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THE DAILY ASTORIAN MONDAY, FEBRUARY 29, 2016 SPORTS 7A Fishermen one step closer to state tourney By GARY HENLEY The Daily Astorian The Astoria Fishermen were doing things the old-fashioned way Friday night at the Brick House. Hustle, intensity, tough defense, making shots … even the old-fashioned three-pointers. And it all resulted in an old-fashioned playoff victory for the Fishermen, 67-48 over Stayton in a Regional Play-in boys basketball game. The win clinches a spot in WKH 6ZHHW ²$VWRULD¶V ¿UVW appearance there since the 2009- 10 season. “It’s good that we got a win, and hopefully we can keep it JRLQJ´ VDLG $VWRULD¶V .\OH Strange, who scored a game- high 22 points. “Let’s ride this EDE\RXW´ There was a time when play- off victories were routine for Astoria, so forgive the Fisher- men for being overly pumped IROORZLQJ WKH ZLQ WKH ¿UVW post-season victory (other than league tie-breakers) for Astoria since a 59-48 win over Ontario Feb. 27, 2007. And you have to go back one generation in the Goin fam- LO\WR¿QG$VWRULD¶VODVWVWDWHRU regional playoff victory at the Brick House (46-44 over River- side in 2001, under Mike Goin). “I grew up in such a differ- HQW HUD´ VDLG $VWRULD FRDFK 1992 grad and Mike’s son Kevin Joshua Bessex/The Daily Astorian Astoria’s Justin Fruiht, No. 23, is fouled while shooting by Stayton’s Cade Nau, No. 2, during the game. a good team to get there, and unless something goofy hap- SHQVZH¶OOEHRQWKHURDG´ Something goofy appar- ently happened, because the Fishermen will actually host Cascade in a state playoff at 6:30 p.m. Saturday. The winner advances to the state tourna- ment to play either La Grande or Seaside. Meanwhile, it was Stayton’s Joshua Bessex/The Daily Astorian second visit of the season to Astoria’s Fridtjof Fremstad, No. 12, goes up for a shot over Astoria. The Fishermen beat the Stayton’s Everett St. Clair, No. 10, during the game. Eagles 57-39 Jan. 9, and Astoria left no doubt in the rematch. Goin, “it was kind of the expec- and I’m happy with the effort Stayton was within 18-13 tation to spend the week before WKH\¶YH SXW LQ´ KH VDLG ³:H midway through the second spring break at the state tourna- have a chance to go play in the quarter, when Astoria had a ment in Eugene. state tournament, which is really string of momentum-turning “Our kids are real happy, big. You’re going to have to play plays to take command. Warrenton’s Walker goes out on top By DAVID BALL For The Daily Astorian PORTLAND — Warren- ton High senior Colton Walker capped his prep wrestling career with a state championship, win- ning the 3A 106-pound bracket in quick order last weekend. Walker marched to the cham- pionship mat Saturday night to face Willamina rookie Jordan Reyes — the tournament’s No. 3 seed. He got in on his oppo- nent’s leg for a takedown just 15 seconds into a bout that was never in doubt. “I went in focused and con- ¿GHQW´ :DONHU VDLG ³, OLNH WR start at the whistle and catch people off guard. I just kept tak- LQJVKRWVDQGPRYLQJIRUZDUG´ Walker got in for a second takedown before the match was a minute old, and worked to turn Reyes to his shoulders for a pin in 1:14. “This means the world to PH´ :DONHU VDLG SDXVLQJ WR look at the red and green chip awarded to state champions. “It’s always been my dream to EHFRPHDVWDWHFKDPSLRQ´ The title win avenged an XQOLNHO\ORVVLQODVW\HDU¶V¿QDO ZKHUHDWKURZLQWKH¿QDOVHF- onds turned his four-point lead into a narrow loss. Walker had no such chal- lengers at this season’s tourna- ment, opening with a 13-0 shut- out win over Harrisburg’s Riley Suttles before scoring a third- round pin against No. 4-seed Ricardo Flores-Galvez of Ger- vais in Saturday morning’s VHPL¿QDOV Kathy Morgan/For the Daily Astorian Warrenton’s Colton Walker pinned Riley Suttles of Harris- burg on his way to a state title. “Being a senior is a big DGYDQWDJH´ :DONHU VDLG ³,¶P going up against a lot of fresh- men and sophomores. I’m stron- ger than my opponents and I