2/9/24
The District 4 2B Girls Basketball Tournament is underway after games began last Saturday. In this post we will have all the match-ups and follow-up with scores and re-caps, pictures and video highlights of all the games that we cover at the bottom of this page. For past games that we didn’t cover, we have linked any articles recapping that matchup from other news outlets.
Link to NFHS Network (Subscription Required) to view full replays, click on-demand for list of games
Saturday, February 17 Trophy Day! at WF West
District Championship
Napavine 46, Rainier 39
Rainier 11 18 27 39
Napavine 11 16 35 46
Postgame Show
3rd/4th Place Game
Adna 53, Toutle Lake 32
Adna 9 24 40 53
Toutle Lake 7 19 22 32
Postgame Show
5th/6th Place Game (Winner to State, Loser Out)
Forks 50, Toledo 31
Forks 10 20 37 50
Toledo 8 15 23 31
Postgame Show
Thursday, Feb. 15 (Winner To State) @ Rochester HS
Adna 70, Forks 42 (The Chronicle)
Toutle Lake 47, Toledo 20 (The Daily News)
Tuesday, Feb. 13 (Semifinals)
Rainier 49, Adna 44 (Below)
Napavine 48, Toutle Lake 38 (Below)
(Loser Out)
Forks 64, Ilwaco 44
Toledo 49, Raymond/South Bend 43 (The Daily News)
Thursday, Feb. 8 (Loser Out)
Ilwaco 51, Morton/White Pass 48 (Below)
Raymond/South Bend 68, Onalaska 36 (The Chronicle)
Forks 53, Ocosta 19 (Below)
Toledo 55, Chief Leschi 11 (Dan Rosenfield The Daily News)
Tuesday, Feb. 6 (Quarterfinals)
Rainier 70, Raymond/South Bend 48 (Ryan Sparks in the Daily World)
Napavine 65, Ilwaco 27 (Below)
Toutle Lake 55, Forks 37 (Below)
Adna 64, Toledo 30 (Below)
Saturday, Feb. 3
Rainier 66, Morton/White Pass 43 (Dylan Wilhelm in The Chronicle)
Toledo 69, Ocosta 37 (Ryan Sparks in the Daily World)
Ilwaco 58, Onalaska 41 (The Chronicle)
Toutle Lake 60, Chief Leschi 16 (Jordan Naillon in the Daily News)
Feb 13 Recaps
Rainier 49, Adna 44
Rainier 12 19 37 49
Adna 8 26 31 44
(Kelso, WA) For what could be the final time this season, the Rainier Mountaineers and Adna Pirates met on the basketball court in the District 4 2B girls semifinals. After splitting the two regular season meetings, this one was the rubber match and had the largest stakes as the winner punched their ticket to the district championship and the state tournament.
Offense was scarce in the opening minutes of the 1st quarter but it was in large part due to strong defense on both sides. It turned into a chess match early as both teams knew each other so well. After Adna had an early lead, it would be Rainier that finished the opening quarter strong. Bryn Beckman caught fire for the Mountaineers as she would score a two and then hit back-to-back threes to close the quarter. The hot stretch for Beckman gave Rainier the lead after a quarter, 12-8.
Another hot stretch would come in the 2nd quarter but this time it was Adna’s Karsyn Freeman that took the game over. Multiple steals and some phenomenal moves to the basket saw the junior’s point total skyrocket as Adna took the lead back. Three-point shooting is normally one of the strengths of the Pirates, but outside of Freeman’s two long range shots, they just could not get anything from deep to go. Angelica Askey did have a strong run for the Mountaineers in the 2nd, capping it off with a three, but just seven Rainier points in the quarter opened the door for Adna to take a 26-19 lead into halftime.
A Karsyn Freeman three pointer extended the lead to ten for Adna to open up the second half, but that would be when Rainier took over. A 14-0 run for the Mountaineers was the story of the 3rd quarter. Rainier attacked the paint with Haleigh Hanson and Bryn Beckman while 5’5 junior Brooklynn Swenson kept sneaking in for rebounds and put backs. A very balanced scoring quarter for Rainier looked even better as the defense locked down Adna on the other end of the floor. Everything was breaking the Mountaineers way as everyone was executing to perfection for Rainier. With just eight minutes to go, Rainier held a 37-31 lead.
