Wahkiakum-Naselle face off in District round 1

The first round of the boys and girls District 1B basketball tournaments has been set, and for Wahkiakum and Naselle, the games are another chapter in the rivalry; only with a little more on the line than just the KM Trophy.

Both the boys and girls teams faced off against each other on Feb. 12 at Wahkiakum High School in Cathlamet. The results of the games were not available at the time of press.

As the games usally promice to bring out a good crowd, these contests also brought with them a shot to advance closer to the league title.

Here’s a look at how the teams have faced off this season.

Naselle boys vs Wahkiakum boys

Entering the matchup, Wahkiakum was the higher seed and thus gained homecourt advantage. Though the Mules emerged as the higher seed, there wasn’t much to separate the two sides, as both teams entered with a record of 11-9.

The Mules were coming off a recent 48-39 win in their final regular season game against Pe Ell on Feb. 4. The win snapped a three-game losing skid where the Mules were close but couldn't quite get the wins. Each of the losses against Willapa Valley, Columbia Adventist, and Toledo were by five points or less.

Despite the losses, the team showed strong results against some of the best 1B teams. Columbia Adventist is one of the top teams in the state with a 16-2 record, so to lose 68-64 is nothing to sneeze at for the Mules.

In the one matchup between the Comets and Mules this season, Wahkiakum came away with the win in a 59-55 barn burner on Jan. 14. The game came down to the very end with a strong second-half comeback by Naselle.

For their part, the Comets came into Wednesday's showdown fresh off a tough 71-47 loss against Ocosta, which came as a bit of a surprise, considering the Comets had beaten Ocosta just two days before 62-53.

The winner of the game will advance to the league tournament semifinals, while the loser will drop down into a consolation bracket. Four teams will make it to state out of the eight-team bracket. The other teams in the mix are Taholah, Columbia Adventist, Pe Ell, Ocosta, Oakville, and Willapa Valley.

Girls basketball

As for the girls, the two programs played at Wahkiakum High School on Feb. 12. Naselle came into Wed game off the back of two consecutive blowout wins.

Naselle took down Ocosta 64-31 on Feb. 7, and ran riot against Lake Quinault on Jan. 31, taking the game 71-16. Those wins will be a good confidence booster for the program, as they had lost their previous three. The losses came at the hands of Willapa Valley, Onalaska, and Taholah. With an 11-7 overall record, Naselle enters the postseason as the third-ranked team in the Coastal 1B, behind Taholah and Willapa Valley.

The Mules enter the postseason with a 9-7 record but are 4-1 in their last five. The one loss was their final regular season game. The Mules struggled to get things going on offense, losing 50-17, a rarity in their recent games. Before that loss, Wahkiakum had been on a roll, averaging 49.5 points per game in the four wins against Columbia Adventist, Oakville, Three Rivers Christian, and Winlock.

In the one matchup between the Mules and Comets this season, Naselle came away with the KM Trophy on Dec. 16. Naselle had homecourt advantage for that game, and they managed to conduct the energy into a win. The game was tight, with the Comets fending off the Mules for the 38-33 win. With the Mules enjoying home turf this time, they also hoped for a reversal in the scoring line.