Willapa Valley fans cheer as players lineup following  Brody Aust's (5) game-winning layup at the buzzer that gave the Vikings a 58-56 win over rival Naselle.

Willapa Valley boys basketball

Willapa Valley sophomore power forward Brody Aust (5) scored a layup at the buzzer to lift the Vikings (5-2) to a 58-56 league victory over rival Naselle on Friday, Dec. 20, at Lyle Patterson Gymnasium in Naselle.

The Vikings raced to an early 20-11 lead after the first period, spurred by back-to-back corner treys from junior guard Brody Ritzman (1). In the second period, Naselle began to chip away behind 6’2 junior Leith Chadwick (23), who poured in seven of his game-high 18 points, drawing the Comets within single digits (33-27) at the half. In the third period, Willapa Valley sophomore sharpshooter Lucas Lusk (12) sank three three-pointers as both teams traded leads, before a one-handed half-court heave at the buzzer from Naselle senior Jack Strange somehow found the back of the net, sending the home crowd into a frenzy and giving the Comets a 49-48 heading into the final period. In the final period, Naselle senior Jacob Lindstrom (5) scored seven straight points, tying the game at 58-58, with 10.4 seconds remaining.

But the final possession belong to Willapa Valley, and they made it count.

After inbounding into a full-court press, Willapa Valley senior Nathan Fluke (2) found sophomore Brody Aust (5) who broke the press and glided to the hoop for the game-winning layup at the buzzer.

The Vikings got a balanced scoring effort in the win over the Comets, including a team-high 14 points from junior guard Blane King (10), followed by 12 points from sophomore point guard Lucas Lusk (12) and junior guard Brody Ritzman (1), and 11 points from senior guard Nathan Fluke (2).

{strong style=”font-size: 12px;”}Up next:{/strong} Willapa Valley (5-2) will next travel to take on Crescent on Friday, Dec. 27.

Naselle boys basketball

The Naselle boys basketball team split their games last week, including a 58-56 loss to Willapa Valley on Friday, (Dec. 21), before beating Clallam Bay 92-38 the following day, bringing their overall record to 3-1 on the season.

In the game against Willapa Valley, Naselle was led by senior Jacob Lindstrom and junior Leith Chadwick, who each scored a game-high 18 points.

Up next: Naselle (3-1) will next travel to take on Pe Ell on Friday, Jan. 3.

Naselle girls basketball

The Naselle girls basketball team split their two games last week, including a 38-33 win over Wahkiakum before losing to Willapa Valley 45-41 on Thursday, Dec. 19, bringing the Comets to 5-2 overall on the season, including a 2-1 mark in the 1B Columbia Valley League.

In the game against Wahkiakum — dubbed the ‘KM Trophy’ game— Naselle broke open a close game in the second period, where they outscored they outscored the Mules (4-3) 13-4, taking. a 21-10 lead into the half.

Naselle was able to weather a second half surge from Wahkiakum to preserve the win, 38-33.

“We have played a lot of basketball in a short about of time,” said Naselle head coach Marie Green following the win over the Mules.

“The girls were a little tired, but managed to pull through. The tream as a whole is learning how to really trust in each other and play together as well as how to play when you are tired. We may not have had the prettiest start or the best finish, but we played solid defense and kept our composure.”

Green has been pleased with the progress of the team through seven games.

“All the girls had a pretty good game. I have girls crashing the boards and that is great. The girls are utilizing their teammates and that helps to keep the weight of the team on everyone’s shoulders. The girls are playing solid basketball right now and that is great,” Green said.

Up next: Naselle (5-2) will next travel to take on Pe Ell on Friday, Jan. 3.

Raymond/South Bend boys basketball

The Raymond/South Bend boys basketball team fell to Willapa Valley 66-53 before rebounding by beating Wahkiakum 71-67 to earn their first win of the season, bringing their record to 1-4 overall.

Up next: Raymond/South Bend (1-4) will host Friday Harbor on Friday, Dec. 27.

Raymond/South Bend girls basketball

The Raymond/South Bend girls basketball team split two last-second games last week, including a 39-38 loss to Toutle Lake and a 58-54 OT victory over Mossyrock, bringing their overall season record to 4-2..

Up next: Raymond/South Bend (4-2) will host Friday Harbor on Friday, Dec. 27.

Willapa Valley girls basketball

The Willapa Valley girls basketball team remained at .500 (3-3) after splitting their games last week, including losing to Morton/Whitepass 50-34 before beating Naselle 45-41.

Up next: Willapa Valley (3-3) will travel to take on North Beach on Saturday, Dec. 28.

Ilwaco wrestling

Smith atop podium at Nestucca

NESTUCCA, Ore. — Wade Smith led from the front Saturday.

The Ilwaco wrestling captain won the 157-pound division at a meet on the Oregon Coast. Three teammates enjoyed podium success. Blake Bell placed second at 113 pounds and there were third-place finishes for Mark Ragan (138) and Claudio Mendez (144). The squad closes out the year Dec. 28 with a trip to Clatskanie.

Naselle wrestling

The newly-formed Naselle High School wrestling squad has announced a schedule of seven meets in the new year. The squad, coached by 2019 Ilwaco graduate Chris Wood, begins Jan. 4 with the “Bash at the Beach” tournament at North Beach. Other meets are:

Jan. 7 — Ocosta, league mixer

Jan. 11 — Knappa, “Winter Bash”

Jan. 17 — Raymond, league mixer

Jan. 18 — Raymond, tournament

Jan. 22 — Adna, league mixer

Feb. 1 — Ilwaco, “Beach Brawl”