ILWACO – Ilwaco broke a 41-41 third-quarter tie and defused Castle Rock the final eight minutes to win a 54-47 Trico-League victory at home Friday. Two Andy Hudkins field goals and nine made free throws the final period were enough to earn the Fishermen their sixth Trico-League win against three defeats and keep them afloat in third place.

Scintillating man-to-man team defense was the key to holding the Rockets to three baskets, each from post player Scott Selby in the last quarter. Ryan Cadwell was 1-2, Dustin Starr 4-4, and Kyle Kaino 4-5 from the line the final six minutes to nail down the victory and give Ilwaco an overall record of 12-6. The Fishermen foul line success came at the right time, as they had hit on only nine of their first 19 attempts earlier in the contest.

Coach Matt Blair said, “We took care of the ball better down the stretch and played solid defense against a team who’s three front line players averaged 6-feet 5-inches. This win pretty well assures us of at least third place going into district.”

Castle Rock came out in a passive zone defense and Ilwaco took full advantage in the early going, scoring on five “threes,” with Kaino bombing away for three and Starr hitting two, as they opened up a 19-12 advantage. The Rockets went to a “man” defense and took a 23-24 lead with 2:51 remaining in the half. Hudkins hit a turnaround jumper with nine ticks of the clock before intermission to knot the score at 26-26.

Kaino hit his fourth three-pointer to start the third period and Ilwaco led the entire quarter, but by no more than four points, until Corey Londo swished a “trey” to tie with 10 seconds left. The final quarter mimicked the third, as again the Fishermen led all the way, but by no more than four points until the waning seconds when they increased the margin to seven.

The home-standing Fishermen hit 18 or 30 free throws (60 percent) compared to Castle Rock’s 0-3 from the line. The Rockets were whistled for 21 fouls to eight for Ilwaco. The visitors out-shot Ilwaco from the field 22-50 (44 percent) to 15-40 (38 percent), but lost the war of the boards 34-29 and turned the ball over 17 times while Ilwaco lost it on 14 occasions.

Kaino topped all scorers with 19 points and Hudkins added 15 on a compendium of spin moves, cross-over drives, and fall-away jumpers. Kaino also pulled down 10 rebounds and point guard David Thorne added five boards. Cadwell, Starr, and Hudkins each had two steals and Kaino, Cadwell, and Hudkins passed for four assists apiece.

The junior varsity defeated the Rockets 54-45 with Tommy Inserra pouring in 22 points and Randy Wiegardt dropping in 12. Chris Hill’s JVs are now even with a 6-6 record on the season.

C. Rock 12 14 15 6 -47

Ilwaco 19 7 15 13 -54

Ilwaco – Kaino 19, Hudkins 15, Starr 10, Cadwell 6, Thorne 4, Williams, Mirelez, Inserra

Castle Rock – Selby 16, Londo 10, Wheeler 6, Foster 5, Roubicek 5, Gehring 5