st half of the Cowapa League season. That game will be a part of a Girls/Boys doubleheader on KAST 1370 AM...coverage begins at 5:30 with the Girls contest. Banks (6-11, 0-4) will host Tillamook on Friday night.

BANKS 17 16 15 10 - 58
Horlacher 14, Stradling 12, Marsh 14, Shulund 8, Quinones 2, Rupp 4, Bayless 6, Linehan, Moore
ASTORIA 23 13 14 10 - 60
Landwehr 10, Poyer 18, Robinson 10, Anderson 8, Faulkner 8, Davis 2, Macareno 4, Culver

FIELD GOAL %: BAN: 23-51-45%, AST: 23-54-43%
3-PT FG%: BAN: 5-13-38%, AST: 1-11-9%
FREE THROWS: BAN: 7-8-88%, AST: 13-21-62%
REBOUNDS: BAN: 23, AST: 21

LATE HEROICS LIFT WARRIOR LADIES

In one of the most entertaining girls basketball games of the year, Warrenton freshman guard Brooklyn Campbell scored seven of her team-high 16 points over the final 2:09 to help the Warriors to a 43-39 victory over visiting Neah-Kah-Nie Saturday.

After the Pirates took a 39-34 lead on a pair of Tia McCormick free throws with 2:25 to play, the Warriors countered with a Campbell basket and three consecutive steals, leading to five points. Emily Ogren stole the ball and fed Campbell, who pulled up in transition and drained a 3-pointer to give the Warriors a 41-39 lead with :48 seconds left in the game, then sealed it with a layup off an Audrey Dove assist on an inbounds play with :14 seconds left in the game.

The Warriors young backcourt continues to impress, as sophomore guard Jordane Marxer had three steals in the fourth quarter and seven in the game. Marxer pilfered a pass from McCormick and took it the length of the court for two points to bring the Warriors within one in the final two minutes, setting up Campbell's end-of-game heroics.

McCormick, an explosive 5-9 post, had an outstanding game for Neah-Kah-Nie, finishing with 18 points, 14 rebounds, four assists and four blocked shots.

The Pirates scored the first four points of the tightly contested game and led at the end of the first and second periods. Leading 18-14 at the half, the Pirates' Brooke Winsted drilled a 3-pointer and Chelsey Mackrill knocked in an open jumper to open the third period, giving Neah-Kah-Nie a 23-14 lead before Warrenton responded.

Lesleann Hayward scored on a rebound putback of her own miss to commence a 9-0 Warrenton run that tied the game at 23. The Warriors hit the offensive glass hard in the third quarter, grabbing ten rebounds that led to seven second-chance points. A Campbell three closed the third quarter scoring and gave Warrenton a 26-25 lead entering the final quarter.

The fourth quarter began with another long possession, kept alive by offensive rebounds from Emily Ogren and Jordyn Holt leading to another Hayward basket and a 28-25 lead. McCormick responded with four straight points to put the Pirates back in front. Neah-Kah-Nie would twice gain leads of five points in the final period, with Warrenton fighting back to tie or take the lead both times.

McCormick scored nine of her game-high 18 points in the final period for Neah-Kah-Nie. Tracy Avritt had ten rebounds, but was limited to five points. Ogren hauled down a career-high 14 rebounds for Warrenton, including eight offensive boards, seven coming in the second half.

Audrey Dove added eight points and eight rebounds for Warrenton (10-1, 17-3), which has opened up a 3-and-a-half game lead over third place Portland Adventist while remaining a half game behind the first place Rainier Columbians in the Lewis & Clark League race. Rainier (10-1, 12-5) defeated Clatskanie 48-36 while PAA had a bye this weekend.

Neah-Kah-Nie (9-8 overall) fell to 5-6 in league, tied with Clatskanie for sixth place.

The Warriors host Riverdale Tuesday in a game that will be broadcast live on SportsRadio 1230 ESPN starting at 6:05 p.m., followed by the boys game.

NEAH-KAH-NIE 6 12 7 14 -- 39
McCormick 18, Avritt 5, Vandecoevering 2, Winsted 12, Mackrill 2, Tanner, M. Rowe, Halverson.
WARRENTON 5 9 12 13 -- 43
Ogren 5, Jo. Marxer 5, Holt 5, Hayward 4, Dove 8, Ju. Marxer, Wilkins, Campbell 16, Neahring.
FIELD GOALS-NKN: 14-42-33%, WAR: 18-54-33%
3-PT FG'S-NKN: 4-17-24%, WAR: 5-10-50%
FREE THROWS-NKN: 7-18-39%, WAR: 2-7-29%
REBOUNDS-NKN: 32, WAR: 40
TURNOVERS-NKN: 18, WAR: 17

WARRENTON OVERPOWERS PIRATES

With strong play in the paint, the Warrenton Warriors boys basketball team picked up its second win in as many days with a 48-22 victory over Neah-Kah-Nie Saturday.

Jordan Little, a 6-5 junior post, scored 14 points and pulled down a game-high ten rebounds while 6-2 classmate Kevin Moore had a career-high 10 points off the bench to go with six rebounds.

Warrenton had a 17-4 edge in offensive rebounds and had a 12-0 advantage in second chance points in improving to 8-3 in the Northwest League standings and 12-8 overall

"Jordan did a nice job," said Warriors head coach Josh Jannusch, whose team defeated O.E.S. 39-27 Friday night. "He was kind of our difference-maker tonight."

The Warriors have not played well against Neah-Kah-Nie in recent years, but took control early, grabbing a 12-3 lead in the first quarter, with Little scoring on two offensive rebound putbacks.

Warrenton's guards struggled through an off shooting game, with Eric Gantenbein, Ryan Lampi and Buddy Davis connecting on just 5-of-24 shots. Gantenbein contributed five steals on the defensive end and and five rebounds and two assists to go with his season-low six points. The Warriors hit just 1-of-15 shots from beyond the arc, while Neah-Kah-Nie wasn't much better (2-for-12).

Neah-Kah-Nie never led, but played the Warriors evenly in the second and third quarters before being outscored 16-3 in the final period. David Lee led the Pirates with eight points and seven rebounds.

Warrenton continues a 4-game homestand with games Tuesday versus Riverdale (ESPN Radio) and Thursday against Vernonia before travelling to Portland Adventist for a key matchup Friday night.

NEAH-KAH-NIE 3 7 9 3 -- 22
Stockton 5, Marsh, Lee 8, Swadberg 4, Woolley 2, Winsted, Kanas-Mackie 3, Corser, Deuel, Emerson.
WARRENTON 12 8 12 16 -- 48
Davis 5, Gantenbein 6, Little 14, O'Casey 6, Lampi 2, Garcia 4, Moore 10, Burkhart, Patterson, Morrison 1, Aira.
FIELD GOALS-NKN: 9-30-30%, WAR: 22-56-39%
3-PT FG'S-NKN: 2-12-17%, WAR: 1-15-7%
FREE THROWS-NKN: 2-4-50%, WAR: 3-9-33%
REBOUNDS-NKN: 25, WAR: 36
TURNOVERS-NKN: 20, WAR: 7

SATURDAY SCOREBOARD

Knappa 53, De La Salle 47 (OT)...Paul Isom's driving layup at the buzzer tied the game at 44 at the end of regulation and completed a 19-point second half comeback for the Loggers, who outscored the Knights 9-3 in the final five minutes for a huge road win Saturday. With Knappa trailing 38-19 with 2:30 remaining in the third quarter, Ryan Isom sparked the Logger comeback with three straight 3-pointers to close the period, then nailed two more bombs in the fourth quarter, finishing with 20 points. Paul Isom and Gary Aho added 10 points each and Jesse Moreland had 12 rebounds and two blocked shots. De La Salle's Bruce Farrell (14 points) hit a 3-pointer with eight seconds left in regulation, giving the Knights a 44-42 lead before Isom's coast-to-coast trip with the game-tying shot. The Loggers grabbed sole possession of second place with the win, improving to 9-1 in the Northwest League and 13-7 overall. Knappa has another key game Tuesday night at home against Portland Lutheran, which defeated De La Salle 64-51 on Friday.
St. Paul 62, Jewell 29...Will Steinweg scored 10 points and had nine rebounds for Jewell in the loss.
Ilwaco 61, Ocosta 41...In a make-up game from December, the Fishermen cruised to a non-league victory over the recently hot Wildcats. Anthony Wirkkala scored 24 points for the victors.

GIRLS BASKETBALL
Willapa Valley 56, Naselle 42...The Vikings avenged an earlier home loss to Naselle with a victory at Patterson Gymnasium Saturday night. Larissa Rohr led three Valley players in double figures with 21 points.
St. Paul 75, Jewell 27...Both Blue Jay losses this year have come to the top-ranked Buckaroos. Frances Dugan scored 10 points for the Jays.

WRESTLING
Molalla Invitational...3A Colton High School finished first among eight teams at Molalla Saturday with North Marion taking second place. Astoria placed seventh with 35 points, just two points behind Cowapa League foe Yamhill-Carlton. Josh (152 pounds) and Jake Banta (215) both won championships for the Fishermen, who face Yamhill-Carlton and Seaside in a double-dual meet at Seaside Tuesday night. Both Bantas pinned all of their opponents Saturday. Dustin Morrison (103), Kenny Dowell (112) and Colton Schwartz (275) all took third place at the tournament. The Fishermen were wrestling without Brook Smith and Ben Mattingly, both out with illnesses.

