A3
THE ASTORIAN • TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 2022
SPORTS
SENIOR
SPOTLIGHT
Photo by
Emma Taggart
Mollie
Matthews
Astoria
Sports: Volleyball (all-league),
basketball, softball
Guard / No. 3
Favorite sports moment: When
our team got to go to Alaska and
play in a tournament.
Where you see yourself in fi ve
years: I’m not sure where I see
myself in fi ve years, but hopefully
I’m doing something that makes
me happy!
Favorite road trips: Some of
my favorite road trips have been
going down to Marshfi eld and
playing in their tournament.
Favorite pre game music: My
favorite pre game music is pretty
much anything that will get me
pumped up.
Most infl uential coach or teach-
er: Coach Alex (Eterno) and Coach
Mike (Jacobson) have both made
a big impact on my basketball
career.
Any advice for young team-
mates?: My advice to younger
teammates would be to stick with
it, because it is worth it in the end.
Knappa boys on a roll as playoff s begin
The Astorian
The No.1-ranked Knappa boys basket-
ball team showcased its dominance this sea-
son over the rest of the Northwest League,
with wins Friday and Saturday over Gaston
(65-19) and Mannahouse Christian (54-33),
respectively.
Winners of 23 in a row, Knappa will be the
favorite at the 2A level when the state play-
off s begin next week. The Loggers will host
a league playoff game Saturday at 3 p.m. at
Vernonia vs. an opponent to be determined
for the Northwest League’s No. 1 seed.
The Loggers fi nished 16-0 in league play
Warriors win
one, lose one
at Rainier
The Astorian
Warrenton wrapped up
the Coastal Range League
regular season with a
55-46 boys basketball win
Friday night at Rainier.
The Warriors (6-2)
will host a league playoff
Thursday, time and oppo-
nent to be announced.
Rainier held a 28-21
halftime lead in Friday’s
game, and still led by
seven in the fourth quar-
ter, before the Warriors
got hot and scored 21
points in the fi nal period.
Rainier 47,
Warriors 24
In the girls’ game,
Rainier topped Warren-
ton 47-24.
The Lady Warriors fi n-
ish the regular season with
a 2-17 overall record, and
were set to open the post-
season with a league play-
off Monday at Taft.
(with one forfeit win), defeating league
opponents by an average of 32.7 points per
game.
Knappa girls close season with wins
The 2021-2022 campaign is over for the
Knappa girls basketball team, but with just
three seniors — and one of the few teams
in the Northwest League with a junior var-
sity program — the Lady Loggers will be a
major factor in next year’s league race.
Knappa closed out the season with three
straight victories, including a 52-20 win Fri-
day at Gaston, followed by a 50-28 decision
Saturday at Mannahouse Christian.
SCOREBOARD
PREP SPORTS SCHEDULE
TUESDAY
Girls Basketball — Seaside at Banks,
6 p.m.; Willamette Valley Christian at
Jewell, 5:30 p.m.; TBA at Knappa, TBA
Boys Basketball — Seaside at Banks,
7:40 p.m.; Willamette Valley Christian at
Jewell, 7 p.m.
WEDNESDAY
Girls Basketball — Oregon School for
the Deaf at Jewell, 5:30 p.m.
Boys Basketball — Oregon School for
the Deaf at Jewell, 7 p.m.
THURSDAY
Girls Basketball — Seaside at Asto-
ria, 6 p.m.
Boys Basketball — Seaside at Astoria,
7:40 p.m.; TBA at Warrenton
BASKETBALL
COACHES POLLS
4A Girls
(First place votes in parentheses)
1. Philomath Warriors (11) 110
2. Cascade Cougars 95
3. Junction City Tigers 89
4. Baker Bulldogs 62
5. Gladstone Gladiators (1) 61
6. Madras White Buff aloes 39
7. Banks Braves 33
8. Corbett Cardinals 32
9. Astoria Fishermen 29
10. Marist Catholic Spartans 20
Others: Stayton 17.
4A Boys
1. Junction City Tigers (14) 149
2. Cascade Cougars 117
3. Marshfi eld Pirates 110
4. Philomath Warriors 99
5. Seaside Seagulls 74
6. Stayton Eagles 68
7. Baker Bulldogs 42
8. Banks Braves 39
9. Henley Hornets 34
10. Corbett Cardinals 8
Others: La Grande 7, Cottage Grove 6.
2A Boys
1. Knappa Loggers (5) 94
2. Salem Academy (4) 92
3. Western Christian 81
4. Jeff erson Lions (1) 70
5. Kennedy Trojans 57
6. Illinois Valley Cougars 52
7. Regis Rams 32
8. Bandon Tigers 26
9. Heppner Mustangs 17
10. Oakland Oakers 11
Others: East Linn Christian 11.
GIRLS BASKETBALL
ASTORIA 53,
VALLEY CATHOLIC 20
AST (53): Shelby Bruney 16, Peterson
12, Matthews 10, Huber 7, Biederman 2,
Palmberg 2, Holmstedt 2.
Astoria
10
14
20
9—53
TILLAMOOK 31, SEASIDE 27
TIL (31): Lexie Braxling 14, Garcia 6,
Haertel 5, Werner 1.
