Comets fall to the Vikings

Courtesy of The Daily News
MENLO ---- Naselle trailed by 19 points after one quarter and things got even tougher as the Comets were unable to contain Brady Langer, who scored a game-high 32 points in leading Willapa Valley to a 78-45 Pacific 2B League boys basketball victory on Friday.The Vikings led 50-23 at halftime and outscored the Comets (6-11, 4-7 league) in every quarter. Willapa Valley also doubled-up Naselle 49-24 in rebounding.Kyle Burkhalter led the Comets with a 19-point, 11-rebound effort.

NASELLE (45) -- Nathan Sultemeier 3, Spencer Griss 2, Kyle Burkhalter 19, Austin Burkhalter 6, Conor Smith 4, Casey Heagy 5, Jeremy Ray 0, Nick Hines 0, Gabe See 4, Josh Martin 2, Allen Erickson 0.

WILLAPA VALLEY (78) -- Brady Langer 32, Mayfield 10, Barrett 2, Bannish 10, La Claire 1, Johnson 2, Anderson 13, Colburn 8.

Naselle 10 13 12 10 -- 45
Willapa Valley 29 21 13 16 -- 78

Comets boys beat second place NWC for second league win in a row

Courtesy of Chinook Observer
NASELLE - Kyle Burkhalter did everything as he led the Naselle Comets to their second successive Pacific League with a 58-53 win over the Pacific League's second place team, the Northwest Christian Navigators, Saturday, Jan. 20, in Naselle's Lyle Patterson Gym. The Comets league record climbed to 4-5 and 6-9 overall. The Navigators league record dropped to 7-2, behind Willapa Valley in the standings.Kyle scored 26 points on 10 of 17 shooting from the floor and grabbed nine rebounds as the Comets out-boarded Northwest Christian 37-24, and held the Navigators top scorer Matt Myers to only seven points.It was a team win in all aspects of the game, as Gabe See came off the bench to score 10 points and grab eight rebounds, six off the offensive board. Austin Burkhalter had 11 points while Conor Smith added nine. Both of these players were right in the middle of the rebound superiority which the Comets demonstrated. While Spencer Griss and Nick Hines did not score, they too were instrumental in the win. Senior Casey Heagy, who has been a vital part of the Naselle attack, was not able to suit up due to a leg injury suffered during practice.Naselle held, and lost, substantial leads in each of the first three quarters. The Comets shot to an eight-point lead in the first period only to see the Navigators go on a 9-0 run to come within a 13-12 margin at the end of one. Again, in the second period, the Comets went on a 16-3 tear in the last seven minutes of the half to earn a 16-7 quarter advantage and go in at the half leading 29-19. The Comets defense had clamped down on the Navigators while the Burkhalter brothers and See had done all of the scoring in the quarter.It was the Comets turn to go flat in the third quarter and the Navigators responded with a 12-2 run in the first four minutes of the second half. The Navigators then added two three-balls, while the Comets were only scoring four points, to take their fourth and largest lead of the game. That two-point lead came with 1:50 left in the quarter. Naselle responded with a 5-0 run, with the last three points coming inside the final seven seconds of the quarter as Smith made one of two freebies and Austin rebounded the missed second shot and put in a short jumper for an unusual three-point play. That Naselle surge gave them a 40-37 lead at the end of three and the Comets were never to trail again.The Naselle lead varied from two to four points for the first three minutes of the fourth period until Kyle drove the key, faked a jump shot, and continued the drive for a hoop and a six point Naselle lead with 4:13 left. The Navigators weren't done as they came right back with four points. Sultemeier then came out of a Naselle time-out to score, Kyle scored again and the lead went back to six with less than two minutes to play.The Navigators' Ryan Fox responded with a three-ball and Northwest Christian added a free throw to trail only by two with 55 seconds left. But the Naselle defense and rebounding wouldn't allow the Navigators any more clean shots. The Comets were fouled three times in the remaining seconds and, between Austin and Smith, they were able to make three of six free throws to insure Naselle's five-point win.

NORTHWEST CHRISTIAN (53) - Ryan Fox 14, Mailhot 9, Hamilton 9, Myers 8, Groeschell 5, Cummings 4, Hobbs 4;
Rebounds (24)

NASELLE (58) - Kyle Burkhalter 26, Austin Burkhalter 11, Gabe See 10, Conor Smith 9, Sultemeier 2, Griss, Hines;
Rebounds (37) K. Burkhalter 9, See 8

AT LAST…Comets break losing streak

Courtesy of Chinook Observer

By PHIL RAISTAKKAObserver corespondent

DAMIAN MULINIX photoThough surrounded by four NWC defenders, Naselle’s Gabe See still gets off a clean shot for two of his eight points in the Comets victory.

