HS Boys Hoops: Defense Keeps Napavine Perfect in Win Over Toutle Lake

1/24/24

Toutle Lake 19 27 36 47
Napavine 18 34 53 64

(Napavine, WA) Two of the favorites to get to the state tournament out of the Central 2B League did battle for the second time this season when the Toutle Lake Ducks traveled north to take on the Napavine Tigers. While the Ducks gave Napavine a tough fight the first time the teams met, it would be Napavine doing what they have done every game so far this season and that is win.

The undefeated Napavine Tigers got rocked early as Toutle Lake’s Connor Cox and Zach Swanson came out on fire as the teams traded baskets early. James Grose was the go-to scorer for Napavine in the entire first half. After a quarter of play, Toutle Lake actually held a 19-18 lead over Napavine but the Ducks cooled down significantly throughout the rest of the half while the Tigers kept rolling. Grose put on a show as he was attacking the basket while also hitting some jumpers both from the mid-range and from beyond the arc. The senior was the only Tiger to score multiple baskets in the opening half but his 21 points at halftime boosted the Tigers. Napavine’s defense also began to flourish in the 2nd quarter as Toutle Lake only managed eight points in the period which gave Napavine a 34-27 lead at halftime.

Defense continued to be the story in this one in the second half. Junior guard Cayle Kelly had the unenviable task of guarding one of the best players in 2B in Zach Swanson but Kelly was more than ready for the challenge. Physical defense through off the timing and positioning of Swanson as he struggled to attack the basket and had to settle for some tough pull up jumpers with a hand constantly in his face. While Connor Cox carried the load on offense for Toutle Lake, Napavine began to balance out their attack. Cael Stanley and Jarin Prather began to knock down threes while Karsen Denault got going in the paint. Toutle Lake was only able to score 20 points total in the second half against the pesky Tiger defense. Led on that end of the floor, Napavine fought for a 64-47 win to stay perfect on the season.