FRIDAY SCOREBOARD

BOYS BASKETBALL
Knappa 94, Gaston 47...The Loggers blew the game open with a 36-6 run in the second quarter. Sophomore Jesse Moreland led four players in double figures with 24 points, hitting both of his 3-point shots and thrilling the Knappa crowd with a breakaway slam dunk in the second period, the first time a Logger has thrown down at home since the Brian Jackson days in the late 90's.
Seaside 63, Banks 59 (OT)...The Gulls came from eight points back with three minutes remaining in regulation to force overtime. Chris Senick hit two 3-pointers and Dominick Walker had a pair of key buckets down the stretch in the fourth quarter. Walker and Ed Kauffunger paced a balanced scoring attack with 12 points each. Kauffunger added nine rebounds and Matt Peinhardt was also a point away from a double-double with nine points and 16 rebounds. The Gulls, now 1-2 in Cowapa League play, travel to Scappoose Tuesday night. The Indians fell to Tillamook 53-44 at Tillamook Friday and are also 1-2.
Willapa Valley 78, Naselle 45...Brady Langer scored 32 points as the Vikings jumped Naselle early and never let up. Kyle Burkhalter led the Comets with 19 points.

GIRLS BASKETBALL
Knappa vs. Gaston...no score reported

SWIMMING-Cowapa League Double Dual Meet at Tillamook
BOYS: Astoria 110, Scappoose 47; Tillamook 96, Astoria 74; Tillamook 133, Scappoose 28
GIRLS: Astoria 93, Scappoose 60; Astoria 106, Tillamook 34; Scappoose 91, Tillamook 33

WARRIORS NOTCH KEY SEASON SWEEP

In what is shaping up to be a great battle for second place in the Lewis & Clark League, the Warrenton Warriors boys picked up an important win at home Friday night, defeating visiting Oregon Episcopal School 39-27 to earn the season sweep over the Aardvarks.

"O.E.S. manhandled P.A.A.," said Warrenton head coach Josh Jannusch. "They had been beating a lot of teams. They beat Rainier. That's going to turn out to be real big for us down the stretch."

Warrenton closed a close first half with the final five points to take a 20-15 lead, then continued a 16-0 run into the second quarter to open up a 31-15 lead late in the third period.

The Aardvarks, who moved the ball well and were able to execute their offense in the first two periods, looked lost and stagnant in the second half, in falling to their third league loss.

"We tried to pressure them a little bit better," said Jannusch. "Their big guys are so active. We tried to challenge Jordan Little, Michael O'Casey and Kevin Moore to really body up on those guys and make it tough for them. And then our guards did a nice job of containing their penetration and did a good job of helping."

In a stifling defensive performance, the Warriors limited the Aardvarks to just 30-percent from the field and only put the visitors on the line two times, while shooting an above-average 43-percent on the night.

Ryan Lampi stepped up with a career-best 18 points on 7-of-11 shooting from the field on a night when leading scorer Eric Gantenbein was limited to eight points. Michael O'Casey added four points, seven rebounds and three steals for the Warriors, who are tied with O.E.S. in the loss column, but have the tiebreak edge courtesy of the season sweep.

"Ryan came out and shot the ball extremely well," said Jannusch. "It came at a good time because Eric was having kind of an off night."

O.E.S.'s 6-4, junior center Lewis Godowski scored eight of his team-high 12 points in the first quarter, when the Aardvarks took an 8-7 lead. Warrenton scored the first basket of the second period for teh sixth and final lead change of the game, which was tied three times before the Warriors half-closing spurt.

The Aardvarks were playing without senior guard Sam Shainsky, who was attending an interscholastic jazz competition.

O.E.S. 8 7 4 8--27
Gordon, Haugh, Inskeep, Johnson 2, Godowski 12, Esters, Hernandez, Baker 10, Gale 2, Kuchs, Zang.
WARRENTON 7 13 11 8--39
Davis 1, Gantenbein 8, Little 6, O'Casey 4, Lampi 18, Garcia 2, Moore, Burkhart.
FIELD GOALS-O.E.S.: 12-40-30%, WAR: 17-40-43%
3-PT FG'S-O.E.S.: 1-7-14%, WAR: 1-8-13%
FREE THROWS-O.E.S.: 2-2-100%, WAR: 4-9-44%
REBOUNDS-O.E.S.: 26, WAR: 23
TURNOVERS-O.E.S.: 15, WAR: 11

WARRIORS ROCK THE BABIES

Warrenton freshmen Brooklyn Campbell and Jordyn Holt may be immature in terms of their basketball playing experience, but their team got a good lesson in how not to behave on the court and the sidelines courtesy of visiting Oregon Episcopal School Friday night.

Campbell notched a career-high for the second time in her last three games with 17 points and Holt added 13 as the Warriors shut down the Aardvarks 69-33. Unfortunately, nobody could shut O.E.S. up!

Another strong on-court performance for Warrenton came in a game marred by chronic belligerance on the part of the visitors, representing one of the most exclusive and expensive private schools in the state of Oregon.

During the course of the contest, three technical fouls were assessed--one to head coach Art Anderson in the first half and one each to starting wings Carling Leon and Teeona Wilson in the second half. While Anderson and his J.V. coach maintained a steady stream of invective from the sideline, several Aardvark players displayed a comprehensive understanding of the kind of language that would serve them well in future careers in dock work or contruction, not the court rooms, board rooms or lecture halls they are likely angling toward with their parents' tuition money. That's when they weren't using their fingernails to carve hieroglyphics into the arms, legs and faces of most of Warrenton's starting five.

With less patient officials, the coaching staff and a couple players would have been on the bus by halftime. As it is, mentally they were already on their way before the first half buzzer sounded.

After a close first quarter that featured three ties, the Aardvarks carried a 9-7 lead into the second period. Jordane Marxer's field goal with 6:11 to go in the half tied the game at nine and opened a 9-0 Warrior run, bookended with a pair of Marxer free throws. The Warriors sophomore, who notched a career-high 11 points, was at the stripe as a result of an intentional foul called on O.E.S.'s Paige Brack for kicking. The teams traded free throws, with the Aardvarks scoring their first points of the quarter at the 2:45 mark before Campbell buried the first of her two 3-pointers, giving the Warriors a 21-11 lead.

On the next Warrenton possession, Holt drew a foul and Anderson was given his long-overdue technical. Warrenton's freshman point guard hit both of her free throws and one of the two technical shots, ending a string of eight straight made free throws by the Warriors, who hit 13-of-19 at the stripe in the period.

Warrenton steadily pulled away in the second half. Seven different players scored in the third period, with Campbell, Marxer and Pam Wilkins all nailing treys and light-scoring Katie McBride drawing cheers from the hometown crowd for an inside basket that gave Warrenton a 50-24 lead heading into the final period. McBride hauled down six rebounds in the game, a career-high.

The game ended in appropriately ugly fashion, as Wilson and Leon drew their T's in the final 4:15 and the Aardvarks played the last 2:20 with four players on the floor due to foul disqualifications. When veteran referee Butch Johnson, long known as one of the most affable and tolerant officials around, is handing out technicals to players, that's a pretty good barometer of the lack of class on display from a school that is developing a reputation for this kind of nonsense, particularly in girls sports.

With the win, Warrenton earned the season sweep from the Aardvarks (3-8, 5-11 overall following a 57-43 loss at home to Vernonia Saturday), who were thought to be a potential contender, but have now dropped to eighth place in the 9-team Lewis & Clark League.

There's a lot to be said for leadership. Right now the Warriors are clicking, courtesy of a group of high-achieving, straight-A seniors and a trio of talented, young up-and-coming guards who are all meshing and working together beautifully. With the Warriors now opening up a gulf between second and third place in the standings, it appears the league title will come down to Warrenton or Rainier, who play again at Warrenton on Feb. 6.

While the league title hangs on the result of that game, we can probably eliminate at least one team in the league from the sportsmanship award discussion.

O.E.S. 9 6 9 9--33
Leon 9, Wilson 12, VanderWeele 6, Schmidtmann 4, Warfield, Donovan, Brack 2, Yang.
WARRENTON 7 21 22 19--69
Ogren 7, Jo. Marxer 11, Holt 13, Hayward 7, Dove 7, Ju. Marxer, McBride 2, Wilkins 3, Campbell 17, Neahring 1, Hackwith 1.
FIELD GOALS-O.E.S.: 10-55-18%, WAR: 23-55-42%
3-PT FG'S-O.E.S.: 1-11-9%, WAR: 4-12-33%
FREE THROWS-O.E.S.: 12-26-46%, WAR: 19-35-54%
REBOUNDS-O.E.S.: 36, WAR: 56
TURNOVERS-O.E.S.: 26, WAR: 30

ROUND TWO: TIGERS WIN AT BRICKHOUSE

When Yamhill-Carlton was told by the OSAA that they would be leaving the Val-Co and heading to the Cowapa League after the massive re-classification of 2005-6, little did they know that they would be creating a new rivalry.

Game on.

The top-ranked Tigers, without starting center Jake Williams, who was sitting out a one-game suspension after being ejected from the previous Cowapa League tilt against Seaside, overcame an early 11-point deficit, built a 12-point lead of their own, and held off a furious Astoria rally to grab a crucial Cowapa League win at the Brickhouse Friday night, 59-53.

The 4th ranked Fishermen (12-4, 2-1), playing without Senior swingman Nic Alfonse, came storming out of the gates, allowing an easy opening bucket by Yamhill-Carlton (15-1, 3-0) before going on a 10-0 run, then extending their lead to 19-8 before the Tigers woke up.

Scoring the last 5 points of the 1st Quarter, Yamhill-Carlton kept the momentum going by blitzing the swarming Fishermen defense by opening up the 2nd Quarter on an 8-0 run of their own, completing the comeback to take a 20-19 lead with 3:35 left in the first half. Led by Senior Zach Anderson, who buried Astoria with 29 points in the first meeting this year between the two teams just 10 days ago, the Tigers punished Astoria on the offensive and defensive glass and capitalized on numerous second-chance points to forge into the lead.

