2B boys basketball: Ilwaco stifles Centralia 66-46 to start season
Published 9:56 am Monday, December 4, 2023
- Ilwaco senior Boston Caron (5) is fouled driving toward the hoop against Centralia.
ILWACO — The Ilwaco boys basketball team tipped off the season with a dominant 66-46 non-league victory over visiting Centralia (0-2) last week.
The win was an impressive start to the season, where the Fishermen were able to stifle the Tigers, who compete in the bigger 2A classification.
“Definitely wasn’t as sharp as I wanted, but it was a good win for us at home against 2A Centralia,” summed Ilwaco head coach Eric McMillan following the win on Nov. 28.
“We had played them a few times over the summer, so [we] had an idea of things they did well and the personnel they had.”
McMillan was encouraged by the play of the underclassmen, some seeing their first time in varsity action.
“We had a couple guys play meaningful varsity minutes for the first time while we also brought back a lot of our lineup from last year, so it was nice to get a game in to see how guys were going to fit in game situations.
Ilwaco senior Beckett Turner finished with a game-high 28 points, followed by teammate Kyle Morris with 19.
“Beckett Turner and Kyle Morris shouldered a lot of the offensive load for us similar to last year, but Kyle and Sam Needham got in some foul trouble throughout the game and we had to play some guys in different positions that they weren’t totally confident in just yet. Sam fouled out early in the fourth period, but as we get better in our defensive rotations during the season we will have guys in better positions so Sam doesn’t have to cover for others and be at risk of drawing fouls.”
The Fishermen limited Centralia to 46 points, their lowest point total through three games this season.
“We did a good job in our presses and forced Centralia into making bad passes, which we were able to capitalize on. A little rusty being our first game, but it was the first leg of a marathon that is the high school basketball season and we showed a lot of flashes of the team we could be by the end of the season,” McMillan said.
Fishermen fall to Toutle Lake, Adna
After knocking off 2A Centralia in the first game of the season, Ilwaco dropped consecutive away games to Toutle Lake (80-71) and Adna (60-58). The Fishermen held leads late in both matchups, but were unable to secure the victories against two teams they will likely face again in the district playoffs.
Up next: Ilwaco (1-2) will look to rebound at home against South Bend on Wednesday, Dec. 6.