RAYMOND — Over the course of the season, the Pe Ell offense had its fair share of struggles. In the last 13 games going into the second round of the 1B District 4 Tournament, the Trojans had eclipsed the 40-point mark just five times.
The offense underwhelmed again on Thursday, as Pe Ell fell to Willapa Valley 54-28 in an elimination game, ending their season.
“It was never a lack of effort or a lack of heart,” Pe Ell coach Chris Phelps said. “It’s tough to go out this way, but somebody has to move one and somebody has to go home.”
The Trojans only scored 13 points in the first half, but they were still very much in the game thanks to a stout defensive effort that limited the Vikings to just 17.
Pe Ell switched between a 1-2-2 zone, a 2-3 zone, and a triangle and two that stifled Willapa Valley for the first 16 minutes.
“It worked for us in the first half,” Phelps said. “And then they started finding some holes.”
Willapa Valley pulled away in the second, opening the quarter on a 13-1 run to break the game open. While the Vikings did most of their damage in the paint, they were also able to tack on back-breaking threes, including one from Aiden Young just before the third-quarter buzzer that pushed their lead to 21.
“They just did a much better job of making adjustments in the second half,” Phelps said.
While the Vikings ran away with it in the second half, the Trojans couldn’t find an answer to stay within striking distance.
Phelps noted that it’s “no secret” that they struggle from deep, and the Trojans had success inside when these two teams played three weeks ago. On Thursday, however, the Vikings put all of their attention in the paint, doubling and sometimes even tripling whichever Trojan was inside.
“Help side for them was really good,” Phelps said. “They did a really good job keeping us out of the key and keeping us from the rim.”
Carter Phelps finished with nine points to lead the Trojans, while Eli Mason scored seven and Calan McCarty added five.
The Trojans finish the season 7-12 and are set to graduate four seniors: Phelps, Blake Howard, Isaiah Workman, and Landon Smith.
“They really are a great group of young men and exceptional human beings,” Phelps said. “We knew it was gonna be a battle, but they came out and proved themselves to be a better team.”