After the Fishermen tied the game at 20-20, Yamhill started another spurt, which saw their lead jump to 11 points. Astoria Senior guard Andy Murray, who drew a technical in the first meeting between the two schools and fouled out early in the 3rd Quarter of the 77-68 loss at Linfield College, drew yet another technical during the Tiger run, and had to sit for the remainder of the half, which saw Yamhill-Carlton head to the break, up 33-24.

Astoria, in foul trouble for most of the game, found themselves looking up at the Tigers for most of the 3rd Quarter, but started to show some signs of life behind the deft outside touch of Tony Robinson, who poured in 7 points, including a tough 3-point shot over the Tigers JT Sorenson to help keep the Fishermen close, but still down by 7 going into the final quarter, 42-35.

But behind Anderson, who was a constant disruptive force in the paint, blocking or deflecting 7 shots on the evening, kept Astoria at arm's length, until a crucial stretch of the 4th Quarter that seemed to turn the game towards the Tigers.

Down 12 with 4:12 left, Astoria turned up the intensity on the offensive side of the court, led by Murray, Brian Anderson, Jordan Poyer, and Nic Faulkner, who stemmed the onslaught of Yamhill's Anderson down low, and the Fishermen pulled within 3 at 45-42, with just under 3 minutes left.

But then it fell apart...came back together...and was gone again.

Astoria's Josie Macareno fouled out with 2:55 left and the Fishermen had lost one of their better pressure defenders. But Astoria kept driving and traded buckets with the taller Tigers, but were still down 49-46 with 37 seconds left in the contest. And what happened next will likely be replayed in the minds of Astoria fans for quite some time.

Running up court after a loose ball rebound, Andy Murray and Yamhill's Jake Weber collided, which gave Murray his 4th foul. But then Referee Tina Toyas called another technical on Murray, saying later that she saw Murray "shove" Weber after the play...Murray was ejected, Weber and Anderson sank 3 of the 4 free throws and Yamhill got the ball out of bounds. Two more free throws after yet another Astoria foul vaulted the score to 54-46, with just 34 seconds left.

Game, set, another win for the Tigers.

In all, Astoria was whistled for 25 personal fouls, had 3 players (Macareno, Murray, and Poyer) foul out. Yamhill was whistled for 14 fouls in the contest.

"It was tough because we never could get into a flow," said Astoria Coach Chris Hunt after the game. "Don't take anything away from Yamhill. They played very well, Anderson is just a great player, they've given us something to think about."

And as far as the Murray ejection is concerned?

"We're going to review the tape, " according to Hunt. "If it didn't happen the way they (the officials) saw it, we'll appeal." If the appeal is not granted, Murray will have to sit out the next game per OSAA rule.

This was the first loss at home of the season for Astoria. Yamhill has taken the early one game lead in the League race over both Astoria and Tillamook with the win.

Interestingly enough, in the last three meetings between the two teams, the home team has lost every time. Astoria will travel to Yamhill-Carlton for the re-match February 13th. Next up for the Fishermen, a home tilt against Banks on Tuesday night at the Brickhouse.

YAMHILL CARLTON 12 21 9 17 - 59
Anderson 26, White 12, Sorenson 8, Bryant 6, Weber 2, Skuzeski 2, Morgan, Garcia, Rhodes
ASTORIA 19 5 11 18 - 53
Murray 11, Robinson 11, Anderson 8, Macareno 2, Landwehr 6, Poyer 7, Faulkner 4, Culver 2, Davis

ASTORIA GIRLS NAB FIRST LEAGUE WIN

Last season, the Astoria High School girls basketball team had to wait too long for their first Cowapa League win. And it was their only victory of the League season. This year, the wait did not last long.

The Lady Fishermen (10-8, 1-2) defended the home court against over-matched Yamhill Carlton (2-13, 0-3), pushing their way to a 45-25 victory Friday night.

Astoria's vaunted defense was on display once again, as the Fishermen held the visiting Tiger to just 2 points in the 1st Quarter, 11 for the entire first half, on their way to doubling the entire win total overall from last year's squad that finished in the cellar of the Cowapa League. Yamhill-Carlton never scored in double figures in any period during the game.

Yamhill scored first, but Astoria went on a 12-0 run to grab ahold of a lead that they would never relinquish. Coach Gordon Thompson said his girls came out with the intensity he was after off the heels of two blowout losses to league leaders Scappoose and Tillamook.

"It was important for us to come out with some urgency," Thompson remarked after the game. "I was proud of how our team stayed focused...although we still have some work to do."

The "work" is centered on the offense, which showed some spurts of revitalization, as Astoria scored in double digits in the second and fourth quarters and exceeded their season per game average by 13 points in the win. No Astoria player scored in double figures, but the balanced attack kept the Tigers guessing all evening and caused match-up problems for a team that has 6 players that are either Freshmen or Sophomores.

"They're (Yamhill-Carlton) very young, but you can see that they have some talent," said Thompson. "But we just focus on what we need to do. Our girls stuck with the game plan."

Jamie Coggins paced the Fishermen with 11 and KJ Carr added 7 points. Yamhill was led by Danni Dunham with 7 points along with Bree Larson who chipped in 7 before fouling out late in the game.

Astoria is next in action as they hit the road against Banks on Tuesday night.

YAMHILL-CARLTON 2 9 5 9 - 25
Bellwood 2, Larson 7, Findley 1, Dunham 7, Anderson 1, Braden 2, Findley 1, Webb 4, Rogers, Hancox, Davis
ASTORIA 6 16 9 14 - 45
Coggins 11, Carr 7, Cullen 2, Wilson 4, Stephens 6, O'Bryan 1, Saulsbury 3, Hillard 4, E. Coggins 3, Schaurman, Lilley 3

THURSDAY PREP SCOREBOARD

GIRLS BASKETBALL
Seaside 45, Banks 26...The Gulls raced to a 20-2 first quarter lead on the way to a rout at home. Marla Olstedt paced Seaside with 20 points, Ashley Mayfield added 12 and Tessa Pfund pulled down 10 rebounds to go with her 5 points. Andrea O'Connor paced the Braves with 9 points. The Seagull boys travel to Banks tonight.
Naselle 51, Ocosta 22...The Comets picked up their second over struggling Ocosta this week. Naselle hosts Willapa Valley on Saturday night.
Jewell 45, C.S. Lewis 16...Frances Dugan scored 19 points and had 10 rebounds for the victorious Jays.

BOYS BASKETBALL
C.S. Lewis 58, Jewell 42...The Blue Jays are still searching for their first win of the season.

SWIMMING-Cowapa League Double Dual Meet at Briarcliff Pool in Rainier
BOYS: Astoria 95, Rainier 73; Astoria 109, Seaside 57
GIRLS: Astoria 100, Rainier 66; Astoria 96, Seaside 68

WRESTLINGWarrenton 38, Clatskanie 32
Warrenton 36, Gervais 29

CHINOOKS TAKE TRICO LEAD IN NAILBITER

The two most experienced teams in the Trico League also happened to be the only two unbeaten teams Wednesday night, when 6-0 Ilwaco visited 4-0 Kalama.

With nine players on the floor at the opening tip that stood in the same positions last year, Ilwaco and Kalama were nothing if not familiar.

And it was a familiar feeling for the Ilwaco girls at the end, as they lost their third straight close battle to the Chinooks, who prevailed 44-42, ending Ilwaco's unbeaten Trico run to take over sole possession of first place in the division.

With the game tied at 42, all-S.W. Washington 1A League post Amanda Clark sank two free throws with 29 seconds left to provide the winning margin, completing a 16 point, 18 rebound night.

Out of time outs, the Fishermen got the ball up the floor where Bonnie Perez cast up a long jumper with just under 20 seconds left. Kalama's Jade Morales rebounded the miss and the Chinooks were able to run the clock all the way down to :03 seconds before Carrie Loveall was fouled. The loss of time proved to be critical, as Loveall missed the one-and-one free throw and the ball caromed out of bounds with no time running off the clock. The Fishermen were able to get the ball inbound against Kalama's press, but never made it past three-quarter court and did not get a final shot in the air as time expired.

"Other than not getting the foul, the girls executed everything at the end," said Ilwaco head coach Ned Bittner, who recently resigned his position as head football coach at the school. "Bonnie can hit that shot."

Ilwaco led only once in the game and had to climb out of a big hole in the first half. Melany Bliss' rebound putback basket at the halftime buzzer completed a 14-4 run for the Fishermen, who came back from a 17-5 first quarter deficit to close within 21-19 at the half. Bliss finished with a team-high 11 rebounds.

Alex Moses ended the third quarter with a 3-pointer, her second of the game, to give Ilwaco its only lead at 33-31 going into the fourth quarter.

Chinook turnovers kept Ilwaco in the game. Head coach Ron Palmer, who says he preaches patience every day at practice, probably had his tested with some sloppy passes in the final three periods.

After Lanie Kary tied the score at 42 with a short baseline jumper, Clark was called for travelling at midcourt, giving Ilwaco the ball with a chance to take the lead with under a minute left. But the senior southpaw responded with her specialty, a blocked shot, her third of the night, to get the ball back to set up the game-winning free throws.

Clark, who is one of three Kalama players drawing interest from area colleges, added three assists to her full stat line. The 3-year starter is averaging just under four blocked shots per game and had ten rebukes in a win over Tenino back in December. Mandy Wall, a 3-year starter at point guard, finished with four steals and four rebounds to go with her nine points.

The Chinooks sharp free throw shooting in the final period sealed it, as Kalama went 7-for-8 at the line in the period and 10-for-12 in the game, Clark and Wall combining for a perfect 7-for-7 at the stripe. Ilwaco hit just 1-of-4 at the line in the final eight minutes and 6-for-15 in the game.

