The La Center boys basketball team celebrated its seniors at home as they secured a 76-45 victory over 1A Trico League opponent, the Columbia Bruins (White Salmon), on Wednesday, Feb. 1.
After a low scoring first quarter that saw La Center with an 8-7 lead, the Wildcats turned on the jets and didn’t stop until the final buzzer. La Center scored 25 points in the second quarter and were led by 6-foot-5 sophomore guard Boston Walker who secured 12 points in the first half. Walker led all of the scorers with 16 total points. All of Walker’s points were scored in the paint for hard-earned contested buckets.
Another sophomore guard for the Wildcats, Logan Rainey, played more minutes in the second half as he scored off of two three-pointers and added three other two point buckets throughout the game for a total of 12 points.
Twelve of La Center’s 14 varsity players recorded points in the game.
La Center’s four seniors combined for 33 points during the game. Colby Hylton had a game total of 13, while Clayton Muffett and Cody Gardner both had eight points. Noah Langeliers made a contested shot in the fourth quarter that had the Wildcats’ crowd go wild. Langeliers finished the game with four points.
“I got some basketball players here,” La Center’s Head Coach Jeremy Ecklund said about the seniors. “You miss these kids that have been around for a long time.”
Ecklund said the team could end up tied for second in the league following the Feb. 1 game.
“We have to win Friday night against Castle Rock,” Ecklund said following the game against White Salmon. “We will see what happens. Up north looks pretty tough for our playoffs. (I’m) not sure who we will play, but it will be a tough battle in districts starting next week.”
During the senior night celebration, which was held just before tipoff, the crowd cheered the loudest for the lone senior cheerleader, Skyler Mckinney. Mckinney plans on attending Central Washington University to become a teacher and possibly continue her passion of cheerleading.
The 1A Trico (Tri-County) League includes schools from the counties of Clark, Cowlitz and Skamania. The league in the 1900s used to include schools like Washougal, Battle Ground, Camas and others who are now in larger classifications in the state of Washington.
In the early 2010s, the Trico League included schools like Toledo, Kalama, Ilwaco and Ridgefield. Those schools have since been reclassified to other leagues in the state of Washington. Currently the league is made up of Castle Rock, Columbia (White Salmon), Stevenson, King’s Way, Seton Catholic and La Center.
During La Center’s final regular season game on Friday, Feb. 3, the Wildcats secured a 65-60 win against Castle Rock. Following the game, La Center had a league record of 7-3, with a 10-10 record overall.
The Wildcats finished third in the 1A Trico League and will begin District 4 1A basketball play on the road on Feb. 10 at Hoquiam in Grays Harbor County. The winner of that game will move on to play the winner between Tenino or King’s Way Christian. The loser of the La Center and Hoquiam game will advance into a win-or-go-home game against either Tenino or King’s Way Christian.
