ROCHESTER — Onalaska hung with Wahkiakum for three quarters, but a late Mules’ surge doomed the Loggers down the stretch in a 62-48 elimination loss in the 2B District 4 playoffs Wednesday at Rochester High School.
Behind an offensive explosion from senior Mason Ulery, the Loggers duked it out with the heavily-favored Mules, trailing by just three at the half 29-26. Ulery drained five 3-pointers in the first half alone.
The Loggers tied it up with three minutes to go in the third quarter at 37 a piece before Wahkiakum caught fire in the final three minutes of the quarter, breaking off a huge run to go up by 11.
The Mules sustained the momentum the rest of the way, leading by as many as 15, to secure the win.
“I thought we played hard,” Onalaska coach Wayne Nelson said. “It’s 37-37, then we just do what we normally do, we implode. We make silly mistakes and don’t guard well. We got down by eight real quick but we battled back. I’m happy with our effort. I was proud of them tonight, for sure.”
Ulery finished with a game-high 28, including six 3-pointers, in his final high school game.
“We competed better than we did all season,” Ulery said. “Even though we lost, I felt like it was a good way to go out. We worked really hard and I’m proud of my teammates.”
Ulery said what he’ll remember most about this team is their hard work and character in a season that didn’t often go their way.
“We didn’t have the best season, but we stuck through it,” Ulery said. “Even the freshmen. They were thrown out there right away and they held their own.”
