Willapa Valley boys basketball

The Willapa Valley boys basketball ball team capped their exceptional season with a sixth-place finish in the WIAA state basketball tournament over the weekend at the Spokane Arena.

The Vikings (24-4) entered 1B state tournament earlier this month as the District 4 1B champion and Coastal League title winners after winning 22 straight games, earning a #3-seed in the 20-team state tournament.

In the first round, #3-seed Willapa Valley beat #6-seed Tulalip Heritage 59-51. The Vikings then advanced to the quarterfinals, where they lost to the Neah Bay Red Devils 50-44, March 5.

In the game against Neah Bay, Willapa Valley struggled to find their rhythm offensively in the first half, where they trailed 24-17. In the second half, the Vikings rallied behind the shooting of senior point guard Nathan Fluke (2), who finished with a team-high 20 points while going 5/12 from three-point range. The Vikings drew within single digits following Fluke’s 20th point (48-44), with one minute remaining, however the Red Devils were able to hang on for the 50-44 win.

In the consolation bracket, Willapa Valley beat #8-seed Ocosta 51-46 on March 7, a rematch of the district championship. This time however, the Vikings didn’t have to deal with 6’5 freshmen power forward Sonny Beard (15), who was sidelined with an injury. 

The Vikings outscored the Wildcats in each of the first two periods, taking a 26-18 lead into the half.

In the third, Ocosta trimmed the lead to five points (37-32) before a Nathan Fluke (2) steal and layup at the buzzer kept the advantage at seven (39-32) going into the final period. 

In the final period, baskets from Fluke (2), Brody Ritzman (1), Blane King (10) and JB Russell (14) kept the Wildcats from pulling off the upset, allowing Vikings to prevail with a 51-46 win.

In a rematch against Tulalip Heritage on March 8, Willapa Valley lost 64-46, finishing sixth overall in the state among 1B teams.

Willapa Valley will lose three players to graduation, including Nathan Fluke (2), Aiden Sliva (4) and Connor Keeton (32).

Pe Ell girls basketball

The Pe Ell girls basketball team (21-2) had their remarkable season come to close following 52-38 loss to Oakesdale in the WIAA 1B state basketball tournament on March 5, ending the season as one of the 12 remaining teams.

The #7-seed Trojans took an early 16-12 lead against the #10-seed Nighthawks before Oakesdale closed on a 17-6 run to end the half, taking a 29-22 advantage into the third. In the second half, Oakesdale pulled away by outscoring Pe Ell 15-8 in the third period, ultimately  ending a 52-38 season-ending loss.

The Trojans (21-2) entered the tournament on a 21-game win streak before back-to-back losses to Waterfield-Mansfield (59-18) and Oakesdale (52-38) ended the season.

The Trojans will lose one player to graduation: Brookeynn King (24).

Former Naselle standout earns college recognition

LONGVIEW — A former Naselle athlete has earned recognition for her college basketball prowess.

Lauren Katyryniuk has been named to the second team in the Northwest Athletic Conference annual All-Region Teams selections.

Katyryniuk, a 2023 Naselle graduate, plays for the Lower Columbia College Red Devils. Her coach, Lucas Myers, was named Coach of the year for the west region and teammate Karlee VonMoos from Adna was named most valuable player. Another teammate, Reigha Niemeyer of Skamokawa, a graduate of Wahkiakum High.

School, was named to the first team. VonMoos and Morgan Hamilton of Napavine were named to the All-defensive Team in the West region. This season the Red Devils earned the NWAC West Regional Championship.