Ilwaco youth cheerleaders performed with their varsity counterparts during halftime of the game against Ocosta.

ILWACO — Ilwaco guard Kyle Morris splashed seven three-pointers en route to a game-high 31 points, eclipsing the 1,000-point career milestone and leading the Fishermen basketball team to an 82-38 league victory over Ocosta on Saturday night at Carl Aase Gymnasium.

The sharpshooting senior connected on 11-of-15 shots from the field, including 7-of-10 from beyond the arc, to power Ilwaco to their seventh-straight win on the hardwood.

“Although it was a great team effort [we had 20 assists and held our opponents to under 40 points], the star of the night was Kyle Morris as he joined the 1,000-point club with a couple minutes left in the third period,” said Ilwaco head coach Eric McMillan. “Definitely didn’t go into the night with that as a goal, but his teammates were finding him for good looks and Kyle was able to convert them into made baskets.”

Morris went 4-of-6 from three-point range in the first half, then passed the 1,000-point mark after hitting 3-of-4 three pointers in the third period.

“He truly is a talented player and put in a ton of work to be able to reach that total, and it was special to see his teammates celebrate that personal achievement with him,” McMillan said.

Fishermen shake rust, bury Wildcats, GrizzliesDespite more than a week layoff, the Fishermen were able to shake off any remaining rust while building a 12-0 first-period lead before Ocosta could answer with their first bucket. The Fishermen took an 18-8 lead after the first period, an advantage that swelled to 41-17 at halftime, culminating in an 82-38 victory. Ilwaco senior Beckett Turner finished with 16 points, followed by senior teammate Sam Needham with 11.

“We were a little rusty after not playing for over a week, but we brought good energy from the start to get out to a double-digit lead after the first quarter,” McMillan said. “Ocosta was able to force [us] into some turnovers with their full-court pressure, but we did a good job adjusting and picking it apart to get some easy looks in transition. We were able to mix up defenses throughout the game to keep Ocosta off balance and limit them getting too many open looks.”

On Monday, Jan. 22, Ilwaco improved to 13-3 on the season after beating Hoqiuam 73-43 in non-league play at home. The Fishermen remain securely in first place with a perfect 8-0 record in the 2B Pacific League, followed by Chief Leschi (12-4, 8-2) and Forks (10-6, 6-3).

Up next: Ilwaco (13-3) will travel to face Chief Leschi in a key league matchup on Thursday, Jan. 25.