Clark led all scorers, while Loveall's 12 points matched a season high. Anna Kitzman connected on four 3-pointers in five attempts to finish with 15 points, while Kary fought double and triple teams all night to tally 14 points for the Lady Fishermen, who dropped to 11-and-4 on the season.

ILWACO 10 9 14 9--42
Perez 1, Kitzman 15, Brooks 1, Bliss 5, Kary 14, Moses 6.
KALAMA 17 4 10 13--44
Wall 9, Morales 2, Loveall 12, K. Schuh 5, Clark 16, Nelson.
FIELD GOALS-ILW: 15-58-26%, KAL: 17-44-39%
3-PT FG'S-ILW: 6-9-67%, KAL: 0-2-0%
FREE THROWS-ILW: 6-15-40%, KAL: 10-12-83%
REBOUNDS-ILW: 36, KAL: 43
TURNOVERS-ILW: 17, KAL: 23

SMOKIN' CHINOOKS ROUT FISHERMEN

With great scoring balance and an aggressive offensive attack, the Kalama Chinooks were firing on all cylinders Wednesday night in a 79-65 victory over Ilwaco in a Trico League boys basketball game at Kalama.

The Chinooks improved to 5-2 in league play and jumped into second place in the tightening Trico Division race that has five teams separated by just two games in the loss column. The Chinooks trail first place Stevenson by a half game and have split the season series with the Bulldogs.

Kalama stormed to a 45-28 halftime lead, shooting 58 percent from the field and knocking down four 3-pointers.

"They hit their open looks," said Ilwaco head coach Paul Jarrett. "They also hit some wild shots. We didn't play too badly."

With Kalama leading 62-45 late in the third period, Ilwaco junior Matt Kaino hit a 3-pointer to spark a 7-0 run. The Fishermen closed the gap to ten when Paul Blaylock fed Anthony Wirkkala for an inside basket on the first possession of the fourth quarter.

Down 62-52, Ilwaco held the hot-shooting Chinooks scoreless for the next three consecutive possessions, but could not capitalize. Ryan Blake rebounded a missed Matt Kaino 3-pointer and could not put in the follow-up shot. Wirkkala had two cracks at rebound putbacks and missed both from close range. Cody Chalker kept the possession alive, only to lead to an Ilwaco turnover. The next two Ilwaco trips down the floor ended in a missed Kaino trey and another turnover.

Jeff Vossen ended Kalama's scoreless drought with a 3-point play with 5:15 to go in the game, giving the Chinooks a 65-52 lead. Kalama would lead by double-digits the rest of the way, as Ilwaco dropped to 3-4 in the Trico standings and 6-8 overall.

Wirkkala finished with 19 points and 17 rebounds, but hit only 7-for-21 from the floor with many of the rebounds coming on his own close-range misses. Kaino added 19 points and hit 3-of-6 from behind the arc. Paul Blaylock played one of his better games of the season, contributing 11 points and three assists.

"Anthony had an off night," said Ilwaco head coach Paul Jarrett, who received a questionable technical foul while trying to get a time out in the fourth quarter. "It's his only off night of the year."

That's a testament to how well Ilwaco's 6-5 big man has played this year, when on an off night he puts up numbers that would be career nights for most average players.

Kalama's contributions came across the board with five players scoring in double figures, led by the 17 points of Nick Schmit, Robby Sanders and Matt Trautman. Junior guard Brandon Walker came off the bench to score 15 points and point guard Billy Arn had five assists and three steals for Kalama.

Kalama hosts La Center on Friday, while Ilwaco travels to Ocosta for a non-league make-up game on Saturday. Ilwaco and Kalama will play the rematch in a co-ed doubleheader on Feb. 6 at Aase Gymnasium, with the boys playing at 5:45 p.m.

ILWACO 13 15 22 15--65
Blaylock 11, Wirkkala 19, Desimone, Kaino 19, Blake 4, Col. Chalker 2, Talancon 3, Whealdon 6, Cod. Chalker 1.
KALAMA 19 26 17 17--79
Schimit 17, Vossen 11, Arn, Sanders 17, Trautman 17, Walker 15, Berry, B. Pollock, M. Pollock 2.
FIELD GOALS-ILW: 24-68-35%, KAL: 28-52-54%
3-PT FG'S-ILW: 6-19-32%, KAL: 6-12-50%
FREE THROWS-ILW: 11-18-61%, KAL: 17-23-74%
REBOUNDS-ILW: 44, KAL: 31
TURNOVERS-ILW: 13, KAL: 9

ASTORIA BATTLES BANKS IN CLOSE MAT LOSS

Rarely does an Astoria-Banks wrestling dual come down to the final match.

Banks 171-pound sophomore Ben Rodgers earned an 11-3 major decision over Astoria's Cole Banta as the Braves avoided the upset with a 43-33 victory over the up-and-coming Fishermen.

"It's the closest we've ever wrestled against Banks," said Astoria head coach Cam McFarland. "Honestly, I think they're not as good as they've been in the past, but we've gotten a lot better."

Tim "Cardiac" Clark, a freshman, lived up to his nickname once again, coming from a 5-0 deficit to defeat fellow frosh Brock Markham, taking down Markham in the final 15 seconds for the go-ahead points. That turnaround kept the Fishermen alive into the final match before Rodgers sealed the victory for the Braves. Clark has won nine straight matches by coming from behind and is now 3-0 in league.

Jake Banta and Ben Mattingly, at 215 and 275 pounds respectively, made quick work of their opponents, with Banta pinning Glencoe transfer Ken Sutter in 27 seconds and Mattingly requiring less than a sweep of the second hand to defeat Sam Edison by fall.

Tad Falk had Astoria's other mat victory at 119 pounds with another pin.

Banks had four forfeit wins to two for Astoria.

The Fishermen compete in the Molalla Invitational on Saturday, featuring Yamhill-Carlton and North Marion, former Cowapa League rival Rainier, Corbett and Colton from 2A District 1 and Stevenson from the Trico League. Astoria returns to dual meet competition at Seaside on Tuesday.

189 Chris Mettee (BAN) maj. dec. Brook Smith 12-0
215 Jake Banta (AST) fall Ken Sutter 0:27
275 Ben Mattingly (AST) fall Sam Edison 0:47
103 Gabe Goodrich (BAN) technical fall Dustin Morrison 19-4
112 T.J. Arthur (BAN) fall Kenny Dowell 3:46
119 Tad Falk (AST) fall B. Ervin 2:55
125 FORFEIT (AST)
130 FORFEIT (BAN)
135 FORFEIT (BAN)
140 FORFEIT (BAN)
145 FORFEIT (BAN)
152 Tim Clark (AST) dec. Brock Markham 6-5
160 FORFEIT (AST)
171 Ben Rodgers (BAN) major dec. Cole Banta 11-3

ONE FOR THE AGES, ASTORIA

It should have come down to this.

In a slugfest between the two teams that have won or shared the last 5 Cowapa League titles, Astoria and Tillamook went the full 12 rounds before Brian Anderson buried a 26-foot jumper with 1 second left in the game, lifting the Fishermen to the 52-49 win over the Cheesemakers Tuesday night at the Brickhouse.

Tillamook, paced by Justin "Buster" Hartford's 23 points, led throughout most of the game, and established themselves as a force to be reckoned within the Cowapa League. After jumping out to a 15-12 1st Quarter lead, Astoria went cold from the field and Tillamook took advantage, leading at the break 25-24. Hartford led the charge, with 18 points, as over and over, the rough and tumble Senior stepped out to bury a 3, or banged down low to push aside the smaller Fishermen. But Buster wasn't getting much help, and Astoria didn't let the 'Mooks get too far down the road in the first half.

The 3rd Quarter saw much of the same from Tillamook, tough defensively, smart and patient on the offensive side, as the lead grew to 6 points on a couple of occassions, and the two foes headed to the final quarter with Tillamook ahead by2, 42-40.

Astoria, struggling from the field the entire night, kept the defensive pressure on the Cheesemakers, shut down Hartford in the final frame, and found the offense when they needed it. Down 49-46 with just over 1:30 left in the contest, Andy Murray took the ball at the top of the key, split two 'Mook defenders, and buried a 3 to tie the game at 49. As Tillamook pushed the ball up-court, Sophomore Jordan Poyer stripped Cody Churchill from behind, and with 55 seconds left, Astoria could hold for the final shot.

After a Fishermen timeout, Astoria whittled the clock down to ten seconds, and with Tillamook staying back in their 2-3 zone, ran the offense, with Anderson creating the open look from 26-feet away off the right side of the key, and banged home the game-winner with 1 second left.

"We knew that we would hold for the last shot," said Astoria Head Coach Chris Hunt. "We really didn't have anyone in particular to go to on the floor. We just put our shooters out there and let them create. It was a great finish."

Anderson, the senior transfer from Knappa, only had 5 points in the game, but none bigger than the trey that sank the 'Mooks hope of an upset.

4th-ranked Astoria moved to 2-0 in the Cowapa League with the win (12-3 overall), Tillamook drops to 1-1 in League, 7-4 overall on the season. Next up for the Fishermen is a date with top-ranked Yamhill-Carlton on Friday night at the Brickhouse. The Tigers will be playing without starting center Jake Williams, who was ejected from the Seaside game in the 3rd Quarter on Tuesday night, with an automatic 1 game OSAA suspension.

You can hear all the action on KAST, AM 1370, starting with the girls versus Yamhill-Carlton at 5:30, followed by the boys action.

