Ilwaco players celebrate after completing a 15-point comeback to defeat Forks last week.

ILWACO — In the final seconds, Ilwaco Lady Fishermen forward Mikaila Warfield calmly sank both foul shots, capping an improbable 15-point second-half comeback win over Forks that sent the home team into a court-rushing frenzy last week.

The win was especially critical for Ilwaco (13-3, 7-2) who climb into contention for first place in a tight 2B Pacific League race, only trailing first-place Forks (11-4, 8-1) and Raymond (14-4, 8-2), with five games remaining on the regular season schedule. The victory also lifted the Lady Fishermen to No. 6 in the latest WIAA RPI rankings among 54 other 2B girls basketball teams across the state.

Tale of two halves

For two quarters it looked like Forks would remain unbeaten in 2B Pacific League play after building a 31-16 halftime lead. Ilwaco senior power forward Olivia McKinstry and 8th grade forward Mikaila Warfield helped keep the Lady Fishermen afloat after a dire first-half, combining for 13 of the 16 points.

At the start of the second half, Ilwaco began to find their rhythm on offense and defense, sparked by a scoring outburst from senior guard Zoey Zuern, who drilled back-to-back three pointers and trimmed the lead to single digits less than two minutes into the third quarter.

Ilwaco freshman Sophia Bittner, junior Natalie Gray and senior Juliann Fleming joined the scoring as the Lady Fishermen cut the lead to five (38-33) heading into the final period. In the fourth quarter, Ilwaco got crucial buckets from Fleming and McKinstry before a Warfield layup gave the Lady Fishermen a slim 50-48 lead with only 45 seconds remaining. It was their first lead of the game.

Forks retook the lead with a three-pointer moments later and only 24 seconds on the clock. Following a timeout, Warfield was fouled with only seconds remaining, where she calmly sank both shots, giving Ilwaco a 54-51 lead with 3.1 seconds left. Ilwaco would hang on to preserve the improbable comeback.

Up next: Ilwaco (13-3, 7-2) will face Ocosta (5-10, 3-7) at 7 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 26 in Ilwaco.