The 2B No. 7 Napavine boys basketball team may have needed a half to fully get comfortable playing in the tough place to play that is Cathlamet. But coming out of halftime with a slim lead, the Tigers turned the afterburners on, taking down No. 9 Wahkiakum 80-64 to stay perfect in Central 2B League play.
The Mules, powered by a 16-0 run at one point in the second, stole into halftime up 34-33. But whatever message coach Rex Stanley had for the Tigers worked.
First, Napavine came back with defense, holding Wahkiakum to 10 points in the third quarter to retake the lead. Then, the Tigers went with the offense, dropping 30 points in a fourth quarter that saw the teams combine for 50 to stretch the advantage and seal the win.
Sophomore Karsen Denault took his turn to lead the Napavine offense, finishing with a game-high 24 points on 10-for-15 shooting from the field.
He led a three-headed monster in the scoring column for the Tigers, with James Grose and Jarin Prather each scoring 21 points, Grose hit four 3-pointers, while Prather made five, and also came down with a team-best eight rebounds.
Cael Stanley added seven points and five assists. Grose and Denault both logged seven rebounds; Grose also had five steals, while Denault dished out four assists.
Napavine, now on a six-game winning streak, will stay on the road Saturday, heading to Cowlitz County to face Toutle Lake.