Adna still had a run in them in the 4th quarter. Danika Hallom got her offensive game going to boost the morale for the Pirates. Karsyn Freeman was also able to get some shots to go as the Pirates chipped away at the deficit. With their only loss of the season coming to the Mountaineers, Adna wanted to completely erase that lone defeat and threw everything they had at Rainier. With the game coming down to the wire, it would be decided by free throws. Angelica Askey would split the free throws, but hitting the floor for the rebound was Bryn Beckman and coach Brandon Eygabroad got off a timeout before a jump ball was called to give Rainier the possession back. More free throws down the stretch for Askey and Swenson helped Rainier pull away but a three-pointer for Danika Hallom closed the gap. However, Adna was out of timeouts when the three was hit so the clock continued to run. Rainier took their time getting the ball in and then the celebration was on as the Mountaineers got the 49-44 win.
Rainier solidified their spot in both the regional round of the state tournament and the district championship game on Saturday in Chehalis at 6pm against Napavine. Adna still has two chances to advance to state with the next one coming on Thursday at 6pm at Rochester High School against the Forks Spartans.
Our Thorbeckes MVP of the game was Bryn Beckman for the Rainier Mountaineers. Beckman had two strong scoring runs in each half and finished with 16 points in the game. There were two other plays that earned the junior the award. One was the fight she showed to earn the offensive rebound after a late missed free throw in the final minute of the game. That play allowed Rainier to get two more free throws and extend their lead to three possessions. Moments later, Beckman had a massive block on defense on a three-point shot to kill some more time for Adna. Those two plays that don’t jump out on the stat sheet were game defining plays that helped Rainier fend off a hard charging Adna squad.
Scoring
Rainier: Askey 18, Beckman 16, Swenson 7, Hanson 6, Blackburn 2
Adna: Freeman 22, Hallom 12, Chapman 6, Kendall Humphrey 4
Highlights
Postgame Show
BHG Takin’ it to the House Play of the Game
Rainier Pulls Away
Freeman Finishes Tough Shot
Napavine 48, Toutle Lake 38
Napavine 11 20 40 48
Toutle Lake 6 21 27 38
(Kelso, WA) In semifinal number two, it was also the completion of a trilogy as the Napavine Tigers took on the Toutle Lake Ducks. Unlike the first trilogy of the night, Napavine won the first two meetings with the Ducks by 21 and 27 points. However, a young Toutle Lake team was looking to make the third time the charm in what would be the closest contest between the two teams this season.
Cold shooting for both teams led to a low scoring opening quarter. Most of the points would be scored at the free throw line for both teams, but the defensive pressure of Napavine earned the Tigers the extra possessions to take the lead. Both teams were very balanced offensively as nobody stood out after a quarter of play as Napavine held an 11-6 lead.
A hot start to the 2nd quarter for Keira O’Neill and a three ball for Hannah Fay helped Napavine extend their lead. Just like in the first semifinal, Toutle Lake went on a nice run to get back into the game. Haileigh Cooper turned into the hero for the Ducks as she began to feel it on both ends of the floor. Lainey Dean did a fantastic job of distributing the basketball and manipulating the defense to open up a passing lane to Cooper. A very strong close to the half for Toutle Lake had the deficit down to one at halftime as Napavine led 21-20.
While Napavine’s offense really never looked like they were at the top of their game, the full court press of the Tigers took over the game in the second half. O’Neill continued to be as consistent as always on both ends of the floor while the duo of Taylen Evander and Hayden Kaut recorded steal after steal to earn extra possessions for the Tigers. The difference makers turned out to be Grace Gall and Jessie McCoy. Each of them hit a couple of three-pointers to make the most of those extra possessions to open things up as Napavine held a 40-27 lead going into the 4th quarter.
The game felt like it was over midway through the 4th as Napavine’s lead sat right around 20. Toutle Lake began to empty out their bench and Napavine followed suit to get all the players in the game. One player took advantage of the opportunity and that was Paisley Fraidenburg for Toutle Lake. The 8th grader started scoring at will with back-to-back threes and was fouled on another three-point attempt. In just a few minutes of playing time, Fraidenburg scored 10 points and made the game get a lot closer down the stretch. It would be too little too late for the Ducks as the 4th quarter surge fell just short and the Napavine Tigers held on for the 48-38 win.
For the second consecutive season, the Napavine Tigers advance to the district championship where they will look to repeat as district champions while also looking to build some momentum as they also clinched their spot in the state tournament. Toutle Lake also has two more opportunities to clinch their spot in state as the Ducks will play in Rochester on Thursday against the Toledo Riverhawks at 7:30pm.
The Thorbeckes MVP of the game was Keira O’Neill for Napavine. O’Neill once again showcased her senior leadership and as always is the definition of consistency. To go along with her team-high 12 points, O’Neill also added eight rebounds and four blocks to her night. In what was a tough night for the Tiger offense, O’Neill continued to do what she does best, which is score, dominate the glass, and block shots.