NASELLE - Finally putting together a positive fourth quarter, the Naselle Comets boys' basketball team ended a frustrating seven-game losing streak with a wire-to-wire win over the Raymond Seagulls in a Pacific League game played in Lyle Patterson Gym Thursday, Jan. 18. The Comets got balanced scoring with three players in double figures and with three more just out of double digits in a 71-53 win over the Gulls. The Comets' league record climbed to 3-5 and 5-9 overall. The Gulls dropped to 1-6 in league play and 5-9 overall.The Comets started fast with a hot-shooting 24-11 first quarter and, in contrast to their recent games, finished strong with a 20-11 fourth period advantage. That difference prompted Coach Brian Macy to say, "We had some rough spots, but we played pretty well. We need to play like that more."The Burkhalter brothers, with Kyle leading the way with a double-double of 22 points and 13 rebounds and Austin with eight points and 12 boards, provided much of the spark against the Gulls. But they had plenty of company as the Comets used an overall team effort to outscore the Gulls in three of the four quarters. Casey Heagy added 13 points and six assists, Spencer Griss 11 points, Nate Sultemeier nine and Conor Smith nine. Eight of the 10 Comets who saw playing time added points to the Naselle score book. Austin's production was particularly noteworthy as he was playing with the fingers on his shooting hand bandaged and taped as he had suffered an injury on the family farm before the game. A big part of the win was the Comets board control where they out-rebounded the Gulls 42-25 with Austin adding 12 boards to Kyle's game-leading 13.Naselle's big first quarter saw them jump out to a 13-point lead. The Gulls rallied with a 16-10 second period, but the Comets went in at the break leading 34-27. Naselle saw its lead narrowed to three points in the third period but they kept the pressure on with a 17-15 third quarter. Then, in contrast to some of their recent losses, the Comets kept better control of the ball with a 20-11 fourth period. The result was a clear-cut 71-53 win over the Gulls.

RAYMOND (53) - Michael El 13, Danny Xaysy 12, Getchell 9, Dickey 8, Gusdahl 7, Riggs 2; Rebounds (25);

Assists: Xaysy 7;

Steals: Xaysy 11

NASELLE (71) - Kyle Burkhalter 22, Casey Heagy 13, Spencer Griss 11, Sultemeier 9, Smith 9, A. Burkhalter 8, See 4, Martin 2, Ray, Erickson;

FG - 29 of 59 for 49 percent,

FT - 12 of 19;

Rebounds (42): K. Burkhalter 13, A. Burkhalter 12;

Assists: Heagy 6

Comets girls lose in fourth quarter to Gulls

Courtesy of The Chinook Observer
RAYMOND - The Naselle Comets stayed right with the Pacific League-leading Raymond Seagulls for three quarters of a girls' basketball game played in Raymond Tuesday, Jan. 16. However, the Gulls used a 21-8 fourth quarter to pull away from the Comets for a 46-30 win. The Comets record dropped to 3-3 in league and 6-6 overall. League leading Raymond improved to 6-1 in league and 9-4 overall.The Comets, with Ashley Ahlstrom (11 points) and Cheryl Steppe (nine points) leading the way, kept pace with the Gulls through most of the early game. Naselle trailed 13-7 after one, but used a 9-6 second period to only trail 19-16 at the half. A 6-6 standoff in the third period brought the two teams into the crucial fourth quarter with Raymond holding a three-point lead.That was when the Gulls were able to take advantage of their margin of free throw attempts (26-17) to pull away from the Comets. Tammy McGough made eight of nine free throws in the quarter to give her a game-high 13 points. The Gulls made 20 of 26 free throws in the game. Teammate Lisa Kongbouakhay added 10 to the Raymond point production.The Comets are now entering a crucial series of games which may very well determine their post season playoff hopes. Naselle is currently in fourth place in the league (as of Jan. 15) with upcoming games against Northwest Christian, (which has a nearly identical record as the Comets' record), two games against Ocosta, (which has yet to win a league game), and a return match-up with South Bend, (which lost to the Comets the first time around). A winning record in those four games would do much to set up the Comets for their stretch drive when they close the league season against three of the stronger league teams.

NASELLE (30) - Ashley Ahlstrom 11, Cheryl Steppe 9, Keightley 4, Saari 2, Beaulaurier 2, Landis 1, Klinger 1, Pakenen, Fletcher, Green;

FG -11-39 (.282).
FT - 8-17.

