KELSO — That third quarter will be a talker in La Center for quite some time.
It already was Saturday night when the La Center Wildcats cut down the nets on each end of Kelso High School’s gymnasium after a 76-65 victory over King’s Way Christian, sealing their first district title in boys basketball since the 2001-02 season. And for the first time in school history, both La Center boys and girls basketball teams are district champions, athletic director Matt Cooke said.
How wild was it Saturday night in the all-Trico League showdown? First, both teams combined for 15 first-half 3-pointers and 83 points. King’s Way led by nine at halftime made 3-points.
Oh, but that third quarter.
Not just the 27 points scored in what undoubtedly coach Jeremy Ecklund called his team’s best quarter of the season in terms of execution. But the passion and energy is what impressed Ecklund the most about his team bound for regionals for a fourth consecutive year.
Not to mention a 22-0 run and holding a Knights (13-10) that scored 46 first-half points scoreless the first 6 minutes, 41 seconds of the third quarter. All King’s Way coach Daven Harmeling could do was call not one, not two, but three timeouts before the 2:38 mark to try to stop the momentum while La Center (16-7) made a 24-point swing.
“You’re down nine in the second half, it’s easy to be frustrated,” Ecklund said… “You play like that you’re going to beat a lot of teams.”
A nine-point deficit eventually turned into a 15-point lead by the time the third quarter ended; Saige Keep’s buzzer-beating tip-in ended the flawless third quarter with the Wildcats leading 64-49.
Avery Seter, who shared high-point honors with teammate Hunter Ecklund (23 points), said it all began with heart, and that led to a kick-start to an energized offense with three 3-pointers over its first four possessions.
“We wanted to win so badly,” Seter said. “We haven’t won a district title (in forever). We came up short last year, and the guys returning wanted to win it for coach and for the community.”
King’s Way Christian, runner’s up at districts for a second straight season after falling in last year’s district title game to Hoquiam, also is bound for regionals.
Yet for a team making its third consecutive district title game appearance and last won it in 2015, the Knights never went quietly. Both league losses to La Center came by five points, and used a 9-0 to start the fourth and got as close as 67-63 at the 3-minute mark.
Gage Koenders led King’s Way with 14 first-half points and Khalfani Cason added 13.
Third-place game
Montesano 68, Seton Catholic 34: The 1A Evergreen champions ended the Cougars’ bid for a regional berth in a third-place district win Saturday at Kelso High School.
Montesano (19-5) led 33-20 at halftime and began the third quarter on a 12-2 scoring run capped by Sam Winter’s free throws off a steal with 2:38 left in the quarter. Winter had a game-high 19 points as one of three Bulldogs in double figures.
The loss ends Seton’s season at 11-13, but not before a memorable run that included its inaugural postseason victory — a 65-62 win at Forks to open the district tournament Feb. 15.
Of Seton’s 11 victories, nine came after Jan. 9.
Henry Demsky led the Cougars on Saturday with eight points.