Scoring
Napavine: O’Neill 12, Kaut 10, Gall 8, McCoy 6, Evander 6, Hannah Fay 3, Hamilton 2, Schutz 1
Toutle Lake: Cooper 12, Lainey Dean 11, Fraidenburg 10, Kendal Dean 3, Payton Thayer 2
Highlights
Postgame Show
BHG Takin’ it to the House Play of the Game
Tigers Get the Threes Going
Fraidenburg Lights it Up
Feb 8 Recaps
Ilwaco 51, Morton/White Pass 48
(Tumwater, WA) The Lady Fisherman of Ilwaco led after every quarter and had a large as a 12 point lead but in the end it came down to a mad scramble a their defense to preserve the loser out contest victory. Ilwaco was on their heels before the game when their leading scorer Mikaila Warfield got sick and in fact drove up to Black Hills High School for this game with her Mom in case they had to stop. In their 2nd District game loss at Napavine Warfield scored 23 of the Fishermen’s 27 points and they needed her at full strength against a tenacious Morton-White Pass squad.
Or did they? Warfield did start and she did score the most points with 21 but she shared that high total with team mate Brooklyn Avalon who came alive for Ilwaco dumping in 21 of her own with a pair of 3’s to boot. Natalie Gray also pitched in 5 points and Ann Petry and Madison Key each scored a bucket which took the offensive pressure off of Warfield who also got into early foul trouble.
The Fisherman led 32-22 at the break and 42-34 after 3 quarters. In fact with less than a minute to go they led by 6 but it would come down to the final seconds. Before we get to the end the Timberwolves played from behind most of the game but never allowed Ilwaco to truly pull away and kept within striking distance. Kiera Miller led MWP with 13 as the T-Wolves spread their offense around. McKenzee Mays had 11 while Malia and Natalia Armstrong both just missed double figures with 9 each and Ana Gonzalez chipped in 4.
Trailing by 6 with about 30 seconds to play Kiera Miller kicked the ball out to Malia Armstrong who was behind the arc and she launched a 3-pointer that went in cutting the lead to 3. Ilwaco got the ball in with less than 15 seconds to go but it was stolen and the T-Wolves had not one but 2 chances to tie it but stiff defense from the Fishermen forced up tough long balls from MWP and after the 2nd shot missed time ran out and Ilwaco survived and advances to the next round of the consolation bracket.
The Lady Fishermen will take on Forks next Tuesday at Castle Rock in a loser out contest. The Thorbeckes MVP went to Brooklyn Avalon and the NW Hometeam of Better Homes and Garden, Summit Funding and Country Financial Insurance Takin’ It to the House Play of the Game was Malia Armstrong’s 3 point shot to cut the lead to 3 and Ilwaco scrambling to hold on for the win.
ESN Postgame Show
MWP steals scores, Ilwaco has the answer
The mad scramble ending
Forks 53, Ocosta 19
(Tumwater, WA) The Forks Spartans wasted little timke in pulling away early and limiting the Wildcat offense. Keira Johnson got things started with a 3 pointer just seconds into the game which set the tone and they did not let up. Forks ran up a 19-4 lead after 1 and 37-7 at the halftime break.
But credit the Ocosta squad from refusing to stop playing hard and what most thought would be a quick running clock in the 3rd quarter did not happen. Forks finally kicked in the running clock a couple of minutes into the 4th quarter with a free throw to make it 49-9 but again Ocosta would not give up and outscored themselves in the final 5 minutes with 10 point than the 9 they had over a little more than 3 quarters.
But Forks never lost control of this one and were led by Keira Johnson’s 24 points which was also good for our Thorbeckes MVP. Bailey Johnson added 9, Brynn Daniels with 6, Fynlie Peters had 5, Chloe Gaydeski 4, Karee Neel with 3 and Avery Dilley the 7th player to score with 2. Forks will face Ilwaco on Tuesday at Castle Rock with a 6pm tip-off.
Ocosta was led by Alexia Bradley’s 9 points, Bristol Towle with 6 and Anna Davis had 4. The Wildcats season has come to an end.
ESN’s Post Game Show
Keira Johnson sets the tone seconds into the game
Feb 6 Recaps
Napavine 65, Ilwaco 27
Ilwaco 7 17 23 27
Napavine 15 39 53 65
(Chehalis, WA) District 4’s reigning 2B girls basketball champions were looking to punch their ticket to this year’s semifinals as the Napavine Tigers took on the Ilwaco Fishermen on Tuesday night in Chehalis. Both teams have a handful of seniors but the youth of both teams was on display as underclassmen stole the show in this one.
