Ilwaco and La Conner huddle before tipping off in a district crossover game with the winner securing the final spot in the regional tournament.

ILWACO — The Ilwaco boys basketball team capped a rollercoaster district tournament run by clinching the final seed for regionals with a 76-48 rout of La Conner in a district crossover game on Sunday in Ilwaco.

The Fishermen, seeded No. 15, will next face No. 10 seed Columbia Burbank at 2 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 26 at Richland High School in the first round of the state tournament.

Fishermen punch ticket in final gameAfter beginning the District 4 2B tournament with a 60-56 victory over Toledo, Ilwaco lost to Adna 71-63 before rebounding with a 74-49 victory over Rainier in the consolation bracket. Ilwaco then thumped Wahkiakum 71-47 before falling to Napavine 61-48 on Friday and Toutle Lake 50-39 on Saturday morning, forcing a final district crossover game for the final regional spot against La Conner on Sunday.

The Fishermen dominated the Braves from the opening tip, building a 16-10 first-period lead that swelled to 38-19 at the half. Ilwaco senior guard Jaden Turner and sophomore Kyle Morris finished burying the Braves in the third quarter behind a barrage of three-pointers, giving Ilwaco a insurmountable 55-30 lead heading into the fourth, where the Fishermen cruised to a 76-48 finish. In his final game on his home court, senior guard Jaden Turner finished with a game-high 19 points.

Up next: The Fishermen (20-4) will next face a young and fast team in Columbia Burbank (21-1) on Saturday in Richland.

“Columbia Burbank likes to full-court press and drop back into 2-3 zone,” said Ilwaco head coach Bob Enos. “They like to play physical and they rebound hard, hoping to get their fast break going. So we will need to break the press, and then run a good offense and look for good shots. We don’t want to get caught up in a track meet.”