Ridgefield's Wyatt Layman (51) and Centralia's Michael Ajoge (14) attempt to pick up a loose ball Saturday night at Centralia High School.
Ridgefield's Kellen Bringhurst (33) attempts a lay up in traffic Saturday night at Centralia High School.
1A
Fresh off sweeping the Trico League, La Center (10-0 league, 14-7 overall) did not miss a beat in the first round of the District 1A Boys Basketball Tournament.
The Wildcats beat Elma 75-42 and will next play Seton Catholic, who they beat twice during the regular season, 7:30 p.m., Tuesday, Feb. 13 at King’s Way Christian, with the winner securing a spot in regionals.
2A
The Centralia defense came up big when it mattered the most against Ridgefield (6-6 league, 12-10 overall), but it wasn’t due to any grand shift in the strategy.
Holding Ridgefield to just 3 points for the first seven minutes of the fourth quarter, rather, was a product of sticking to the original game plan.
Centralia used that time to go on a 13-0 run last Saturday night and turn a close game into a 50-33 win in the first round of the District 2A Boys Basketball Tournament on Ron Brown Court in Centralia.
Ridgefield’s Chase Ramey hit a 3-pointer a minute into the fourth quarter that cut the Tigers’ lead to 37-30, but the Spudders wouldn’t score again until Centralia had built a 20-point lead with under a minute left to play.
Tyler Ashmore led Centralia with 14 points, Conner Wasson chipped in 12 and the Tigers went 13 of 14 at the foul line and outscored Ridgefield 15-6 in the fourth.
Wasson, a senior guard, also added seven rebounds and went 6 for 6 at the foul line.
Ridgefield still has a chance at advancing to regionals if they win out in the consolation bracket. They next play Tumwater, 6 p.m., Tuesday, Feb. 13 at Mark Morris High School.
Earlier in the week, Hockinson (4-8 league, 6-15 overall) failed to secure a spot in the 2A main draw after losing 65-70 to Tumwater in a play-in game.
3A
After a 53-41 first round win in the District 3A Boys Basketball Tournament, Prairie (9-1 league, 16-6 overall) fell 74-63 to Timberline last Saturday.
The Falcons cannot afford another loss if they hope to secure one of the six spots reserved for regionals. They next play Peninsula, 6 p.m., Tuesday, Feb. 13 at Foss High School in Tacoma.
4A
After a 57-54 loss in a play-in game to Auburn-Mountainview, Battle Ground (3-5 league, 10-11 overall) failed to land a spot in the District 4A Boys Basketball Tournament.
