Sawyer Houseknecht, 8, won a two-liter of Coke during the halftime ‘Soda Shoot,’ where he sank a shot for $1, with the proceeds benefiting Naselle youth sports.

NASELLE — The Naselle Comets girls basketball team kicked off their 1B District 4 championship bid by bouncing the Wishkah Valley Loggerettes 83-23 Monday night in Naselle.

Naselle (12-8) will next advance to face the winner of Three Rivers Christian/Mary M. Knight at 6 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 9 in Naselle.

Comet seniors shut down Loggerettes

Wishkah Valley (2-10) scored the first basket, but its slim lead lasted less than a minute as Naselle (12-8) seniors Lauren Katyryniuk and Kaylin Shrives erased any hopes of a Loggerette upset by combining for 49 points (Katyryniuk 28, Shrives 21) ending in an 83-23 rout.

Katyryniuk continued to add the 1,000 point total she eclipsed weeks earlier by scoring eight points in the first three minutes as the Comets went on an 18-0 run, giving Naselle a 22-5 lead less than halfway through the first quarter. In the second quarter, Naselle continued to add to their lead as senior guard Bella Colombo and freshmen forward Brooke Davis began to heat up, with Davis scoring six of the final first-half points that gave the Comets a commanding 60-13 halftime lead.

Naselle head coach Marie Green was impressed with the team’s intensity while earning her first district playoff win as head coach.

“The girls came out on fire tonight. The first half of our game we didn’t hit any threes. All of the girls got in good shots and dominated on the boards. The girls were passing the ball really well and finding each other at the rim,” Green said.

Memorable moment

One of the most memorable moments in the game occurred in the third quarter, when Naselle senior guard Bella Colombo made a steal and assist to her sister, Sophia, an eighth grade guard, who promptly scored a layup, sending the Naselle bench and crowd into a frenzy. It was the first varsity game together for the Colombo sisters.

Up next: Naselle (12-8) will next advance to face the winner of Three Rivers Christian/Mary M. Knight at 6 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 9 in Naselle.