KDYHWKHH[SHULHQFHRQWKHPDW´ Warriors’ teammate Justice Watson reached the 152-pound VHPL¿QDOVZLWKDVHFRQGSLQ over No. 4-seed Devin Sheldon of Glide and went on to win a consolation bout on his way to DIRXUWKSODFH¿QLVK Astoria High sent a pair of wrestlers into Saturday’s morning session, led by senior Andrew Poplin who scored a second-round pin in his open- ing match. Poplin stayed in contention with another pin in the consola- tion bracket to end Friday’s ses- sion. After giving up an early takedown to Mazama’s Cam- eron Hankins, he got on the scoreboard by pulling off an escape with only a few ticks left LQWKH¿UVWSHULRG Hankins tried for a fall early in the second period and nearly pinned himself in the process, JRLQJ ÀDW RQ WKH PDW ZKLOH VORZLQJ ÀLSSLQJ 3RSOLQ¶V IHHW through the air. Poplin pushed the momentum through and safely rolled out of danger and ended up on top for a reversal and back points to claim a 5-2 lead. “I just had to keep my head in good position and keep track RI ZKDW KH ZDV WU\LQJ WR GR´ Poplin said. +HZDVQ¶W¿QLVKHG Poplin locked up his oppo- nent in the center circle and tightened his grip to earn the fall with 42 seconds left in the round. “I had to keep my hips down on the mat, because that was GULYLQJ KLV VKRXOGHUV GRZQ´ Poplin said. “I had to make a few adjustments, but I knew I was in JRRGSRVLWLRQWRSLQKLP´ 3RSOLQ GURSSHG KLV ¿UVW elimination match upon return- ing to the Coliseum on the next morning. Astoria rookie Kaden Gil- bert made it a two-day tourna- ment by knocking off No. 4 seed Brandyn Chaney of McLough- lin in a consolation bout at 182 SRXQGV7KHDFWLRQÀRZHG*LO- bert’s way right off the opening whistle when the two locked up in the center circle and tumbled over each other like clothes at the laundromat. Neither gained control before rolling out of bounds, but Gilbert was in his element. “My training is in jujitsu, so , ORYH JHWWLQJ LQWR VFUDPEOHV´ he said. “As long as I stay faster than my opponent, I can catch WKHPRIIJXDUG´ That is exactly how Gilbert moved ahead, slipping out of a single-leg and circling behind Chaney for a takedown with three seconds left in the opening round. A reversal made it 4-0 early in the second, and he took full control when he wrapped his opponent’s right arm and crumpled him to the mat for a takedown and a 6-1 lead. Gilbert continued to build his margin back points and heard the referee slap the mat award- ing a fall as zeros showed on the clock. “I got that lead and it forced him to try crazy stuff, while I FRXOGIRFXVRQFRXQWHUPRYHV´ *LOEHUW VDLG ³7KLV LV P\ ¿UVW year at state, and I still have a chance for third place — I’m H[FLWHG´ +H ORVW KLV ¿UVW FRQVRODWLRQ match Saturday morning by a slim 10-9 decision. Astoria’s Bronson Holthusen (220) scored a consolation pin. A tough bracket resulted in a tough tournament for the Knappa wrestlers. Following a missed 3-pointer by the Fishermen, the Eagles lost control of the rebound, Strange gathered it in and hit a short jumper. He also drew the foul and converted the three-point play for a 21-13 lead. Moments later, Strange knocked down a trey from the corner. And with 56 seconds left, Justin Fruiht pulled down the third of three straight offensive rebounds, scored and drew the foul to give the Fishermen a 27-14 lead. Astoria held double-digit leads the rest of the night, the largest being a 55-30 advantage early in the fourth quarter. The )LVKHUPHQ ¿QLVKHG ZLWK WKHLU second-highest point total of the season, behind a 69-48 win over Rainier Dec. 28. It helps when you make 17-of-22 shots in the second half, as Astoria did Friday. The Fishermen were 9-of-12 in the third quarter, and the last miss was a desperation shot from midcourt as the quarter ended. “The second half we did a much better job coming to the ball and making better decisions RQ WKH EUHDN´ *RLQ VDLG ³:H got it to the posts and got good FXWV 2XU HI¿FLHQF\ ZDV PXFK EHWWHU´ Defensively, the Fishermen EORFNHG¿YHVKRWVE\WKHPXFK smaller Stayton team, most by the twin towers, Fruiht and Derek Jarrett. )UXLKW ¿QLVKHG ZLWK points, while Astoria’s sixth man, Ryan Palek, scored 13 of his 15 points in the second half, and most on breakaways. Strange said the offensive plan was pretty simple — get it to the big guys. “That was our game plan — just getting the ball to the posts, and cutting off the posts to get HDV\ORRNV´KHVDLG³,IHOWOLNH we did that. “We know the expectations, DQGZH¶UHUHDG\WRZRUN´VDLG the junior guard. “We came out strong in the second half, pushed the ball and tried our best to get XSWKHÀRRUDQGJHWVRPHJRRG ORRNV´ SCOREBOARD BOYS BASKETBALL Astoria 67, Stayton 48 STAYTON (48): Kyle Schwarm 13, Cade Nau 10, Matthew Lin- demann 9, Jerry Daniels 6, Charlie Weeks 5, Jacob Classen 3, Everett St. Clair 2. ASTORIA (67): Kyle Strange 22, Ryan Palek 15, Justin Fruiht 11, Derek Jarrett 7, Fridt- jof Fremstad 6, Olaf Englund 2, Jackson Arnsdorf 2, Clay Wil- liams 2, Kyle Meisner, Jasyn Gohl, Alex Burchfield, Rory Loughran, Cade O’Brien. Stayton 7 9 14 18—48 Astoria 14 13 20 20—67 Field goals: Stayton 17-52; As- toria 28-47. 3-Point FG: Stayton 5-16 (Schwarm 3, Weeks, Nau); Astoria 3-12 (Strange 3). Free throws: Stayton 9-16, Astoria 8-12. Fouls: Stayton 15, Astoria 16. Officials: Barbic, Tice. W. Mennonite 57, Knappa 53 KNA (53): Jason Miller 16, Takalo 13, Severson 13, Weirup 5, Goodman 4, Rubus 2, Eng- blom, Eltagonde, Geisler, Hen- drickson. WM (57): Colby Williams 13, O’Neill 12, J.Williams 10, Hess 10, Berkey 6, Hull 3, Domes 3, Gray. Knappa 11 6 9 27—53 W.Mennonite 11 10 11 25—57 Field goals: Knappa 20-46, W.Mennonite 18-37. 3-Point FG: Knappa 4 (Severson 3, Weirup); W.Mennonite 4 (Berkey 2, J.Wil- liams, Domes). Free throws: Knappa 9-18, W.Mennonite The Loggers went a com- bined 1-10 on the mat in the Class 2A portion of the meet. The lone victory came from Luke Goozee at 113 pounds, where Goozee bounced back from an opening round loss with a pin over Reedsport’s Fisher Wahl, in 57 seconds. Goozee was later pinned by 17-28. Rebounds: Knappa 24 (Severson 7); W.Mennonite 34 (O’Neill 12). Shorewood C. 63, Naselle 43 NAS (43): Donny Edwards 22, Pine 6, Gudmundsen 5, Scra- beck 5, Dorman 3, Estes 2, Dal- ton, Fontanilla, Eaton, Wirkkala, Lund, Bergeson. SC (63): J.J. Young 19, Feva- leaki 16, Domingo 12, Howell 8, Sollesvik 4, Munson 4. Naselle 10 1 16 16—43 Shorewood 18 15 18 12—63 GIRLS BASKETBALL Henley 64, Astoria 56 ASTORIA (56): Chloee Hunt 17, Kaylee Mitchell 9, Saman- tha Hemsley 7, Alexis Wallace 7, Taylor Mickle 6, Rylee De- Mander 5, Anna Gimre 3, Myk- ka Abrahams 2. HENLEY (64): Arianne O’Con- nor 19, Gabby Mathis 18, McK- enna Armantrout 10, Tanner Hig- gins 6, Sisalee Parrish 5, Briea Baley 4, Annalise Greif 2. Astoria 10 14 12 20—56 Henley 17 15 12 20—64 Toutle Lake 53, Ilwaco 34 ILW (34): Makenzie Kaech 16, Jacobson 10, Ellsworth 6, McMil- lan 2, Bentley, Kondos, Bannis- ter, Kulm, Pierson, Benenati. TL (53): Sam Woodley 21, Dean 9, Wason 8, Gardner 7, Hockett 4, Deffenbaugh 2, Wentz 2. Ilwaco 5 7 13 9—34 Toutle Lake 13 18 9 13—54 Cole Farwell of Enterprise (:16). At 106, Knappa’s Cody Hobbs lost by fall to Symon Thurman of Lowell (3:02) and Joshua Fellows of Bonanza (2:40). Reuben Cruz was 0-2 at 160; Andrew Goozee was 0-2 at 182; DQG 'DYLG 3DWWHUVRQ ¿QLVKHG 0-2 at 195. Pioneers edge Loggers, 57-53 Season-ending loss for Astoria said of Western Mennonite. “But we competed hard and 6$/(0 ² )URP ¿IWK left it all out there. place in their own league to the “We didn’t shoot as well Sweet 16, the Knappa Loggers as we normally do, and we took the 2015-16 season as far were only 9-for-18 at the free- as they could. WKURZOLQHZKLFKFRVWXV´KH And the season came to a said. “Jason Miller was steady close Saturday night in Salem, all night, and he kept us in the where Western Mennonite JDPHLQWKH¿UVWKDOI´ posted a 57-53 win over the Miller led Knappa with Loggers in a Class 2A state 16 points, followed by Dale playoff game. Takalo and Dakota Severson Knappa outscored the Pio- with 13 apiece. Colby Wil- neers 27-25 in a wild fourth liams scored 13 