Trojans Edged in Battle With Comets

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Pe Ell trailed Naselle by 13 after one quarter and cut the deficit to four with three minutes to go but couldn’t overcome foul trouble down the stretch in a 51-44 loss at home to the Comets Friday in a 1B Columbia Valley League game.

The Trojans found themselves down early, trailing 21-8 at the end of 1Q due to turnovers and fouls. But they came charging back, outsourcing the Comets 11-7 in the second quarter and 7-4 in the third to climb back in it before falling down the stretch.

“We put three good quarters together, we just gotta put a full game together,” Pe Ell coach Chris Phelps said. 

The Trojans were hampered by late foul trouble, allowing the Comets to hit 14 of 18 shots from the charity stripe in the fourth quarter alone. Naselle finished 18 of 29 at the free-throw line.

“We had opportunities but got ourselves in foul trouble late,” Phelps said. “That really hurt us.”

Jesse Zard led the Trojans with team-highs of 15 points and nine rebounds, while Blake Howard added 11 points and Carter Phelps contributed eight boards and four points.

“Extremely proud of this group and their resiliency,” Chris Phelps said. “They don’t give up, and it’s a testament to their character. Looking forward to what we can do the rest of the season.

“Everyone found a way to contribute and we played so well together. I just applaud the performances of everyone out there tonight.”

Pe Ell (4-7, 1-5 1BCVL) heads to rival Willapa Valley on Wednesday.