Hockinson’s sophomore guard Payton Poppe hit the game-winning basket in dramatic fashion for the Hawks to win 70-68 against Woodland on Friday, Dec. 15.
Poppe ended the night with 22 points, including five from beyond the arc. Ryker Kitchen added four from 3-point land and had the game high of 24 points.
“It feels good. The guys came together,” Hockinson head coach Dalton Rausch said. “They did a way better job of the things that we emphasized. We will be a great program.”
The night prior, the Hawks stumbled against Columbia River in a 93-62 loss. The Rapids are dominating in the 2A Greater St. Helens League in their coach’s first season as well.
The Hawks sit at 3-2 in league play and 4-3, overall, this season after Dec. 15 under Rausch after recording only two wins in league last year.
“We are really trying to emphasize rebounding as a team, executing on both ends and being engaged for the full 32 minutes,” Rausch said. “We’re not where we need to be, but we are making headway which feels great.”
For the Beavers, Woodland’s head coach Justin Gabbard believes his team still hasn’t found its identity yet.
“We just have to keep on doing what we’re doing,” Gabbard said after the loss. “I mean, from the get-go we have struggled early. Coming out, we’ve had a lot to improve [upon], and we’ve done that. Everyday we get better, and tonight was probably our best game that we’ve played.”
Gabbard emphasized that every practice from this point on has to be better than the last as the league remains heavily competitive heading into winter break.
“I thought we would have figured out where we stood at this point, and then where everybody stood,” Gabbard said of this year’s 2A GSHL. “You know, Hockinson beat Ridgefield by two. Ridgefield beat Washougal by a handful. They’re not blowouts. Columbia River has blown guys out, though.”
Woodland now sits at 1-3 in league play and 3-3 on the season after Dec. 15.
The Hawks finished the first half of the season after a matchup with Columbia High School (White Salmon) on the road, Monday, Dec. 18 and a home game against Fort Vancouver High School on Tuesday, Dec. 19. Both results were unavailable before press time.
The Beavers head into their winter break after a road meeting with Washougal on Tuesday, Dec. 19. Results were unavailable before press time.
