Mules drop league final, district tourney opener

Photos by Todd Wilson

The Wahkiakum Mules boys basketball team lost two games this week, one to finish the regular season and the second in the first round of post season play.

Last Thursday, the team traveled to Morton/White Pass to play their final conference game of the season. The Mules lost 65-41.

"They played a zone defense, and we did not handle it very well," Coach Todd Souvenir said. "We've been working on how to handle that in the last week, moving the ball and reacting to what the defense gives us. They got a lot of deflections and steals, and those live ball turnovers create easy transition buckets for the other team. We've got to figure out how to cut down on those if we're going to go on in the district tournament."

"We did not show up to play on the defensive end or for rebounding, and it set us up for a long night in White Pass," he added.

Zakk Carlson had 14 points. Titan Niemela added 11 points. Brodie Avalon scored nine points. Dominic Curl had four points. Elijah Cothren finished the game with three points.

Mules 8 13 12 8 --41

MWP 11 22 20 13 --65

A coin toss gave the Mules fifth place in the Central 2B league, and on Saturday, they headed to Raymond for the opening round of the District 4 Tournament. They lost to the Seagulls, the Pacific 2B number four team, 73-56, which set the Mules on a longer road to state, with a series of loser out games to navigate.

"It started out okay, but we had a few turnovers that led to a few more turnovers and Raymond got the momentum," Coach Todd Souvenir said. "We dug ourselves a hole and couldn't climb out of it. We've got to regroup and cut down on the turnovers moving forward, and take one game at a time."

"It was tough for the kids," he said. "It was a tough loss against a quality opponent."

The team's goal this year is to make it to a regional game, Coach Souvenir said.

"That goal is still in front of us," he added. "I think we're on the right path for the next game."

Carlson scored 20 points. Brodie Avalon added 11 points, nine rebounds, and five assists. Curl had nine points and five rebounds. Niemela scored eight points and pulled down six boards. Kyler Sause had eight points.

Mules 11 15 10 20 --56

Raymond 15 25 17 16 --73

The Mules faced Onalaska in a loser out game on Wednesday. If they won, they will face another challenger in a loser out game on Friday. Check the Wahkiakum Eagle Sports Report page on Facebook for scores and updates.