The Woodland Beavers keep seeing success as the offense continues to gel and the defense remains stout.
The Beavers added a 66-39 win over La Center High School on Friday, Jan. 2, propelling them to 9-2 on the year.
As said before by Beavers head coach Justin Gabbard, any one of his starting five can have the biggest impact on any given night. This time around, it was Jackson Gabbard with a game high 23 points, with James Long adding 16 and Dyrian McPoland adding 15 points.
In the first half, Woodland led by 34-15 heading into the locker room. The Beavers really found the twine in the second half as Woodland left the gym with a 27-point victory.
Earlier in winter break, Woodland traveled west to the waves of Seaside for a basketball tournament in which the Beavers suffered two losses. But for Justin Gabbard, the experience this group of players have had annually on the coast has always been about the fun of bonding over the holiday season.
“We focused on having some fun again,” he said. “We had gingerbread competitions, and you know, we had a lot of fun. So to come back and get back in the win column is always nice, especially against La Center. They’re a solid team. Jeremy Ecklund’s a great coach. So it feels good to get back in the win column, but we have a lot of work cut out for us coming up.”
With a trip as a team, a lot can be learned on and off the court, but Justin Gabbard said he didn’t learn much off the court as this is a group of players he’s had under his wings for years.
“These guys are a rowdy bunch, man,” he said. “They love each other. They grew up together. They’re like my own kids. I love them like my own, and they’re just awesome, and they come from really good parents who’ve raised them right. That part of it off the court is what we really focus on anyway, and just enjoy the journey.”
But after the win over non-league opponent La Center, Woodland enters the final stretch of 10 league games in the competitive 2A Greater St. Helens League. Woodland has taken care of business so far in their 4-0 league start, but here comes the big one as the Beavers will travel to R.A. Long High School to battle the 2A fourth-ranked Lumberjacks with early league title implications. The matchup is set for 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 7, in Longview at R.A. Long High School.
