Running into a familiar foe, the Pe Ell girls basketball team couldn’t quite break past Willapa Valley’s staunch defense in a 50-24 loss in the second round of the 1B District 4 tournament Thursday night in Menlo.
“It was not what we expected,” Pe Ell coach Dave Tuengel said. “But I couldn’t be more proud of a group of girls who came together and bonded as a team.”
The Trojans scored in single digits in each quarter save for the fourth, opposed to Valley’s double-digit scoring quarters in each frame except for the final frame.
Charlie Carper led the Trojans in her final game, scoring nine points to go along with 10 rebounds and four steals.
Carper capped a stellar final year with Pe Ell averaging 19.3 points per game and leading a very young Trojan squad to the second round of the district tournament.
“We are going to miss Charlie so much,” Tuengel said. “She brings those intangibles that make her the special person that she is. She is the epitome of what a great teammate is all about.”
Outside of Carper, the Trojans return every single contributor from this season — including some eighth-graders and freshmen.
“Though I am sad to see Charlie go, I’m excited about our returning team,” Tuengel said. “I think we have the opportunity with hard work to be a pretty good basketball team. I’m excited about our future.”
