Playing her last basketball game in a Comets’ uniform, season standout Lauren Katyryniuk of Naselle moves toward the hoop during the opening round loss to Odessa Saturday. She was team-high scorer with 19 points, ending her high school scoring by sinking a 3-pointer.

The Naselle girls’ basketball season ended in the Cheney High School gym Saturday — just 16 miles from pay-dirt.

The Comets lost a must-win opening round contest against Odessa 63-45, with the Tigers advancing to play in the 1B state tournament at the Spokane Arena.

Odessa blasted out to a 20-5 lead in the first quarter. Three Tigers scored in double figures as the team from the eastern side of the state led 32-14 at halftime.

Coach Marie Green said multiple foul calls against the Comets gave Odessa the early advantage. “It was physical and one-sided,” she said. “In the first quarter, the fouls were nine on us and none on them.”

The squad came into the game with seniors who had played varsity together since eighth grade. But Kaylin Shrives, a threat in either key all season, played just six minutes before she fouled out.

Lauren Katyryniuk was Naselle’s high scorer with 19 points, bookmarking her stats with three-pointers as her first and last baskets. Brynn Tarabochia hit two threes in the second half on her way to 11 points and Bella Colombo also scored from distance. Freshman starter Brooke Davis showed skill in the second half, hitting all four of her free throws.

“It was too bad, because across the board we were very even. The refs took us out of it,” Green said.

Building the program

The campaign began in the Lyle Patterson Gym in November with Green taking over coaching duties, a role carved out even before she became the district’s athletic director. She welcomed seniors who have been stalwarts of Naselle sports for their entire school careers fresh from third-place state success in volleyball.

Standout Lauren Katyryniuk would earn most of the headlines as the high scorer in all but five of the 25 games, Shrives and Colombo would display their strength with steals and rebounding throughout the season, and classmate Tarabochia was a key influence, though she missed games with an injured knee. “Brynn stepped up big for us when we needed it,” Green said.

Green’s eagerness to build a program beyond one season meant she developed promising younger players, too, including Brooke Davis, a freshman starter who had showed maturity during volleyball, and two eighth graders, Aubrey Katyryniuk and Brianna Johnson. The Dunagans, senior Bella and freshman Mylee, provided enthusiasm, as did junior Gladys Wilson and freshman Mallory Helvey. A third eighth-grader, Sophia Colombo, pulled up late from JV, would provide a season highlight when sister Bella passed to her for a basket against Wishkah.

Season overview

They warmed up with a 30-point win over Knappa, a school Green used to coach, and a 20-point victory over Wahkiakum. Lauren Katyryniuk had a good second half to take 2B powerhouse Raymond to just a 2-point loss. Later, she would celebrate 1,000 career points in a win over Columbia Adventist. “She had a phenomenal season all around,” said Green.

Next, equally strong Willapa Valley overcame NHS in a game that saw Aubrey Katyryniuk emerge as a force at both ends of the court; the Vikings would catch up and defeat the Comets in the second game with only 22 seconds remaining. The other eighth-grader, Johnson, stepped up against Ilwaco in a 1-point loss.

Those close games against the two neighboring 2B schools were memorable. “We almost beat them,” said Green. “Maybe they thought we were some little underdogs, but the seniors stepped up.”

State No. 2-ranked Mossyrock continued to be Naselle’s nemesis, with a 39-point loss in December and another defeat later, brightened by Aubrey Katyryniuk’s eye-catching 26 points.

A win over Pe Ell secured third place in league as the playoffs loomed. Naselle made easy work of Wishkah and then came Three Rivers. The Katyryniuks went wild, Lauren with 35 points and Aubrey with 15, advancing to next secure a 21-point win over Taholah.

‘Learning’

Then came Odessa after a 405-mile trek east. A school that has been an insurmountable post-season foe in recent boys’ sports prevailed on the girls basketball court, too.

Afterward, Green commended her talented seniors for their service; many have committed to playing sports at the college level. “They are quite a senior group. They are our pillars and the foundation we are going to build on.”

She said the eighth graders were eager to pledge energy to build a program that advances even further. “I have got four more years with them,” said Green, who coached the seventh-grade team last year and knew Johnson and Aubrey Katyryniuk’s potential to contribute. “They had a huge year and built their confidence.” She will encourage Davis to spend time in the weight room, too.

Johnson sought to learn what was needed, said her coach. “She is all about ‘fixing it’ and finding ways to contribute,” Green said. “It will be fun to see who steps up next year. Naselle’s future with sports is going to look big, because we have got tremendous athletes, and they all know that even if you lose it’s a learning opportunity — ‘Where do we go from here?’”