TILLAMOOK - 12 13 17 7 - 49
Hartford 23, C. Churchill 12, Begin 4, T. Churchill 2, Ellison 2, Baertlein 4, Barksdale 3
ASTORIA - 15 9 16 12 - 52
Murray 17, Poyer 12, Alfonse 11, Macareno 5, Anderson 5, Robinson 2, Culver, Faulkner

FIELD GOALS - TILL: 17-34-50%, AST: 20-56-35%
3 PT FG'S - TILL: 3-3-100%, AST: 7-26-27%
FREE THROWS - TILL: 12-18-67%, AST: 5-10-50%
REBOUNDS - TILL: 34, AST: 25
TURNOVERS - TILL: 17, AST: 14

ASTORIA BOYS START DEFENSE OF TITLE

The Astoria Fishermen started defense of their 2006 Cowapa League title in convincing fashion on the road, setting down the Scappoose Indians, 63-50.

Caught in a see-saw 1st half, the Indians and Fishermen traded opening buckets, then Astoria made a little run and jumped out to a 10-4 lead midway through the 1st Quarter. Scappoose, behind 8-1st Quarter points by 6-6 Justin Engstrom, clsoed the gap to 13-8 at the end of the period. Astoria used a balanced attack, led by Andy Murray, Nick Alfonse, and Josimar Macareno, kept the Fishermen at arm's length from the scrappy Indians, extending their lead to as many as 6 points before heading to the break up, 29-25.

In the 3rd Quarter, it was Alfonse who took over the offensive push for the Fishermen, blasting his way from outside the arc and hitting consecutive mid-range jumpers on his way to a 9 point quarter as Astoria held high-scoring Marcus Keinlen to just 5 points in the quarter and moved out to a 45-38 lead heading into the final quarter. Keinlen, who had been averaging 16 points a game, was held to just 7, which was a huge factor in the road win for the Fishermen.

Although Engstrom kept punishing the smaller Fishermen inside, Astoria kept the pressure on the Indian guards and built a lead to as many as 13 points in the fourth quarter and maintained their poise on the road to secure the win.

Astoria, 1-0 in league play, 11-3 overall, now comes home to take on Tillamook, who defeated Seaside in their Cowapa opener, in a rematch of the two teams that have won the last 4 Cowapa League titles. Scappoose dropped to 0-1 in league, 9-5 overall. The Astoria-Tillamook game will be heard on 1370 AM, KAST, Tuesday night at 7:05.

ASTORIA - 13 16 16 18 - 63
Alfonse 19, Murray 18, Macareno 10, Landwehr 4, Poyer 4, Anderson 6, Robinson 2, Davis 2, Faulkner, Culver

SCAPPOOSE - 8 17 13 10 - 50
Engstrom 26, Keinlen 7, Craig 6, Powers 5, Rice 2, Nelson 2, Guillory, Wilson, Baldwin, Cronin, Finley

ILWACO CRUISES TO 5-0 TRICO START

The Ilwaco Lady Fishermen, after a 9-day layoff, obviously couldn't wait to hit the hardwood again.

The hustling Fishermen sprinted to a 16-0 lead and were never challenged on the way to a 56-25 victory over the visiting Rochester Warriors Thursday night.

With the win, Ilwaco took over momentary possession of first place in the Trico League, a half game ahead of 4-0 Kalama. The win was Ilwaco's tenth of the season against three losses.

Lanie Kary led Ilwaco with 19 points and Anna Kitzman added 15 points, six assists and seven rebounds for the Lady Fishermen, who dominated in all departments.

"I figured after the nine day layoff, we'd either come out and play the way we did against Stevenson in the first half," said Bittner, referring to Ilwaco's last game in which the Lady Fishermen trailed 23-14 at halftime before waking up in the second half, "or come out and play really hard. That's what we did. We did a complete 180 and I was proud of that."

The Fishermen forced 30 Rochester turnovers and outrebounded Rochester 40-27. The only area in which Ilwaco did not excel was at the free throw line. After hitting an incredible 29 of 32 free throws in a 61-37 win at Rochester earlier this year, the Fishermen hit just 11 of 22 at the charity stripe.

"We hit and miss a little bit every once in awhile," said Bittner. "Most of the shots were either a little short or coming off hard. I think we got a little tired there. The girls were working really hard. We spend a lot of time in practice working on it, but tonight was not a night for free throws."

Oregon transfer Briana Carrothers was Rochester's only source for offense, equalling Kary's 19-point effort. The 3-10 Warriors fell to 0-6 in league and have gone two years without winning a league game.

Ilwaco will host White Salmon on Monday in a co-ed doubleheader. Both games will be broadcast live on SportsRadio 1230 ESPN, with the boys game first on the schedule at 5:00 p.m. Both teams will travel to Kalama for makeup games against the Chinooks on Wednesday, with the girls game first at 5:45 p.m.

ROCHESTER 4 8 5 8--25
Knowles 4, Patrick, Carrothers 19, Cabrera 2, Bickel 2, Mackin, Reynoldson, Dyal, McCann.
ILWACO 21 19 6 10--56
Perez 3, Kitzman 15, Brooks 6, Bliss 11, Kary 19, Banuet, Moses 2, Ulbricht, Hankins.
FIELD GOALS-ROC: 8-35-23%, ILW: 20-50-40%
3-PT FG'S-ROC: 1-18-5%, ILW: 1-9-11%
FREE THROWS-ROC: 9-14-64%, ILW: 11-22-50%
REBOUNDS-ILW: 40, ROC: 27
TURNOVERS-ILW: 16, ROC: 30

LADY GULLS GROUNDED AGAINST TILLAMOOK

Seaside girls basketball coach Mike Jacobson knew he'd have to take a different approach last night if his team had any hope of competing against Tillamook.

Throttled by the Cheesemakers in an 80-36 preseason tournament loss, the Gulls slowed the pace last night and spread the floor and as a result, stayed in the game. Unfortunately, while the Seagulls struggled to convert open layins, Tillamook's Katelyn Jacob was raining in threes as the Mooks prevailed 39-27 in the Cowapa League opener for both teams.

"We spread the floor and ran four corners," said Jacobson. "We missed nine open layups in the game. We were down 10 at the half and it was 28-21 with four or five minutes left.

"If we hit our layins, we beat Tillamook last night."

Jacob paced the Cheesemakers with 14 points, hitting 4-of-6 shots from beyond the arc. Seaside held Tillamook's leading scorer, Stepahine Beeler, to just seven points in the game.

"We got them in foul trouble in the middle of the second quarter and they were only 1-for-9 at the free throw line," said Jacobson. "We just couldn't finish. It was a good game."

Marla Olstedt and Ashley Mayfield led the Seagulls with 10 points each.

Seaside dropped to 8-7 overall, while the 2nd-ranked Cheesemakers ran their perfect record to 11-0. The Gulls next game is at Yamhill-Carlton on Jan. 23.

Tonight, the Seaside boys travel to Tillamook to open Cowapa League play.

SEASIDE 7 3 7 10--27
Olstedt 10, Mayfield 10, Johnson 3, Pfund, Potter 4, MaComb, Wiese, Richardson, Lent.
TILLAMOOK 14 8 6 11--39
Jacob 14, Valencia 4, Collett, Boge 2, Waud 8, Beeler 7, Bake, Bellan 4.
FIELD GOALS-SEA: 12-40-30%, TIL: 13-28-46%
3-PT FG'S-SEA: 0-1-0%, TIL: 4-9-44%
FREE THROWS-SEA: 3-8-38%, TIL: 1-9-11%
REBOUNDS-SEA: 21, TIL: 22
TURNOVERS-SEA: 12, TIL: 10

THURSDAY PREP BASKETBALL ROUNDUP

BOYS BASKETBALL
Naselle 71, Raymond 53...Kyle Burkhalter scored 22 points and had 13 rebounds as the Comets snapped a 7-game losing streak with a win over the Seagulls at Patterson Gymnasium. Spencer Griss scored most of his 11 points in the first quarter as Naselle built an early 24-11 lead. Casey Heagy added 13 points and six assists for the Comets, who had not won a game since defeating Raymond at Raymond prior to the holiday break. Naselle (3-5 Pacific B League, 5-9 overall) hosts N.W. Christian this Saturday in a co-ed doubleheader, with the girls game tipping off at 4:30 p.m. The Navigator boys knocked off Tacoma Baptist 54-46 Thursday night to improve to 7-1 in league and 11-2 overall.

COMETS GET THROWN IN 4TH AT RAYMOND

With the shots not falling for Naselle, the Comettes did all they could to hang with league-leading Raymond Tuesday night.

But despite an outstanding defensive effot, Naselle got buried in an avalanche of free throws as the Seagulls pulled away in the fourth period for a 46-30 victory at home.

The win avenged Raymond's only league loss, a 41-39 overtime game at Naselle.

Raymond never trailed last night, but could not put the game away until the fourth quarter, when foul trouble caught up to Naselle. The Comettes nearly shut out Raymond's leading scorer, sohpomore McKnzy Miller and limited second-leading scorer Tammy McGough to a single field goal in the contest. It was McGough, however, that did the majority of the damage in the fourth quarter, hitting 8 of 9 at the free throw line on the way to a game-high 13 points. The 5-9 post, one of only two seniors on the Raymond roster, hit just 1 of 5 field goal attempts but went 11 for 15 at the line in the game, as Raymond sank 15 of 17 free throws in the fourth period, outscoring Naselle 21-8 in the quarter.

"We've been doing some extra sessions in the morning," said Raymond head coach Jason Koski. "They've been coming in the last two weeks and the last two games we've been shooting them very well. I think that's attributed to their willingness to want to get better."

At one point, Naselle had accumulated nine team fouls to just one for the Seagulls, and top players Cheryl Steppe, Ashley Ahlstrom and Erin Saari all fouled out of the contest. Ahlstrom finished with a team-high 11 points for Naselle, hitting 5 of 9 from the field, while her teammates shot a combined 6-for-40 (15 percent). The Comets also did not take advantage of their free throw attempts, hitting just 8 of 18 at the line in the game.

