Tigers, Ducks stop Lady Mules

The Wahkiakum Lady Mule basketball team ended the 2011-12 regular season with two losses that left them in a sixth place finish in Central League standings.

Last Friday, the visiting Pe Ell Trojans handed the Mules a 59-36 loss. The Trojans jumped ahead early in the first quarter, but the Mules bounced back to trail only 17-13 at the end of the first quarter. TheTrojans took control in the second quarter and led 33-22 at halftime and 36-28 after three quarters.

The game was the final home appearance for the Lady Mule seniors--Brieanna Olsen, Blaine Land, Brianne Helms, Gabby Mann, and Ashley Silva.

Junior Haylee Budd led the Mule scoring with eight points. Marissa Washington scored six, Brieanna Olsen five; Helms, Mann and Sam Boyce all had four, and Land two.

Land and Budd each pulled down 10 rebounds.

"We played a good first half. Gabby Mann had a great game; she did a lot of good things," said Mule Coach Tiffany Niemeyer. "Marissa Washington gave us a good spark off the bench by grabbing six rebounds and six points. We need to shoot the ball better from the field and the free throw line."

On February 1, the Mules lost a close game 51-46 to the Morton/White Pass Timberwolves.

"It was a pretty good game for us; the girls never gave up and held them to single digits in the fourth quarter," Niemeyer said. "We were within two points with under two minutes to go. Both teams were in the bonus in the fourth quarter. We were 1/6 from the line and they were 5/10 from the line in the fourth.

"It was an intense game throughout."

Boyce led the Mule effort with 14 points and 15 rebounds. She also had five assists and three steals. Brieanna Olsen scored 11 points and made six rebounds and five steals. Stanley scored nine, Helms six, and Budd, Washington and Baylee Olsen two each. Washington had five rebounds.

The Lady Mules finished the season with a 4-11 league record, 6-14 overall. They open district tournament play today (Thurdsday), 6:30 p.m., in Montesano against Willapa Valley. The winner plays Adna on February 11; the loser plays Wednesday, 8 p.m., in Centralia.