NASELLE – Their 13th league win on Friday, Jan. 31, wasn’t much different from their first 12 league games as the Naselle Comettes ran their Pacific League record to 13-0 with a 61-34 win over the Mary M. Knight Owls. NHS’s season record climbed to 17-0 with the win.

The win kept the Comettes’ hold on first place in the Pacific League and served as a tune-up for their (last) Monday evening encounter with the Willapa Valley Vikings. (That game was completed too late to be included in this week’s paper.) The Vikings bring a 12-1 league mark, only one-half game behind NHS. The Vikings warmed up for their big Naselle game with a huge 76-43 win over Wishkah Valley on the same night as the Comettes’ win over MMK.

A Naselle win in the Valley game will give NHS the first place league seed in the district tournament. A loss will throw the two teams into a tie, depending upon each team’s remaining two games. If a tie for first place should occur, it will be resolved with a coin toss. The loser of the coin toss will then get the league’s second place seed to the district tournament.

The Comettes, as is usual for them, got a balanced team game with several players scoring, defending, play making, and rebounding. Nora Darcher led all scorers with 19 points. She was joined in double figures by Fritha Davern with 14 points, as well as nine rebounds. Tiffany Pauly was only one point out of double digit scoring with nine points and she pulled down eight boards. Lucy Rubio and Dawn Herman each added seven points.

The Comettes usual harassing defense kept the Owls in single figure scoring in three of the four quarters. Darcher’s defense was especially crisp as she was credited with holding high scoring Cassie Brehmeyer to nine points, half of her team leading scoring average, for the game.

Abbie Smith had her usual potent defensive and floor game as NHS forced the Owls into 30 turnovers. Smith made six steals, and had four assists, while pulling down seven rebounds.

NHS jumped out in front with a 23-7 lead and they added a 12-8 second quarter to lead 33-15 at the half. A 13-11 slower third period found NHS leading 48-26 after three. They then rolled in with a 13-8 fourth period for their 61-34 win.

Assistant coach Tim Wirkkala said, “We jumped out to a big lead, but then we kind of scored in runs. With our big girls both in foul trouble early, we went for the first three minutes of the second quarter without a basket and then we went on an 11-0 run.”

The Comettes JVs completed two games during the week. They beat the Ocosta JVs 54-13 Thursday afternoon, before the boys’ game. Katy Klinger with 10 points and Kelli Revis with eight points led the Naselle attack.

The Naselle JVs lost to the Warrenton JVs 38-24 before the varsity MMK game. Revis led NHS scorers with 10 points. The Comettes JVs are now 6-10 for the season.

After playing Willapa Valley in their final home game of the year, a game designated as Senior’s Night, the Comettes close their regular season at South Bend on Wednesday, Feb. 5, and at Lake Quinault in Amanda Park on Friday, Feb. 7.

Knigh 7 8 11 8 – 34

Naselle 23 12 13 13 – 61

Mary M. Knight (34) – Cassie Brehmeyer 9, Goldy 9, Paulson 6, Brown 5, Kingman 3, Tracy 2; FG – 14/43 = 33 percent, 3s – 1/4, FT – 3/14; Turnovers (30)

Naselle (61) – Nora Darcher 19, Fritha Davern 14, Pauly 9, Rubio 7, Herman 7, Smith 4, Revis 1, Klinger; FG – 25/64 = 39 percent, 3s – 1/5, FT – 7/14; Rebounds (42): Davern 9, Pauly 8, Smith 7; Assists: Smith 4; Steals: Smith 6