"Ashley really did a good job," said Greg Nelson, Naselle's junior varsity coach, who was acting head coach last night. "They seemed to key on Cheryl [Steppe]. They were doubling her and Ashley did a nice job away from the ball. We got the ball to her real well and she rebounded real well. She got in some foul trouble and I thought that took her out of her rhythm in the second half.

Naselle head coach Bob Torppa was not on the sidelines, mandatorily sitting out the game after being ejected at North Beach on Saturday for arguing. A good thing, perhaps, as the foul situation last night likely would have tested Torppa's patience yet again.

"We fouled McGough a number of times," said Nelson. "We did a great job of defending her, but she ended up getting a bunch of points at the line. I wish we'd have got there a little more. We could have had the opportunity to, we just didn't. The calls didn't go our way."

Down 19-16 at halftime, Naselle had ample opportunities to make a run in the third quarter. The Comettes were able to work the ball inside and collected five offensive rebounds to none for Raymond, but struggled to make close-range shots as the Seagulls carried a 25-22 advantage into the final period.

"Raymond's a good team," said Nelson. "I thought we matched up pretty well with them and it was going to be a good game.

"We just fell short. We had plenty of opportunities. I thought we handled their posts well. We just didn't get it done when we needed to."

Naselle, now 3-3 in the Pacific B League and 6-6 overall, returns home Friday to take on Northwest Christian. The co-ed doubleheader begins with the girls' varsity game at 4:30 followed by the boys varsity contest at 6:00 p.m.

NASELLE 7 9 6 8--30
Pakenen, Keightley 4, Saari 2, Steppe 9, Ahlstrom 11, Klinger 1, Beaulaurier 2, Landis 1, Fletcher, Green.
RAYMOND 13 6 6 15--40
Kongbouakhay 10, Miller 4, Rutherford 7, Webber 4, McGough 13, Khammala 4, Stepp 2, Settlemyre, Montgomery 2, Buck, Snider.
FIELD GOALS-NAS: 11-49-22%, RAY: 13-44-30%
3-PT FG'S-NAS: 0-3-0%, RAY: 0-5-0%
FREE THROWS-NAS: 8-18-44%, RAY: 20-26-77%
REBOUNDS-NAS: 37, RAY: 37
TURNOVERS-NAS: 20, RAY: 14

YAMHILL DELIVERS FIRST BLOW

When Yamhill-Carlton entered the Cowapa League after the OSAA re-alignment, the existing teams in the league understood that the Tigers would be formidable foes. After securing a spot in the football playoffs, attention turned to basketball.

And the Tigers sent a message on Monday night that they would have to be reckoned with for a Cowapa League regular season title in roundball, swarming over Astoria, 77-68, at Linfield College in the finale of the Pre-Season Cowapa League tournament.

Led by the devastating outside play of Zach Anderson (29 points) and inside dominance of Jake Williams (17 points), the Tigers withstood a furious Fishermen rally in the 3rd quarter to run their record to 13-1 this season and solidfy their spot atop the latest AP 4A Poll in Oregon.

Both teams played evenly through one quarter, with the lead changing 5 times until Yamhill-Carlton slipped ahead, 19-17 at the end of the quarter. Anderson carried the Tigers with 11 first quarter points, as Yamhill began to establish an inside presence that would serve them well agianst the smaller and lightning-quick Fishermen.

Outscoring Astoria 23-14 in the second quarter, Yamhill kept the pressure on down low, constantly frustrating the Fishermen with a distinct advantage on the offensive and defensive glass. But Astoria had a run left in them and started bombing away in the 3rd Quarter from outside the arc, as Josimar Macareno, Brendan Landwehr, and Brian Anderson all connected from range and helped pull Astoria from a 14 point deficit to being down just 6 with 2:26 left in the 3rd, 54-48.

But a foul by Astoria's Andy Murray outside the 3-point line against Anderson set off a chain of events that dug Astoria deeper in the proverbial hole. After the foul was called, Murray set the basketball on the floor and walked away. The referee called Murray for as technical foul, causing the senior to be fouled out of the game. Anderson hit 4 of 5 free throws, the Tigers got the ball out of bounds, scored on the possession, and never really looked back as the 6-point trip down the floor took the momentum away from the Fishermen. Astoria could get no closer than 8 points the rest of the way and Yamhill-Carlton salted away the win.

"They are not just big, they're physical," commented Astoria Head Coach Chris Hunt. "The fortunate part about this whole thing is that this isn't a game that counts in league. We know what we have to do better. I'm proud of our guys. They didn't give up."

Astoria, ranked #4 in the last AP Poll, lost for the first time since December 2nd, and fell to 10-3 overall. Led by Murray with 15 and Nic Alfonse with 13, the Fishermen travel to Scappoose on Friday for their first Cowapa League game of the season. That game can be heard starting at 7:05 on 1370 AM KAST.

YAMHILL-CARLTON 19 23 23 12 - 77
Anderson 29, Williams 17, Sorenson 8, Bryant 6, White 7, Weber 6, Morgan 2, Skuzeksi 2, Garcia, Rhodes.

ASTORIA 17 14 28 9 - 68
Murray 15, Alfonse 13, Robinson 10, Macareno 9, Landwehr 8, Anderson 9, Poyer 2, Faulkner, Culver.

Boys: WARRENTON 51, PORTLAND ADVENTIST 42

Hard to say what was the more unusual occurrence last night: Warrenton defeating Portland Adventist in boys basketball or the Cougars actually going four minutes at the beginning of the game with only two shot attempts.

The fast and furious PAA attack has slowed and softened considerably in the last couple of years, but the Cougars still came into Warrenton with a winning record and a half game lead in the standings. The Warriors leapfrogged the Cougars, leading wire-to-wire in a 51-42 victory, to move into third place in the Lewis & Clark League, just a half game behind the league leaders.

Warrenton scored the first eight points of the game, holding PAA scoreless until the 3:37 mark of the first period. The Warriors built a double-digit lead in the second half and held off a couple of Cougar runs to notch their ninth victory of the season, improving to 5-2 in Lewis & Clark League play, behind only Clatskane and O.E.S., whose only league loss came to the Warriors.

Michael O'Casey keyed Warrenton's hot start, scoring on back-to-back possessions after securing defensive rebounds, setting up Warrenton's third basket with a steal and following an Eric Gantenbein miss with an offensive rebound putback to give Warrenton the early 8-0 advantage. O'Casey finished with 13 points and 13 rebounds and did a good defensive job on PAA's 6-4 center Andrew Bailey, holding the 14-point-per-game scorer to just two first half points.

"Michael started off both games this week very, very well," said Warrenton head coach Josh Jannusch. "He started off with eight quick points at Rainier as well. Tonight he did a nice job. He actually got their big kid Bailey into foul trouble. He did a nice job of containing him."

Bailey got loose in the third quarter, scoring PAA's first nine points of the half as the Cougars closed within 27-22, but three Eric Gantenbein 3-pointers in the final 2:05 of the period changed momentum heading in the the final period. Gantenbein hit 4-of-6 from long range in the game, finishing with 16 points.

"I thought that was a huge turning point for us, going into the fourth quarter with a lot of momentum," said Jannusch. "We were able to hold on in the fourth quarter with a lot of free throws."

The Warriors went 9-for-10 at the line in the final period, with Buddy Davis converting all four of his free throws to close the night with eight points.

Bailey finished with 13 points on 6-of-7 from the field for Adventist. The junior center added team-highs of seven rebounds and three blocked shots.

The Warriors host Catlin Gabel Friday, then open the second half of league play at Clatskanie on Tuesday night. The Tigers, who lost to Portland Adventist on a night when two starting guards were injured, are expected to be at full strength by Friday when they take on O.E.S. in a battle of 5-1 league leaders. Tuesday's Warrenton doubleheader at Clatskanie will be broadcast live on SportsRadio 1230 ESPN, beginning at 6:00 p.m.

PORTLAND ADVENTIST 5 8 14 15--42
Lewis 5, Damazo, Pholsena 11, Stapf 4, Bailey 13, Kim, Linfoot 7, Lincoln 2, Smith.
WARRENTON 12 9 17 13--51
Davis 8, Gantenbein 16, Little 5, O'Casey 13, Lampi 7, Garcia, Moore 2, Burkhart.
FIELD GOALS-PAA: 19-50-38%, WAR: 18-45-40%
3-PT FG'S-PAA: 2-11-18%, WAR: 5-11-45%
FREE THROWS-PAA: 2-4-50%, WAR: 10-14-71%
REBOUNDS-PAA: 26, WAR: 32
TURNOVERS-PAA: 10, WAR: 12

Girls: WARRENTON 60, PORTLAND ADVENIST 44

Jordyn Holt is following in the footsteps of a couple of high profile freshmen. Unfortunately, her feet will probably touch down on a different gym floor by this time next season.

Warrenton's speedy rookie point guard scored 25 points last night, a season and career-high point total which gave her the all-time freshman scoring record at the school, as the Warriors knocked off Portland Adventist to climb within a half game of Lewis & Clark League-leading Rainier.

Warrenton outmuscled the visitors throughout the match, outrebounding the Cougars 53-27 in the contest. Holt had six rebounds and six steals in the game and usually started and finished her own fast breaks.

"Holt is so quick on those steals and so athletic when she goes to the basket," said Warrenton head coach John Mattila.

"The rest of the scoring was spread around pretty good. But really, the key was rebounding."

The Warriors had a huge edge on the offensive glass, outrebounding the Cougars 29-6, which led to a 12-3 edge in second chance points.

