Any semblance of momentum Chris White saw escaping the W.F. West High School boys basketball team was met with a quick timeout.
And in a win or go home – in the case of the Bearcats stay home – game, White made sure every T was crossed and each I had a dot.
“Pigtails are stressful,” the Bearcats head coach said. “I challenged them to pick up the defense and stop standing around on offense.”
The challenge was accepted. The mission was successful.
W.F. West proceeded to go on a 14-1 run over the final 4 minutes, 17 seconds of the first half that was capped by an Alex Stafford buzzer beating half court 3-pointer and it never let up in a 62-46 victory over Mark Morris to open the Class 2A District 4 tournament.
For the first time this season, the third-best team from the Evergreen Conference is on a winning streak. They advance into the double elimination part of the bracket and will take on Woodland on Saturday night in a quarterfinal.
Tip is scheduled for 6 p.m.
“We’re getting hot at the right time and that is the best time,” sophomore guard Wyatt Hoffman said.
Nearly two months ago, the two schools met in a non-league tilt in Longview, an eight-point win for the Monarchs. Since then, both rosters have seen some changes.
For W.F. West (8-14), post Cody Schwarz was a cog in the lineup, but an injury has kept him on the bench since the league season began. Mark Morris has four guys no longer on the roster, stemming from allegations of sexual abuse.
Off the court issues aside, the Bearcats felt the second matchup would have a different ending.
“We knew what was going on, but no matter what was happening over there, we knew we had to go to work,” Hoffman said.
As soon as W.F. West broke the huddle in the second, everything changed.
Hayden Rooney scored five straight to put it ahead, then Hoffman and Stafford exchanged baskets as part of a 9-0 spree to close the second quarter. Stafford’s trifecta was nothing but nylon that produced an electric reaction from the bench.
Momentum = seized.
“We were able to disrupt them,” White said.
The Bearcats carried it into the second half. Race Rockey scored the first eight points in the third and after Mark Morris’ Anthony Fabian made three free throws to cut the margin to 10, they ended the frame on a 12-0 run.
Hoffman led a balanced offensive night with 15 points for W.F. West. Rooney added 14, Rockey chipped in 13 and Stafford added 11. Most of the starters came back onto the court while up 18 two-plus minutes into the fourth.
“He never told us, but he wanted us to get everyone on the same page,” Hoffman admitted. “We were more proactive instead of reactive. We knew what we were going to do. We want to play fast.”
W.F. West played at an up-tempo pace for much of the night. The Monarchs couldn’t keep up.
Fabian, a Kelso transfer, had 10 of his 22 points in the opening eight minutes. White brought in reserve forward Colin Elder and he disrupted Fabian’s timing. Rockey, Rooney, Fox Rogerson and others switched onto Mark Morris’ star forward to disrupt his rhythm.
“We wanted to make sure we were on time with all the curls, pin aways, cross-screens and shuffle cuts,” White said. “Colin Elder set the tone for how that can look better. We were getting intelligent about who we can help off of.”
The last time Woodland and W.F. West played over the summer and from Hoffman and White’s recollection, it was competitive. The Beavers similarly are guard-heavy, with the lone forwards being Michael Belvin and Ryder Hakanson at 6-foot-3 and 6-5, respectively.
It’s been six years since the Bearcats and Beavers have met in the playoffs.
“I think they’ll feel confident and do what we can do,” White said. “When we play our best, we’re pretty formidable.”
Hoffman stated a potential run to a winner to state game would be viewed from the outside as “unexpected,” primarily from an experience standpoint. W.F. West traditionally is veteran heavy, but the 2025-26 group is junior-laden with only three seniors.
Still, don’t think the Bearcats are done winning basketball games.
“We’re very capable,” Hoffman said.
