Expect anything at an Ilwaco High School basketball game! During a break in the action during the Ilwaco-Naselle boys’ game Saturday, three rather impressive Tyrannosaurus rex dinosaurs waddled into the gym, made their presence known in a nonthreatening manner, then departed without further incident, presumably back to the late Cretaceous era.

The sharp end of the basketball season is on the horizon for Ilwaco and Naselle teams.

Lauren Katyryniuk was back to “normal service” for Naselle girls in the Comets’ 70-29 cruise over Three Rivers Christian.

The senior scored 31 points and had eight steals, delighting coach Marie Green. “Lauren had an amazing game,” the coach enthused. “She really needed this game to help find her shooting groove again.”

Others stepped up, too, with seniors Bella Colombo dishing out seven assists and recording five steals and Kaylin Shrives racking up seven steals. Mylee Dunagan scored eight points and Brooke Davis had five rebounds.

“There were a few miscues on our defense a little, but you know tonight’s game wasn’t about just trying to stick it to a team. It was about working through our plays and refining our game and working on the little things,” Green said.

The one bright note for the Eagles was the performance of Elizabeth Romanillos, who scored 19 of her team’s 29 points.

Last week’s NHS game against Washington School for the Deaf was cancelled because the Terriers had too few players.

Next for Naselle is the return match-up with rivals Mossyrock in the Lyle Patterson Gym Jan. 20. After the Dec. 12 road loss (62-25), Green noted some bad luck with shooting and some officiating decisions going against them, but added, “we already have a game plan in place for when we see them in January.”

Next will be a home contest Jan. 24 against Columbia Adventist Academy, a team the Comets trampled 64-19 in mid-December immediately after the Mossyrock loss. It proved a breakout game for some of the younger Comet squad members.

‘Impact’

With the Naselle visit looming, the Ilwaco boys inflicted a 76-30 defeat on North Beach then won 69-30 against South Bend.

Head coach Eric McMillan said after a lukewarm start against South Bend, where the Fishermen led 28-14 at halftime, the team “really stepped on the throttle” in the second half, fueled in part by five three-pointers from Kyle Morris on his way to a team-high 32 points. Beckett Turner added 20 and led in rebounding with eight.

“Alex West struggled a bit with his shot tonight; all four of his three-point attempts rattled out, but he makes such a huge impact with his ball distribution and defensive efforts that he always finds other ways to keep us rolling,” said McMillan, who celebrated his birthday as well as the win.

The next night, the score against Naselle was 76-45, with the Fishermen enjoying a 45-19 lead at the half. Morris was again team-high scorer with 25 and he and Turner tallied 10 rebounds each. Turner and West each scored 14 points; Sam Needham scored 12 and had seven rebounds.

After playing Raymond Jan. 18, a team they beat 55-39 in December, the Fishermen will make the long trek to Forks Jan. 20 before another road trip north to Ocosta Jan. 27.

The Ilwaco girls defeated South Bend 65-18 as head coach Ned Bittner’s squad continued to perform well. After playing Raymond, a team IHS beat 58-56 in early December, the Lady Fishermen will host Forks Jan. 19 then host Taholah Jan. 23.

The Naselle boys warmed up for their South Pacific County clash with Ilwaco with a couple of wins. The Comets beat Three Rivers Christian 71-21 then defeated Washington School for the Deaf 72-32. Although they lost Saturday’s physical contest at Ilwaco, the game saw Kolten Lindstrom and Jacob Lindstrom each scoring 14 points. The Comets earned applause from IHS coach McMillan. “Naselle plays extremely hard and never quits, so it was a great challenge for us tonight,” he said.

After a trip to Battle Ground to play Firm Foundation, they are on the road again Jan. 19 at Mossyrock before hosting Columbia Adventist Academy Jan. 24.

Wins

Ilwaco wrestlers ramped up the pace of competitive encounters last week.

At Castle Rock, six boys competed, with Jace Linthakhan at 106 pounds and Xavier Smith at 113 winning two of their four matches. Wade Smith ended with a 3-2 record at 138. Christian Olivio won once at 152. Cody Miller (126) and Marcus Lynch (220) also competed.

Coach Larry Kemmer noted that it was a tough tournament against mostly larger and very competitive schools. “Wade and Xavier both made the placing round, but did not place high enough to receive a medal,” he said.

Bethany Martin competed in the 235 division at a meet in Kelso, the largest all-girls tournament in Washington. “There were teams from Washington, Oregon, California, Idaho and Canada,” the coach said. With more than 700 girl wrestlers in contention, most of the brackets featured 64 girls. “Very tough to place here,” he added.

With just a short while to catch their breath, the team traveled to Wahkiakum for a league mixer.

Martin went 1-1 in her division. For the boys, Yunior Bautista Cruz led the way with two wins at 132 pounds. Xavier Smith and Wade Smith won their matches. Luis Lopez Mendez at 120 and Alex Valencia at 138 each had one win and one loss.

“They all did very well,” Kemmer said. “I was very pleased with how our kids competed.”

As a flu bug reduced participation, only three student-athletes traveled to Hoquiam Saturday, but they enjoyed success. Xavier Smith climbed to the top place on the podium after blasting through his bracket, winning all his three matches. Linthakhan also earned a medal with two wins from four. Valencia gained experience in a couple of matches, too. “Although he didn’t win, Alex wrestled very well,” Kemmer said.

The Fishermen wrestlers were scheduled to compete at Forks before heading to Raymond Jan. 21 and Napavine Jan. 23.