When Napavine and Toledo last met 11 days ago, the Tigers took care of business at home and cruised to a 30-point win. The first half of their latest meeting, a matchup in the 2B District 4 quarterfinals in Centralia on Tuesday, was much closer.
The Tigers had turned the ball over 14 times in the first half, and they led by just three at the break.
The second half looked more like that Jan. 31 meeting, though, as Napavine built a lead and pulled away for a 68-46 victory, one that puts them in the district semifinals for the fourth year in a row.
“I always tell kids that the sign of a good team is how you respond to adversity,” Napavine coach Shane Schutz said. “I thought we responded well in the second half.”
The two teams traded baskets in the opening minute of the second half, but Napavine quickly extended its lead to 12 by forcing a flurry of turnovers and going on a 9-0 run in just 49 seconds of game time.
“We needed to respond and win that third quarter and extend that lead,” Schutz said. “And that gave us some confidence.”
Napavine continued to pull away in the fourth, first with four straight Hayden Kaut points, then five straight points from Taylen Evander, which pushed the lead to 17. After a pair of Toledo free throws, Napavine tagged on an 11-0 run to put the game out of reach.
The Tigers finished the night with 23 second-chance points, and they didn’t concede one. They forced 29 turnovers, scored 41 points off of those turnovers (compared to Toledo’s 13), logged 48 total rebounds, and had as many offensive rebounds (23) as Toledo had total rebounds.
“We just gave up too many offensive rebounds and we didn’t really match their physicality,” Toledo coach Brian Layton said. “I thought we bounced back better tonight. We just gotta fix those little things.”
Kaut finished with a game-high 26 points, 15 rebounds (including seven offensive rebounds), and three steals to lead the way for Napavine.
“When the best player works their butt off, the other kids follow,” Schutz said. “The other kids, they get inspired. It pushes them. That’s why she was Co-MVP. She’s had that consistently all year.”
Evander, Kaut’s fellow Co-MVP, finished with 14 points, six steals, five rebounds, and four assists.
“When she’d recognize that Hayden isn’t having it, she’d feed off that,” Schutz said. “That’s the cool part about why they’re Co-MVPs.”
Nicholle Valentine added another double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds, and she also nabbed four steals, while Ava Ondong scored seven points, grabbed five rebounds, and nabbed three steals.
Clara Fay scored five points and added five rebounds, four steals, and three assists, and Hannah Fay posted four points, three rebounds, and a pair of assists.
Ellie Fallon led the Riverhawks with 16 points and six rebounds, and Ryah Stanley added nine points and four rebounds. Kailea Lairson finished with seven points, Sidney Kruger tallied five, and Peyton Holter added four. Taysia Miller and Xtyn Norberg both scored two, and Grace Layton posted one.
Despite Napavine pulling away late, Layton said he was pleased with the way his group kept attacking early, saying it was a much better showing than when the two teams met in Napavine at the end of January.
The Riverhawks (12-7) are now in the elimination bracket, where they will face Rainier in Rochester on Thursday. When the two teams met in the regular season on Jan. 16, Toledo won 31-25. The winner of that matchup will face either Chief Leschi or Onalaska, and the winner of that will get the loser of the Adna-Toutle Lake semifinal with a state tournament berth on the line.
“I’m proud of the way our girls played,” Layton said. “Just gotta practice tomorrow and be ready to play Thursday. Rainier is good too. Every team we see from here on out is good. We just gotta be ready to play.”
Napavine (17-4) will face Forks, which topped Onalaska in overtime in its quarterfinal, in a semifinal in Kelso next Tuesday, Feb. 17. If the Tigers win, they’ll advance to their fourth straight state tournament.
“We know we’ve got our hands full,” Schutz said. “We’re gonna get ready and prepare for them. This is the best part of the season. That’s where some of the biggest memories come. This is awesome. This is exactly where we want to be. We’re looking forward to it.”
