Ilwaco head coach Eric McMillan looks on against Forks.

ILWACO — A cold night of shooting doomed the Ilwaco boys basketball team in their first league game of the season, where the Fishermen lost 50-33 to a hot Forks team on Friday, Jan. 3, at Carl Aase Gymnasium.

In the opening minutes, both teams struggled to score, with Forks holding a 2-0 lead midway through the period.

Following an Ilwaco timeout, Ilwaco freshmen guard Haddox Hazen (1) sparked the Fishermen offense, first hitting a three-pointer and then a layup, tying the game (5-5), before Forks scored the final four points of the period, taking a 9-5 lead into the second.

In the second period, Forks kicked off a 13-1 run before a putback by sophomore Sawyer Linquist (22) and junior Dylan Pelas (11), brought the score to 23-11 Forks at the half.

In the third period, the Fishermen continued to struggle to score from the floor as Forks added to their lead, taking a 41-21 advantage to the final period, where they cruised to a 50-33 win.

The 33 points was a new season-low for the Fishermen, albeit against a surging Forks team, who improved to 10-1 overall.

“Just couldn’t put the ball in the basket,” summed Ilwaco head coach Eric McMillan.

“We had been building confidence on that side of the ball, but it seemed like we hit the reset button as we turned the ball over a ton and gave up a lot of offensive rebounds which allowed Forks more opportunities to increase their lead. We still held a very physical Forks team to a season low of 50 points, so I was proud of the way the boys competed on that end. Even though we did some good things on defense, we just never found an offensive rhythm which didn’t give us much of an opportunity to get back in the game.”

Ilwaco falls to 3-6 overall following the loss, including a 0-1 mark in league play, while Forks improved to 10-1, their fourth straight win.

Up next: Ilwaco (3-6) will travel to take on Chief Leschi on Jan. 10.