Neither side did too much offensively in the opening quarter as the score was 8-0 Napavine midway thru the 1st quarter. Mikaila Warfield got going for Ilwaco as the offense came to life but the Fishermen still trailed after one quarter 15-7. The 2nd quarter was where Napavine seized control. Defense shutdown Ilwaco outside of some free throws and Napavine began to dominate time of possession. The balance of aggression and patience by point guard Taylen Evander led the Tigers in the halfcourt offense and in the transition game while fellow sophomore Hayden Kaut once again showcased her scoring abilities from everywhere on the floor. Eight different Tigers scored in the opening half as a 24-point 2nd quarter opened up the Napavine lead at halftime to 39-17.
Napavine continued to roll in the second half but Ilwaco’s star freshman Mikaila Warfield ended up stealing the show. Warfield showed no fear every time she had the basketball and continuously attacked the basket as her point total continued to climb. Unfortunately, she was the only one to score for Ilwaco in the second half as Napavine’s defense continued to be a strength of the team. Keira O’Neill and Dakota Hamilton dominated on the glass for Napavine, earning the Tigers extra possessions and limiting Ilwaco to a lot of one-and-dones. While Mikaila Warfield would end up with the game-high in points with 23, it would be the Napavine Tigers punching their ticket to the district semifinals with a 65-27 win over Ilwaco.
Our Thorbeckes MVP of the game was Napavine’s Keira O’Neill. O’Neill secured a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds while also playing strong defense in the paint as always. The senior showcased her leadership with hustle on defense even after turnovers. She was constantly the first one down the floor on defense which is a great sign of a leader.
Scoring
Ilwaco: Warfield 23, Avalon 2, Key 2
Napavine: Kaut 16, O’Neill 13, Evander 8, McCoy 7, Hannah Fay 6, Clara Fay 5, Ondong 4, Gall 2, Hamilton 2, Pancake 2
Highlights
Postgame Show
Warfield Goes Coast-To-Coast
Textbook Napavine Passing
BHG Takin’ it to the House Play of the Game
Adna 64, Toledo 30
Toledo 10 15 24 30
Adna 17 37 51 64
(Chehalis, WA) Our nightcap of the evening featured the Central 2B regular season champions in the Adna Pirates taking on the Toledo Riverhawks in another quarterfinal matchup. The #1 team according to the RPI rankings, Adna was looking to finish their story after falling short in the district title game last season and that journey started on Tuesday night.
Right out of the gate it was the Karsyn Freeman show as the C2BL MVP was all over the floor on offense and defense. Less than three minutes into the game, Freeman was already at seven points and continued to score at will in the first half. Toledo put a nice run together in the opening quarter as the Riverhawks offense was very balanced but it was a big three by Stefani Arceo-Hansen that seemed to light a spark for Toledo. The 2nd quarter was where Adna began to pull away. Bailey Chapman had three big blocks for Adna in the paint while Freeman got some scoring help from Danika Hallom and Kendall Humphrey. Adna had too much firepower as the Pirates opened up their lead to 37-15 at halftime with Freeman leading the way with 22 points.
While things remained the same in the second half, it was still a bit different for Adna. Freeman only scored two points in the second half, but that was because they were feeding the hot hand in Danika Hallom who caught fire. A three right out of the halftime break set the tone for Hallom who made the defense honor her shooting and attacking as the junior got to the free throw line often while also finishing some tricky shots at the basket. Ryah Stanley tried to answer Adna’s offense but the Pirate defense was fundamentally sound and the active hands that the Pirates always showcased resulted in plenty of turnovers. Adna would be able to pull away and empty the bench in the 4th quarter as the Pirates defeated Toledo 64-30 to advance to the district semifinals.
While it looked like Karsyn Freeman would run away with our Thorbeckes MVP award, it would end up going to Danika Hallom who put on a show in the second half. The junior went 5-7 from the free throw line, but three three-pointers and consistent drives saw the point total quickly rise in the second half. Hallom also was as solid as ever on defense and helped Adna move back into the district semifinals once again.
Scoring
Toledo: Stanley 9, Arceo-Hansen 6, Lairson 3, Fallon 3, Miller 3, Gould 2, Zaya Norberg 2, Holter 1, Quyn Norberg 1
Adna: Freeman 24, Hallom 20, Chapman 8, Kendall Humphrey 5, Guard 3, Ava Humphrey 2, VonMoos 2
Highlights
Postgame Show
Stanley Beats the Shot Clock
Freeman Euros for Two
BHG Takin’ it to the House Play of the Game
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