Mossyrock fell behind early and couldn’t keep up with a fast-paced Willapa Valley team in a 71-43 elimination loss in the 1B District 4 semifinals Monday at Oakville High School.
Mossyrock trailed 16-7 after one quarter and 34-12 at the half as Valley used effective shooting to keep Mossy at bay throughout.
“We lost to the better team and the better coach,” Mossyrock coach Adam Deck said. “We were out-hustled on the glass, out-hustled on loose balls and the lack of communication hurt us on the defensive end.”
Junior Gunner Mulligan led Mossyrock with 16 points, six rebounds and five steals. Deck praised Mulligan and senior Tryn Thompson for their performances.
“They gave me maximum effort every single game,” Deck said. “Gunner has an endless motor and he is just everywhere. If he were a little more selfish, he would be the MVP of our league, but he is the epitome of a team player.”
Deck, who was hired as head coach in July 2019, has helped rejuvenate a program that had won three total games in the three years before he arrived.
The Vikings won their first district game in five years in a victory over Mary M. Knight in the district opener on Thursday.
“Proud of our season but we left a lot on the table,” Deck said.
Mossyrock ends its season with an 11-6 record.
