Abdul Kariem closes out her senior year as a mentor to younger players

The Wahkiakum Mules girls basketball team ended their season last Wednesday at home with a 62-20 loss to Toutle Lake, and celebrated Amirah Abdul Kariem, the lone senior on the team.

Abdul Kariem scored six points in the Mules' final game. Payton Mendez added five points.

Maddalena Fortuna had three points while Brienna Cothren, Jessie LeFever, and Samantha Dela Cruz added two points apiece.

Toutle Lake 15 17 33 7 62

Mules 2 5 5 8 20

"The girls were tough all season long," Coach Ross Lofstrom said. "We were able to somewhat bookend our season with wins but there was a long stretch where we were really struggling against good teams. The team never quit. They remained positive and focused on developing their skills. We were able to show areas of improvement throughout the year and that was apparent in our two matchups against Winlock."

"We will miss the leadership of Amirah Abdul Kariem," he continued. "She knew it would be a challenging season but decided to take on the challenge and help the younger girls throughout the year.

"We have a bright future with a more leveled playing field in the 1Bs next year, but it will still take tremendous hard work and bonding over the summer to become the team we hope to be," Lofstrom said.