2B Girls Hoops: Adna Survives Big Scare to Beat Napavine

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Adna rallied back from a 22-point third-quarter deficit Tuesday night to beat Napavine, 52-47, in the quarterfinals of the District 4 2B girls basketball tournament.

The Pirates, who entered the playoffs undefeated, trailed 29-13 at halftime, thanks to a combination of poor shooting (6 of 30) and tough defensive pressure from the Tigers.

“Anything that could go wrong went wrong in the first half,” Adna coach Chris Bannish said. “We didn’t handle their pressure and let things bother us that haven’t bothered us all year.”

The deficit grew to 22 points with five minutes left in the third quarter before things started to turn around. A defensive switch resulted in more deflections, and by the start of the fourth quarter the lead was whittled down to a manageable 11 at 39-28. 

Senior Ellie Sliva hit a 3-pointer to tie things up, and Summer White added a three that gave Adna the lead with 1:45 left to play. The Tigers knotted things back up with a three-point play, but White put Adna ahead for good with a three at 50-47.

The Pirates outscored Napavine 24-8 in the fourth frame.

“It was just great resilience,” Bannish said. “Down 22, that doesn’t happen very often.”

Kaylin Todd, sidelined in the first half with a rolled ankle, led Adna with 15 points, and Faith Wellander scored 14 with 11 rebounds. Karlee VonMoos added 10 points and 14 boards.

Wellander was also a key piece at the top of the Pirates’ press, and Natalie Loose came off the bench in the fourth quarter and provided a big spark, Bannish added.

Dani Tupuola led Napavine with 16 points. Natalya Marcial added 14.

“They were great. They’re obviously well-coached,” Bannish said of the Tigers. “They played really, really well, and they gave us a punch in the mouth. We were able to just withstand it.”

Seniors Rae Sisson and Vannie Fagerness both played well for Napavine, Bannish noted.

The Tigers finish the season with a 9-4 record.

Adna (10-0) faces Toledo on Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. in the district semifinals at the NW Sports Hub in Centralia. 

Wahkiakum Races Past Onalaska

The host Mules didn’t leave anything in doubt Tuesday night, crushing Onalaska 77-19 in the quarterfinals of the District 4 2B girls basketball tournament.



Jansi Merz led Wahkiakum with 20 points, and the Mules held a 34-4 lead after a quarter.

“They’re a very good basketball team, all the way around,” Onalaska coach Alana Olson said. “They shot 61% from the field and they had the momentum from the first second of the game.”

The Loggers, meanwhile, shot 18% in the loss, and were led by six points from Callie Lawrence. 

Despite the deficit, however, Olson said she was happy with her team’s approach in the second half.

“We tried to look at the second half as an opportunity for us to get better as a basketball team and finish the season with some heart,” she said. “They played with heart, regardless of the score.”

It was the final prep game for the lone senior on the Loggers’ roster, Hailey Naillon.

“She played really hard tonight,” Olson said.

Onalaska finishes the season with a 7-6 record. Wahkiakum moves on to face Ilwaco — which beat Rainier 90-67 on Wednesday behind 58 points from Erika Glenn — on Tuesday in the district semifinals at the NW Sports Hub in Centralia. 

Indians Survive Seagulls on the Road

Toledo held Raymond star Kyra Gardner in check and the Indians were able to outduel the Seagulls on the road in the district quarterfinals in a 42-38 victory Tuesday in Pacific County.

Emma Cline-Maier scored a game-high 16 points to go with five rebounds and Marina Smith added 11 points, five rebounds and contributed some lockdown defense on Gardner to help seal the victory.

“Marina played her best game defensively,” Toledo coach Brian Layton said.

Stacie Spahr tallied eight points and a game-high 16 rebounds, while Gracie Madill scored five points and Greenlee Clark pitched in two points, four steals and four assists.

Layton gave props to assistant coach Randy Wood for coming up with a defensive game plan to stymie the Seagulls, which the Indians executed to perfection.

“Real proud of the girls,” Layton said. “They came together and they work hard every day. It’s nice to see it pay off.”

The Indians face Adna in the district semifinals at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday at the NW Sports Hub in Centralia.