Audrey Dove led the glass attack with 13 boards to go with eight points. Five Warriors had at least five rebounds in the contest as Warrenton bounced back from its first league loss to improve to 6-1 in league and 13-3 overall.

The turning point in the game came in the second quarter after PAA sophomore Sierra King gave her team a 14-9 lead on a 3-point play when she was fouled on a rebound putback. The Warriors responded with six straight points, capped by Holt's steal and layup. She was fouled, but missed the free throw, as Warrenton regained a 15-14 lead.

After the lead changed hands on three straight posessions, Pam Wilkins came off the bench to drain back-to-back three pointers to give the Warriors the lead for good. Warrenton led 27-20 at the half, scoring on another Holt fastbreak layup with one second left. The Warriors tore off the first 14 points of the second half, completing a 16-0 run with an Audrey Dove free throw to take a 41-20 lead with 3:26 left in the third period.

Portland Adventist went on an 11-0 run at the end of the third period in the fourth quarter to cut the Warrior lead to 41-31, but Holt ended with a steal and sprint that ended in a 3-point play. After a Dove free throw, Holt again led the break off an Emily Ogren steal, finishing another 3-point play, before getting on the receiving end of a Jordane Marxer steal and pass for another fast break layup. Holt scored again with 5:23 left in the quarter, notching 10 points on an 11-0 Warrior run to seal the game as Warrenton regained a 52-31 lead. That final field goal was the only one of 11 made baskets by the 5-4 guard that did not come on a fast break. Holt finished the game 11-for-19 from the field and had six steals in the game. The Warriors scored 28 fast break points to just six for PAA.

King, a sophomore transfer from Tualatin Valley Christian, led Portland Adventist with 17 points on 8-for-11 shooting and had a team-high eight rebounds. Junior guard Kristin Johnson, who scored 22 points against Warrenton last year, was held to just two points. Jenae Nelson went 4-for-9 from 3-point range and finished with 14 points for the Cougars, who dropped to 4-2 in league and 10-3 overall.

Warrenton finishes its first tour through the Lewis & Clark League at home Friday night against the Catlin Gabel Eagles.

PORTLAND ADVENTIST 6 14 5 19--44
Grise 2, Sprague 1, King 17, Johnson 2, V. Paea 2, White, Nelson 14, Butler 2, Messinger 2, S. Paea 2, Rosario.
WARRENTON 9 18 14 19--60
Ogren 2, Jo. Marxer 6, Holt 25, Hayward 4, Dove 8, Ju. Marxer 2, Wilkins 6, Neahring 4, Campbell, Hackwith 3, McBride.
FIELD GOALS-PAA: 16-41-39%, WAR: 24-67-36%
3-PT FG'S-PAA: 4-15-27%, WAR: 4-15-27%
FREE THROWS-PAA: 8-15-53%, WAR: 8-17-47%
REBOUNDS-PAA: 27, WAR: 53
TURNOVERS-PAA: 25, WAR: 20

COWAPA LEAGUE TOURNAMENT UPDATE

GIRLS
Seaside 51, Yamhill-Carlton 28...Marla Olstedt scored 23 points and the Gulls outscored the Tigers 32-8 in the second half to snap out of a recent funk. Seaside opens Cowapa League play at Tillamook on Thursday, hoping to rebound from an 80-36 loss to the Cheesemakers during the tournament.
Astoria 53, Banks 34...Astoria outscored Banks 23-6 in the first half on the way to an easy victory over the Braves, who did not score until less than three minutes remained in the first half. Jennifer Stephens and Jamie Coggins scored 10 points apiece and Sara Cullen played another strong game with eight points. Astoria hosts Scappoose on Thursday in the league opener for both teams, which will be broadcast live on SportsRadio 1230 ESPN beginning at 7:05 p.m.

BOYS
Banks 65, Seaside 52...After quality losses to Scappoose and Y-C, the Braves ran away from Seaside in in a wire-to-wire victory to defeat the Gulls. The Braves led 35-21 at halftime. Seaside travels to Tillamook to open league play on Friday.
Scappoose 54, Tillamook 51 (OT)...Fouled on a 3-pointer with four seconds left, Tillamook point guard Cody Churchill hit three clutch free throws to send the game to overtime, where Scappoose's Marcus Kienlen took over. The junior wing hit three consecutive 3-pointers in the final five minutes, leading the Indians to a thrilling victory over the Cheesemakers. Buster Hartford paced the Mooks with 21. Scappoose hosts Astoria to open Cowapa League play Friday night.

WARRIORS BOUNCE BACK WITH PAA SWEEP!

After getting swept at Rainier on Saturday, the Warrenton Warriors basketball teams swept a key pair of home games over Portland Adventist Monday afternoon and night to reestablish their upper division status in the Lewis & Clark League.

Jordyn Holt became the all-time leading freshman scorer in Warrenton girls basketball history--with half of the league schedule and playoffs still remaining!--with 25 points as the Lady Warriors sprinted past the Cougars 60-44. The Warriors were dominating on the glass, outrebounding PAA 53-27 in the game, including a 29-6 edge on the offensive glass. Senior Audrey Dove led the rebounding effort with 13 boards to go with her eight points.

The Warriors boys scored the first eight points of the game and never trailed on the way to a 51-42 victory over the Cougars. Michael O'Casey scored six of Warrenton's first eight points, finishing with 13 points and 13 rebounds. Eric Gantenbein was 4-for-6 beyond the arc in a 16-point effort to lead all scorers.

The Warrior teams take on Catlin Gabel at home Friday to complete the first round of L&C League play, then travels to Clatskanie on Tuesday, Jan. 23 for a pair of games that will be broadcast live on SportsRadio 1230 ESPN.

Check the Last Dam Blog tomorrow morning for a complete recap with box scores of last nights games.

COWAPA TOURNAMENT FINALS TODAY

The Astoria Fishermen boys, riding a 10-game winning streak, take on 11-1 Yamhill-Carlton tonight at Linfield University in the championship game of the first annual Cowapa League "Valley-Coast" Preseason Tournament.

Split into divisions separated by the Coast Range, Yamhill-Carlton earned the top seed in the "Valley" by defeating Banks 67-60 last Tuesday, followed by a 65-48 victory over Scappoose on Saturday. The Tigers only loss came to Philomath just prior to the tournament.

Astoria hammered Seaside 70-43 on Tuesday, but did not play a scheduled game at Tillamook Friday night. The Fishermen earned the "Coast" top seed by virtue of a more definitive win over the Gulls as Tillamook defeated Seaside 60-48 on Jan. 5.

Tillamook and Scappoose will play at 4:00 p.m. and Seaside and Banks square off at noon in the other boys games today at Linfield.

The Tillamook girls dominated the Coast side, defeating Seaside 80-36 on Jan. 4, followed by a 52-18 victory over Astoria on Wednesday. The Cheesemakers will meet Scappoose in the girls championship game at 6:00 p.m. Astoria, a 39-36 winner over Seaside last Monday, will play Banks at 2:00 p.m. today, while Seaside opens the final day of the tournament against Yamhill-Carlton at 10:00 a.m.

None of the tournament games count in the league standings. Cowapa League play begins this week with girls games on Thursday and boys games on Friday.

Both Fishermen games will be broadcast today, with the girls game aired on tape delay at 6:00 p.m. tonight and the boys game following live on KAST-AM 1370.

COLUMBIANS SWEEP WARRIORS

Cole Jackson slicked the strings for 31 points as Rainier defeated Warrenton 60-45 in a Lewis & Clark League boys basketball game at Rainier Saturday.

"They shot the ball extremely well," said Warrenton head coach Josh Jannush. "We didn't do a real good job tonight of defending their guards."

Bobby Harding added 14 points for the Columbians, who improved to 4-2 in league play and 6-7 overall.

Eric Gantenbein paced the Warriors with 13 points and Jordan Little and Michael O'Casey added 10 points each. Warrenton dropped into a fourth place tie with Rainier at 4-2, a half game behind third place Portland Adventist (4-1, 8-5) which defeated Riverdale 70-56 Saturday.

The Warriors and Cougars play today at Warrenton, a doubleheader rescheduled from last Thursday.

The Lady Warriors had a tough time as well at Rainier, falling 49-30 to the league-leading Columbians (6-0, 8-5).

"We got outrebounded pretty badly early in the game," said girls head coach John Mattila. "We also had some pretty good opportunities to score but the ball wouldn't go in. We didn't play on the defensive end with a lot of passion. We just didn't move very well. They got a lot of second shots and beat us badly on inbounds plays to score."

Heidi Jackson paced the Columbians attack with 13 points, with Kayla Nagunst chipping in with 11. Freshman guard Jordyn Holt was Warrenton's leading scorer with 10 points.

The loss ended a 9-game winning streak for the Lady Warriors (5-1, 12-3), who face Portland Adventist (4-1, 10-2) at 3:00 p.m. today, with the boys varsity game following at approximately 4:30 p.m. Today's games will not be broadcast, however, the Warriors rematch with Clatskanie has been added to the broadcast schedule on Jan. 23 and will be aired live on SportsRadio 1230 ESPN with pregame coverage beginning at 6:05 p.m.

GIRLS
WARRENTON 2 7 8 13--30
Ju. Marxer, Ogren, McBride 2, Jo. Marxer 5, Wilkins, Hackwith, Holt 10, Hayward 2, Campbell 5, Dove 5, Neahring 1.
RAINIER 10 16 6 16--49
Jackson 14, Wright, Nagunst 11, Getzlaff 4, Hanks 7, Benson 7, Schwegler 5.

BOYS
WARRENTON 15 7 13 10--45
Davis 6, Gantenbein 13, Little 10, O'Casey 10, Lampi 6.
RAINIER 13 12 17 18--60
Walker 9, Jackson 31, Schuff 2, Carley 2, Harding 14, Paddock 2.

