Mules kicking on the court

The new year has arrived, and the Wahkiakum High School Mules have been holding their own on the court this season. Though there have been some tough losses, both the boys and girls have been excellent in league play.

Going into the Jan. 7 games against Columbia Adventist Academy High School, the boys and girls teams for Wahkiakum were undefeated in conference play, with the boys being 2-0 and the girls being 4-0. The result against Columbia Adventist is not known at the time of press.

Boys

The boys have been up and down this season, as they started on a 4-1 hot streak. Some of the highlights of the early goings were double-digit wins over Taholah, Three Rivers Christian School, and Oakville. The two conference victories were against Three Rivers Christian and Oakville.

Unfortunately, the next five games would be the inverse, with the Mules losing four in a row after their win against Oakville. One of the losses came in a close 71-67 home game against Raymond/South Bend. In their next game against Summit Classical Christian School at Centralia College Dec. 21, they took a tough loss 72-55.

The next two losses came at the Adna Holiday Tournament on Dec. 27 and Dec.28. The boys lost to Adna on the first day 64-44 and ended up falling to Montesano 65-55 on day two.

Despite the hiccups, the Mules bounced back with a big win against Coupeville High School on Jan. 4. It came down to the narrowest of margins, and the Mules pulled out the win 60-59. With that win in the bag, the Mules sit at an even 5-5 going into their conference matchup with Columbia Adventist High School.

The conference game between the two features the two top teams in the 1B Columbia Valley. The other teams trailing those two sides in the rankings include Pe Ell, Oakville, Washington School for the Deaf, and Three Rivers Christian.

Girls

Similar to the boys, the girls Mules basketball team has been on a bit of a rollercoaster. On one hand, the Mules are 3-0 in their conference games this season and are the #1 ranked team in the 1B Columbia Valley conference. On the other hand, Wahkiakum has gone 1-4 in non-league games, bringing their record to 4-4 overall as of Jan. 6.

The losses in the L column are a bit deceiving, though. In three of the losses this season, the games have been close and decided by five or fewer points. Despite the tough losses, the Mules have also added some resounding victories to their total.

Each of the games that Wahkiakum has won this season has been by a double-digit margin. The 3-0 tally in league play this year has put them at the top of the conference rankings, but the Jan. 7 meeting with Columbia Adventist will be a great test for Wahkiakum, as the Kodiaks are the highest scoring team in the division entering the matchup.

Stay tuned for more updates about Wahkiakum's results in the coming weeks.