Facing Columbia Adventist for the second time in less than a week, the Pe Ell boys basketball team fell just short again, losing 52-43 to the Kodiaks in the 1B District 4 tournament to bring an end to its season.
The first time the Trojans went to Battle Ground this season, back on Jan. 10, they lost to the Kodiaks by 22 points. Their second and third matchups saw Pe Ell fall by a combined 12 in much closer games, but it couldn’t quite get over the hump.
Blake Howard led the Trojans with 14 points. Carter Phelps pitched in 10, as did leading scoring Kail Homan, who had to sit out most of the third quarter after picking up his fourth personal foul, and fouled out midway through the fourth.
“That got us in a bit of a funk, but we rallied,” head coach Chris Phelps said.
Pe Ell trailed by five points at the end of the first quarter, but kept the deficit from getting any further as the game hit the homestretch, going into the fourth down 35-30.
“We were in the position at the end of the third where we wanted to be, down five,” Phelps said. In the fourth, their shots were falling and ours weren’t. We had some really good looks at the basket.”
The Trojans finished the season with an overall record of 9-13. Pe Ell is set to graduate three seniors, in Homan, Logan Baldwin, Tristan Baker.
“Great season for us,” Phelps said. “We just fell short of our goal, but that doesn’t take away from all of the good things we did this season.”