LOCAL EVENTS POSTPONED

Warrenton vs. Portland Adventist doubleheader postponed to Monday, January 15. The girls varsity game will tip off at 3:00 p.m. with the boys to follow.

Naselle vs. Ocosta girls basketball postponed to January 22, will be played at 6:00 p.m. with boys varsity game originally scheduled for 1/23 to follow at 7:30 p.m.

Ilwaco vs. Kalama boys basketball game postponed, no reschedule date announced.

TILLAMOOK ICES ASTORIA IN WRESTLING DUAL

It was the Barricho family 2, the Banta family 0 as the Tillamook wrestling team defeated Astoria 58-15 in Wednesday night's Cowapa League dual.

With two other league duals cancelled due to snowy weather, yesterday's meet was moved up in the day and completed, leaving the Fishermen 0-2 in league after taking on the two Cowapa favorites.

Although the Cheesemakers were a considerable favorite, Adam Barricho's 9-6 win over Jake Banta was not necessarily part of the plans. Not that Barricho has never beaten Banta, he has, but Astoria's 215-pounder came in as the top-ranked 4A wrestler in his class and scored a win against 6A's best at the Northwest Duals. Banta appeared a bit sluggish after wrestling a Japanese national champion the night before in a cultural exchange event in Portland featuring elite wrestlers from all classes from throughout Northwest Oregon.

"It's just a neat experience for those kids," said Astoria head coach Cam McFarland. "Josh [Banta, Jake's brother] and Jake didn't win their matches. Josh scored a few points and didn't do too bad. But they don't wrestle freestyle.

"It's a faster-paced style of wrestling. You get more points if you throw guys and you get points if their back just shows to the mat. There's a lot of starting and stopping after moves based on what happens with the moves."

Dustin Morrison, a 103-pound freshman, scored Astoria's only pin, taking down Tillamook's Jimmy Sprat in 1:13.

"Dustin has really come on," said McFarland. "He had a really big ego-booster at the Junction City Tournament because he wrestled hard and came out as champion. He came out and I think he got better from that weekend to today. That kid [Sprat] wasn't bad."

The closest match came at 152-pounds, where fellow frosh Tim Clark went to a third overtime before defeating Martin Zepada 4-3. Clark has won both of his Cowapa duals in dramatic fashion, after coming from behind with a reversal and near fall with 10 seconds left to defeat his opponent from Scappoose last week.

"He just has a couple little technical things we have to work on," said McFarland.

"If he wins two more, which is entirely possible for him, he's going to get a nice seed and a nice spot in the [district] bracket and will have a good chance to go to state."

The dual was not without controversy. Astoria senior heavyweight Ben Mattingly recovered from a second period injury to take highly-ranked Jarrett "Bubba" Owens right to the wire. But with 30 seconds remaining in a match tied at 2-all, Mattingly was called for stalling, giving the go-ahead point to Owens. Forced to aggressively go for points in the waning seconds, Mattingly was taken down by Owens, who came away with a 5-2 win, but not before McFarland spent a time out to furiously vent his disagreement to the referee.

"All Owens was doing was pushing Ben around the mat," said Mattingly. "Well, he's bigger and stronger and he's going to be able to push Ben around. Ben was working for an offensive move and he'd gotten to the leg three times, actually got the whole leg and was working on an offensive move and we got dinged for stalling. I really disagreed with that.

"I think if that doensn't happen, then that match goes to overtime and who knows what happens. I think Ben is in better shape. Ben is in great shape and he works as hard as anybody out there."

Owens, a junior, finished third at state last year and is currently ranked number one in the popular poll produced by Bill Bettis. Mattingly is unranked.

While Adam Barichio got the best of Jake Banta, Aaron Barichio pinned Cole Banta in 1:07. Astoria's only other points were scored when Josh Banta earned a forfeit at 160 when a Tillamook wrestler was unprepared to take the mat at the scheduled time.

The Fishermen will participate in Friday's Clatsop County Championships at Warrenton, that will pit the best of the four county schools against each other in a bracketed meet that begins at 4:00 p.m. tomorrow.
"

'MOOKS SHUT DOWN LADY FISHERMEN

This was not one to write home about if you're an Astoria Lady Fishermen fan, player, or coach.

Four-game winning streak. Over. And just about anything that could have gone wrong for Astoria, did.

Shooting 1-11 to start the game, Astoria could not keep up with the 2nd ranked Tillamook Lady Cheesemakers, dropping their Preseason Cowapa League Tournament matchup on the road, 52-18.

"We tried a little bit of everything, but we couldn't buy a basket early," stated Head Coach Gordon Thompson. "A bucket here or there, we get the first quarter score to 18-10, it's a different game."

But what happened is that Tillamook raced out to an 8-2 lead, then scored the next 10 to close out the quarter to lead 18-2. Astoria could not have foreseen that they were in the middle of a 15:53 scoring drought that saw the homestanding 'Mooks lead 27-2 at the half, then 33-2, before a Sara Cullen jumper broke the Lady Fishermen's scoreless string with 6:02 left in the third quarter.

"The thing I'm most proud of with this group is that they didn't give up." said Thompson. "There were plenty of opportunities to quit, and we could have lost this game by 50, 60, 70 points. But our girls kept battling and played better in the second half."

Tillamook ran their record to 9-0 on the season and was led in scoring by standout Stephanie Beeler, who poured in 14 points. Astoria was paced by Cullen's 8 points.

Next up for both teams is a trip on Monday to Linfield College, where Astoria will face Banks at 2 p.m. Tillamook will likely play Scappoose in the top-seed contest at 6 p.m. The Lady Fishermen dropped to 8-6 on the year.

ASTORIA - 2 0 8 10 - 18
Cullen 8, Wilson 4, Coggins, J. 1, Saulsbury 1, Roman 2, Hillard 3, O'Bryan, Carr, Pope, Coggins, E., Schauermann

TILLAMOOK - 18 9 15 10 - 52
Beeler 14, Valencia 2, Jacob 2, Waud 7, Bellan 4, Boge 6, Collett 4, Bake, N. 9, Linehan 2, Bake, R. 2, Mello

WEATHER AFFECTS LOCAL GAME

Tonight's girls basketball game between Astoria and Tillamook has been moved up to 5:45 p.m. to try and beat a blast of winter weather expected to descend upon the Northwest tonight.

Both teams won their Cowapa Tournament opening games over Seaside. The winner of tonight's contest will play at 6:00 p.m. Monday at Linfield University, likely against Scappoose, for the tournament championship. The loser will play Banks at 2:00 p.m. Monday.

Astoria's boys will travel to Tillamook Friday night with an opportunity to reach the championship game, which will conclude of full day of basketball Monday at McMinnville sometime around 8:00 p.m. A loss to the Cheesemakers would place Astoria in a 4:00 p.m. consolation game Monday against an opponent to be determined.

Tonight's scheduled matchup between Scappoose and Yamhill-Carlton has been postponed until Saturday, so the Fishermen will not know their Monday opponent until then. Yamhill-Carlton defeated Banks 67-60 last night. Scappoose plays its first game of the tournament Friday night at Banks.

Tonight's Astoria-Tillamook game will be broadcast live on KAST-AM, 1370, beginning at 5:30 p.m. These games do not count in the Cowapa League standings.

ROYALS OWN THE COURT AT KNAPPA

The showdown of two of the state's top long-range shooters never materialized Tuesday night.

Both Knappa and Portland Christian game-planned to make sure the other team's sharpshooter would not get off any unmolested sniping. Unfortunately for Warrenton, the game plan could not account for the other 11 healthy bodies that the Royals put on the floor.

Showcasing the remarkable depth they hope to ride to a championship, the top-ranked Royals rolled to a 74-45 victory over the Loggers at Knappa.

While Portland Christian's senior bomber Jesse Severson was a virtual non-factor, very few teams have effectively slowed down future Warner Pacific point guard Elijah Monnes. The 5-8, 4-year starter, who switched to off-guard occasionally to allow a freshman to get his feet wet at the point, led all scorers with 15 points. Monnes accounted for many more points than that, with his slicing drives drawing defenders away from teammates and six steals keying Portland Christian's transition game.

"There's a reason they are number one," said Knappa head coach Craig Cokley. "They are deep with a lot of nice size and everybody is a great shooter."

Although Severson was limited to two points at the free throw line, others picked up the slack, knocking down open three pointers set up by Monnes' penetration. The Royals connected on seven three pointers from four different players, while Jon Nuttleman worked the glass for six rebounds and 12 points.

Knappa's top two scorers on the season, Isom and fellow senior guard Brian Riffe, were held to a combined 11 points, with Isom connecting on two 3-pointers as Riffe was 0-for-7 from the field. Paul Isom led the Loggers with 10 points, before fouling out in the fourth quarter. Steven Bokor got a rare start and produced nine points and 12 rebounds for Knappa, while drawing primary defensive duties on the speedy Monnes.

"Monnes is just so dynamic," said Cokley. "He puts a lot of pressure on defenses because he reads situations so quickly and makes the correct decision. then he has a nice cast around him that once that decision is made, they know how to take advantage of it."

The Loggers dropped their first Northwest League game, falling to 4-1, 8-7 overall. The Royals improved their league record to a perfect 4-0, 11-2 overall, remaining a half game behind first place De La Salle, which defeated Nestucca 61-38. Nestucca is Knappa's next opponent, visiting the Loggers Friday night. Knappa then travels to north Portland to take on De La Salle next Tuesday.

"We're in pretty good shape," said Cokley. "If we can get that number two spot out of our league, that will ensure us a home game in the district playoffs and give us a legitimate shot to get to state. I think our guys are capable of that."