Ilwaco sophomore guard Ethan Hopkins (5) is congratulated by a teammate after scoring against NW Christian.

ILWACO — The Ilwaco boys basketball team boosted their unbeaten streak by clobbering Northwest Christian 69-36 last week.

The Fishermen (6-0) jumped all over the Wolverines (2-6) early, building a 25-8 lead after the first quarter before stretching to a comfortable 40-18 halftime advantage.

Ilwaco, playing without sophomore standout Beckett Turner, were led by senior Jaden Turner, who scored a team-high 14 points, followed by Kyle Morris with 13 points.

Junior Babbar scored a game-high 24 points for NW Christian.

With Beckett Turner out, Ilwaco experimented with different combinations in the lineup. Sam Needham and Joey Fitzgerald each provided quality minutes while seeing more court time.

“We were able to go with a smaller lineup for long stretches,” Ilwaco head coach Bob Enos said.

The Fishermen are hopeful to have Beckett Turner ‘return to full speed’ before league play begins in January, Enos said.

The Fishermen are currently second place in the 2B Pacific League, and ranked No. 4 in the WIAA’s RPI rankings for 2B.

Ilwaco will face their toughest test of the season Wednesday when they tipoff against a 5-2 Comet team in Naselle.

“Playing Naselle is always a tough matchup,” Enos said.

“You have to respect everything about their program, coaches, players, tradition. They had a tremendous run during the state football season, with the same athletes. I would say their athleticism and backcourt quickness worries me the most. Playing Naselle helps us prepare for Chief Leschi, in the Pacific League, who is very similar in a lot of aspects.”