NASELLE – The Naselle Comets boys basketball team won their fourth league game in a row with a 59-37 win over the Wishkah Valley Loggers Thursday, Jan. 30. The Pacific B League win saw NHS’s league record improve to 7-5 and they hit the .500 mark with a season record of 8-8, with four regular season games left this season.

The Comets, with Sean Houghton (21 game points) and Jordan Petrovich (11) leading the way, pulled away from the Loggers after a close first quarter. Naselle only led 11-9 after one period.

NHS then added consistent quarters of 13-6, 14-8, and 21-14 to increase their lead over Wishkah by six or seven more points at each of the quarter stops. Naselle led 24-15 at the half, 36-23 after three periods, before their final 59-37 win.

The Comets’ offense suffered a poor shooting night, making only 32 percent of their shots. They also shot 32 percent from beyond the three-point line and were nine for 14 from the foul line.

However, the other parts of the NHS game came through. The Naselle defense, led by Zach Badger, forced the Loggers into 22 turnovers. That “D” played a big part in the win as the Comets held the Loggers to single digits in all but one of the quarters. They also drew four charging fouls with Badger and Petrovich each earning one charging call and Houghton two.

They also took care of the ball as they had a season low of only seven turnovers. The Comets’ rebounding, led by Robin Andrea’s five boards, was also a major factor in the “W.”

Naselle coach Ryan Bjornsgard said, “We were slow in getting started but we played better in the second half. We weren’t shooting well so our defense was very important. Our guys also responded well to the gimmick defenses that the Loggers used to try to shut down Houghton and Petrovich.”

The Naselle JVs, coached by Paul Jarrett, beat the Logger JVs 75-29. The young Comets are now 10-2 in the Pacific league, 10-4 overall. The team got balanced scoring n the win with Ricky Johnson and Preston Torppa each scoring 18. Dan White had 16 and Aoy Marion 14 points.

Wishkah 9 6 8 14 – 37

Naselle 11 13 14 21 – 59

Wishkah Valley (37) – White-Luce 10, Carlisle 8, Mayr 8, Ayres 5, Stutseman 2, Street 2, Clevenger 2; FG – 16/40 = 40 percent, 3s – 2/12, FT – 1/3; Team Turnovers (22)

Naselle (59) – Sean Houghton 21, Jordan Petrovich 11, Gradt 8, Andrea 7, Hendrickson 6, White 4, Queral 2, Badger, Marion, Queener; FG – 21/66 = 32 percent, 3s – 8/25, FT – 9/14; Rebounds: Andrea 5, Petrovich 4; Assists: Houghton 4, Petrovich 3; Steals: Badger 3; Team Turnovers (7)