SEA (27): Abby Nofi eld 12, A.Taylor 5,
L.Taylor 4, Olson 4, Bowles 2, Joli, Marti-
nez, Klumper, Betts.
Tillamook
3
7
11
10—31
Seaside
2
13
8
4—27
BOYS BASKETBALL
ASTORIA 80,
VALLEY CATHOLIC 59
AST (80): Colton McMaster 23, Wil-
liams 19, Benesch 15, Faulkner 7, Field 7,
Woodrich 5, Boudreau 4, Moore, Winter-
steen, Olson.
VC (59): Ryoma Lane 15, Holub 11, Hey-
worth 10, Tortorelli 9, Cheung 9, DeBar-
toli 5, Han 2.
Astoria
23
23
19
15—80
Valley C
18
12
14
15—59
SEASIDE 69, TILLAMOOK 38
TIL (38): Marshall Allen 17, Hoskins 12,
Johnson 9, White 3, Hurliman 2.
SEA (69): Connor Langmo 20, Corder 17,
Sibony 13, Wunderlich 4, White 4, Jantes
3, Palmer 3, Thompson 2, Kawasoe 2.
Tillamook
14
5
11
8—38
Seaside
20
18
18 13—69
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Astoria girls pound the Valiants, 53-20
Lady Mooks edge Seaside
The Astorian
Astoria had three players in double fi g-
ures, and the Lady Fishermen completed
their season sweep over Valley Catholic
with a 53-20 victory on the Valiants’ home
fl oor Friday night in Cowapa League girls
basketball.
Shelby Bruney overcame a score-
less fi rst half to fi nish with 16 points,
with teammate Caleigh Peterson adding
12 points and Mollie Matthews chipping
in 10, helping Astoria improve to 6-1 in
league play.
The Lady Fishermen close out the reg-
ular season Thursday at home vs. Seaside.
Tillamook 31, Gulls 27
No team in Cowapa League girls bas-
ketball has given up fewer points than
Seaside, but the Gulls are also the lowest
scoring team in the league.
In another tight, low-scoring contest
Friday night on the Gulls’ home fl oor, Til-
lamook outlasted Seaside 31-27.
The two teams played the momentum
game in the fi rst half, as Seaside turned a
7-6 defi cit into a 17-10 lead early in the
third quarter, following multiple scores
from Abby Nofi eld and Madi Olson.
Tillamook answered with a 8-0 run
for a brief 18-17 lead, before Nofi eld
scored three straight buckets to help Sea-
side build a 25-21 lead early in the fourth
quarter.
From there, a 3-pointer by Tillamook’s
Gabriella Garcia sparked a 10-2 run for
the Cheesemakers — who still had trouble
closing out the game, missing three free
throws and committing lane violations on
two other attempts in the fi nal minutes.
Abby Nofi eld led Seaside with 12
points, while Lexie Braxing scored 14 for
Tillamook.
The Gulls close out the regular season
with road games at Banks and Astoria this
week, before league playoff s begin.
Astoria boys ring up big win, 80-59
Seaside defeats
the Cheesemakers
The Astorian
The Astoria boys basketball team hit a
season-high in points with a peak perfor-
mance on the court Friday night at Valley
Catholic, where the Fishermen scored an
80-59 win over the Valiants.
Colton McMaster scored a game-high
23 points for the Fishermen, who were on
pace for over 90 points with a 46-30 lead
at halftime.
Owen Williams added 19 points and
Merrick Benesch chipped in 15 for Asto-
ria, which improves to 4-3 in league,
10-10.
With third place in the league stand-
ings locked up, Astoria hosts Seaside in
a regular season fi nal Thursday, and then
(if no league playoff ) will likely host a
play-in state qualifi er.
“We still had a little foul trouble with
Colton and Niko (Boudreau) in the fi rst
quarter, but other guys stepped up,” said
Astoria coach Kevin Goin. “It was a crazy
fi rst half. We had 13 assists in the fi rst half
alone, which is usually a good stat for an
entire game.
“We ended up hitting 11 3-pointers
(four from Benesch, three by Williams),
and our guard play was the strongest it’s
been all season,” he said.
The Fishermen scored 83 points in a
nonleague game against Nestucca last
season, but had not hit the 80-point mark
in a Cowapa League contest since 2001-
2002, in an 84-36 win at Clatskanie.
Gulls 69, Tillamook 38
Seaside outscored Tillamook in every
quarter Friday night, and the Gulls are
rounding into state championship form
as they posted a solid 69-38 win over the
Cheesemakers in Cowapa League boys
basketball action.
Tillamook’s Tanner Hoskins hit three
3-pointers in the fi rst half to keep the
Cheesemakers close, but Seaside turned
an 8-7 defi cit into a 38-19 halftime lead
behind 3-pointers from Cash Corder and
Ever Sibony, and a number of steals and
scores off Tillamook turnovers.
Seaside’s Connor Langmo scored 10
points in each half for a game-high 20, and
the Gulls marked Senior Night with nine
diff erent players in the scoring column.
Seaside (6-0 atop the Cowapa stand-
ings) can wrap up a league title with a win
Tuesday at Banks (5-1).