Heading up to Elma for its first district playoff game, the Pe Ell boys basketball team came alive in the third quarter, outscoring Mary M Knight on the road, 22-3, en route to a dominant 56-38 win in the 1B District 4 tournament Thursday.
The Trojans got off to a bit of a slow start, trying some new things on offense and just not hitting their shots.
“We had really good looks and couldn’t convert,” Chris Phelps said. “Even in the second quarter it was a struggle.”
Pe Ell led 22-16 in the first half, but then took off in the third, equaling their scoring total in the first half with 22 points. The Trojans were led by Jesse Zard’s 15 points, with Blake Howard also scoring in double figures with 13 points and three makes from deep.
Now the Trojans will look to carry that momentum into another road matchup against Mossyrock in the second round, another loser-out contest against a foe Phelps is very familiar with.
“They’re a tough matchup for us,” he said. “They can really turn it on with their scorers. We have to rely on our defense and generate enough offense if we want to win.”
The Trojans will take on Mossyrock in on Saturday at 6 p.m. on the road for the second round of districts.
