Pe Ell players hold the championship trophy after beating Taholah 50-38 in the the District 4 1B championship on Saturday, Feb. 22, in Montesano.

Ilwaco boys basketball

The Ilwaco boys basketball team was eliminated from the 2B district tournament by Onalaska 68-45 on Feb. 19, concluding the season for the Fishermen.

Ilwaco (10-12) finished the season second in the 2B Pacific League at 5-4 and ranked 37th among 54 2B teams in the state.

The Fishermen will lose just one player to graduation: forward Robert Sanders (32).

“Tough one to end on for the year, but luckily we get to bring almost everyone back,” said Ilwaco head coach Eric McMillan following the season-ending loss to Onalaska. “We have a great group of kids who grew a lot individually and as a team this year, [and I’m] excited to have more time to work with these guys and try to make a run next year.”

In the game against Onalaska, Ilwaco fell into a first-half hole after only managing three points in the second period.

“We started out OK in the first quarter, but we missed a few easy ones and didn’t see some open teammates in our sets,” McMillan said.

“Unfortunately went cold in the second quarter, which deflated our sails a bit on each end of the floor. The second half was similar in the sense that we just couldn’t find that spark to get a run going to try and get back in the game. Onalaska has some good athletes that really made our guys work and wore us down.”

Naselle girls basketball

The Naselle girls basketball team had their season come to an end following a 44-39 district playoff loss to Willapa Valley on Feb. 19.

Naselle (12-9) finished the season third in the 1B Coastal League at 5-4 and ranked 23rd among 70 1B teams in the state.

“It’s never a fun way to lose when you have a lead and slowly watch it go away,” summed Naselle head coach Marie Green, who watched a 21-15 halftime lead evaporate in the third period against the Vikings. “But I could not be more proud of how well the girls played. There were things that we could have done better, and then there were things that were out of our control. But that is the way the game goes.”

“The first quarter we moved the ball so well and pushed our tempo. It was so great to see,” she added. “It took us about five minutes before we scored in the second quarter. Then in the third, Brooke and Mylee picked up their fourth fouls and had to sit. Losing them hurt, but we were still in it. And then it just came down to not getting shots to fall.”

Naselle was outscored 29-18 in the second half in their season-ending loss. The Comets, with no seniors on the roster, are posed to return their entire lineup next season.

“This season has been great,” Green said. “Even thought we didn’t get to where we wanted to end the season, we made it a good one. The best part is that I have everyone coming back! That is amazing. We are going to do amazing things and I can’t wait to see what next year brings us.”

Naselle boys basketball

The Naselle boys basketball team had their season come to an end following a 74-58 district playoff loss to Columbia Adventist Academy on Feb. 19.

Naselle (12-10) finished the season third in the 1B Coastal League at 5-4 and ranked 25th among 81 1B teams in the state.

The Comets will lose three seniors to graduation: Jack Strange (4), Jacob Lindstrom (5) and William Anderson (33).

Willapa Valley girls basketball

The Willapa Valley girls basketball team fell to Mary M. Knight 48-37 in the third-place game in the district playoffs on Feb. 22, finishing fourth in the tournament and securing a spot in the upcoming state tournament.

Up next: No. 19 seed Willapa Valley will face No. 14 seed Almira Coulee Hartline in a loser-out game on Feb. 25 at 7 p.m. at Almira Coulee Hartline High School, with the winner advancing to face No. 11 seed Sunnyside Christian on March 1.

Pe Ell girls basketball

The Pe Ell girls basketball team beat Taholah 50-38 to win the District 4 1B championship on Saturday, Feb. 22.

The Trojans, currently 21-0 and ranked sixth in the state among 1B teams, previously beat Mary M. Knight 55-27 and Willapa Valley 53-29 on their march for the district title.

Up next: No. 7 seed Pe Ell will face No. 2 seed Waterville-Mansfield March 1 at 12 p.m. at Wenatchee High School.

Raymond/South Bend girls basketball

The Raymond/South Bend girls basketball team had their season come to a conclusion after being eliminated from the district playoffs in a 43-36 loss to Mossyrock on Feb. 20.

Raymond/South Bend (14-7) finished the season second in the 2B Pacific League at 5-1 and ranked 16th among 52 2B teams in the state.

The Ravens will lose one player to graduation: guard Berklee Morley (32)

Raymond/South Bend boys basketball

The Raymond/South Bend boys basketball team’s season came to an end with a 49-43 district playoff loss to Ilwaco on Feb. 15.

The Ravens, who finished the season 9-11 and ranked 31st among the 54 2B teams in the state, will lose five players to graduation: Chris Quintana (4), Isaac Schlueter (3), Juan Orozco (10), Nolan Miller (30) and Fernando Jiminez (34).