AMANDA PARK – The Naselle Comets boys won their first basketball game of the season, Thursday, Dec. 9, with a 58-47 Pacific League win over the Lake Quinault Elk on the Elk’s home court.

The Comets survived an electric power outage, which stopped the game for awhile until power was restored. NHS had trouble getting going after the stoppage, but they did build their lead to the final 11 point margin. The Comets’ season record improved to 1-2, their league record to 1-0 with the win.

Coach Brian Macy said, “We started strong, but let them back in the game. We came here ready to play, but we need to learn how to finish off teams. We still had way too many turnovers at 18.”

The Comets were led by three players in double figures. Evan Hendrickson had 15 points, and Eli Williams and Kyle Burkhalter each added 10 points. The Naselle rebounders were led by Hendrickson with seven and Burkhalter with six.

NHS started out strong, with a 20-7 first period that was interrupted when the lights went out with about three minutes left in the first quarter. “We were leading at the time 10-2 and playing well,” said Macy.

The unexpected stoppage of the game then saw the Elk come back with a big second quarter as they out scored the Comets 18-11 and only trailed by six points at the intermission.

“We played really well in spots throughout the game, but also got a little sloppy trying to make things happen quickly on offense and defense. Offensively this led to turnovers and defensively led to fouls,” Macy explained.

“After jumping out to a 14-2 lead, we started reaching on defense and trying to force things on offense. Quinault closed the gap to three points near the end of the third quarter, and then we made a little run at the opening of the fourth but we held on down the stretch.

“We seem to be improving a little each game, despite playing every other night and not being able to focus on areas where improvement is needed. This is a tribute to the boys’ ability to listen and work hard,” Macy concluded.

The Comets earned a 27-22 second half advantage for their first win of the season, a win that came in their first league game.

Scoring

Naselle – Evan Hendrickson 15, Kyle Burkhalter 10, Eli Williams 10, Marion 7 Torppa 6, Gradt 5, Queener 3, Johnson 2, Mendoza, Griss; Rebounds: Hendrickson 7, Burkhalter 6; Shooting: 21 of 49 for 42.8% on FG, 3 for 10 on 3-point tries, 15 for 30 on FT.

Quinault – Chet Tweed 18, Jared Stankwitz 16, Mayton 6, Samson 3, A. Broome 3, Wells 1, T. Broome, West