points for the quarter, but Western held on Pioneers, who had four players for the win to advance to the LQGRXEOH¿JXUHV state tournament. The Loggers The Loggers lose just two ¿QLVKRYHUDOO seniors (Dakota Severson and “They were up 11 with four Jimmy Hendrickson), and minutes left, so we started to return their top three scorers play the foul game to get back next season. LQ LW´ .QDSSD FRDFK &KULV “Our four juniors (Mitch Spencer said. Geisler, Michal Goodman, Which the Loggers did, Miller, Ethan Rubus) were closing to within four with 30 super-consistent, and they seconds left. Knappa missed a were the emotional lead- layup, and the Pioneers were HUV´ 6SHQFHU VDLG ³6R ZH¶OO able to hang on. have strong leadership com- “They’re well-coached, ing back. And the sophomores ZLWK D ORW RI GHSWK´ 6SHQFHU will be a year older and a year +XQW SLFNHG XS KHU ¿IWK foul with 1:26 remaining, KLAMATH FALLS — leaving the game with 17 The Astoria Lady Fishermen points and 13 rebounds. nearly pulled off a miracle win Back-to-back 3-pointers by Saturday afternoon, in a Class Hunt early in the fourth quar- 4A Regional Play-in girls bas- ter had keyed the comeback. ketball game at Henley. $VWRULD ¿QLVKHV The Hornets ultimately got overall, while the Hornets (17- the victory, 64-56, but they 7) advance to the Sweet 16. had to work for it. It was the “best second half Taking on the state run- WKDWZHSOD\HGDOO\HDU´VDLG ner-up from last season, the Astoria coach Mike Jacobson. Lady Fish trailed 41-28 mid- “I was very proud of the girls way through the third quarter, when we got down by 12 or but staged a big-time rally and 13 to begin the third quarter. actually grabbed a 49-48 lead They fought back and got the on a 3-pointer by Alexis Wal- lead in the middle of the fourth lace with 4:00 left in the game. quarter. Two free throws by Wal- “They never gave up like lace had the Fishermen in KDV KDSSHQHG LQ WKH SDVW´ front 51-50, but turnovers and he said. “This senior group IRXOV ¿QDOO\ FDXJKW XS ZLWK (Hunt, Taylor Mickle, Mykka Astoria. Abrahams) has so much to be The Hornets went on a proud of. They are the begin- 9-1 run, as Wallace, Chloee ning of the process of chang- Hunt and Rylee DeMander all ing the culture of the girls bas- IRXOHGRXWLQWKH¿QDOPLQXWHV NHWEDOOSURJUDP´ and Henley’s Arianna O’Con- nor and Gabby Mathis made Toutle Lake 53, Ilwaco 34 5-of-6 free throws. CHEHALIS, Wash. — The Daily Astorian stronger, we have a talented freshman class and some good eighth-graders coming up. We’re hoping that will put us in the same type situation next year, and maybe we’ll be host- LQJWKLVJDPHLQVWHDG´ Lions 63, Comets 43 RENTON, Wash. — Shore- wood Christian took advan- tage of a rough second quarter for Naselle Saturday, to score a 63-43 win over the Comets in a 1B boys basketball regional. Shorewood outscored Naselle 15-1 in the second period for a 33-11 halftime lead. Donny Edwards scored 22 points for Naselle, while Shorewood had three players LQ GRXEOH ¿JXUHV OHG E\ -- Young’s 19 points. It was the same J.J. Young who competed for Seat- tle Lutheran in football, and rushed for 303 yards and scored four touchdowns to beat Naselle in a state playoff game last fall. The Daily Astorian Their seventh game of the post-season was not a lucky one for the Ilwaco girls bas- ketball team, whose season came to an end Friday night in Chehalis, where Toutle Lake scored a 53-34 win in a Regional 2B contest. Ilwaco was 18-2 in the reg- ular season, which included a 15-game win streak. Ranked No. 2 in the state at the 2B level, the Fishermen went 4-3 in the playoffs, and ¿QLVKHGRQHJDPHVK\RIWKH 2B state tournament in Spo- kane. Toutle Lake improves to 23-2 overall. The Ducks had 18 steals, LQFOXGLQJ VL[ ¿UVWKDOI VWHDOV by Britzy Hockett that led to a 31-12 halftime lead. Ilwaco rallied to within 35-24, but the Ducks pushed the lead right back to 50-29. Makenzie Kaech scored a team-high 16 points for Ilwaco, followed by Made- line Jacobson with 10 points. Sam Woodley scored 21 for Toutle Lake.