RAYMOND (46) - Tammy McGough 13, Lisa Kongbouakhay 10, Rutherford 7, Webber 4, Khammala 4, Miller 4, Montgomery 2, Stepp 2, Buck, Settlemyre:
FG - 13-51 (.255).
FT -20-26.

Comets beat NWC

Courtesy of The Chinook Observer
Comets beat NWC, fall to Raymond
By PHIL RAISTAKKAObserver corespondent

DAMIAN MULINIX photoNaselle’s Emily Green saves a ball from out of bounds late in the fourth quarter of Saturday’s win over NWC.

NASELLE - The Naselle Comets girls' basketball team got back on the winning track with an easy 49-35 win over the Northwest Christian Navigators of Lacey on Saturday, Jan. 20, in Naselle's Lyle Patterson Gym. The Comets owned the boards with 52 rebounds, divided evenly between offensive and defensive rebounds. That board control gave the Comets control of the game. Coach Bob Torppa said, "When we get three players in double figures and 52 rebounds, we are hard to beat."The Comets did have three players in double figures, led by Ashley Ahlstrom with 13 points and 12 rebounds, earned in only two and a half quarters of play. Erin Saari topped the Naselle scorers with 15 points, plus six rebounds and four steals for her 60th steal of the season, and Brandi Keightley had 10 points, along with eight rebounds and five steals. Kellyn Pakenen had four assists to lead the Comets in that department.The Comets took control of the game from the opening tip, leading 14-8 after one period and 27-17 at the half. The Comets maintained their edge after the break with an 11-6 third period before closing out the game with an 11-12 fourth period for their 14-point win.The win raised the Comets league record to 4-3 and 7-6 overall. The Navigators' league record dropped to 3-4. The Comets have seven games remaining in their league season, beginning with Ocosta at Naselle on Monday, Jan. 22. A busy eight days of games has them going to Ocosta for a rematch on Thursday, Jan. 25, entertaining Willapa Valley on Saturday, Jan. 30, and traveling to South Bend on Tuesday, Jan 30. The results of that hectic week of basketball will go a long way toward determining where, and if, the Comets post-season hopes lie.

NORTHWEST CHRISTIAN (35) - Wagner 14, Bodine 7, Post 6, Edwards 4, Isoz 2, Minton 2, Crasley, Collins
NASELLE (49) - Erin Saari 15, Ashley Ahlstrom 13, Brandi Keightley 10, Pakenen 4, Steppe 4, Landis 2, Klinger 1, Fletcher, Beaulaurier, Green;

FG - (2's) 19 of 49 for 39 percent,
(3's) 1 of 3,
FT - 8 of 15;
Rebounds (52): Ahlstrom 12, Keightley 8, Landis 8 Steppe 6, Saari 6, Pakenen 5, Fletcher 4; Assists (10): Pakenen 4;
Steals (14): Keightley 5, Saari 4;
Turnovers (20)

Comets net easy win

Courtesy of The Daily News
NASELLE ---- Naselle burst to a 36-8 halftime lead against Ocosta, then relented somewhat and coasted to a 53-24 win over the Wildcats in a Pacific 2B League girls basketball game Monday.Erin Saari (14 points, three steals), Ashley Ahlstrom (10 points, six rebounds, three steals) and Haley Landis (eight points, 10 boards) had big numbers for the Comets (8-6, 5-3 league).

NASELLE (53) -- Erin Saari 14, Ashley Ahlstrom 10, Haley Landis 8, Cheryl Stepp 6, Colette Beaulaurier 4, Brandi Keightly 4, Jenny Klinger 3, Kellyn Pakenen 2, Sandra Rodriguez 2.
OCOSTA (24) -- Carkonen 16, Connally 6, Roiko 2.

Naselle 22 14 9 8 -- 53
Ocosta 3 5 6 10 -- 24

Comets come up short

Courtesy of The Daily News
NASELLE ---- Despite strong performances from the Burkhalter brothers, Naselle came up short as Ocosta capitalized on 26 turnovers for a 59-57 win over the Comets here Monday in a Pacific 2B League boys basketball game."Our effort was there, we just have to learn to execute and be a little better," Naselle coach Brian Macy said. "Turnovers were real critical. They really limited the offensive opportunities for us."Before he fouled out late in the game, Kyle Burkhalter shot 10-for-16 from the field for 21 points and added eight boards. Austin Burkhalter led Naselle (6-10, 4-6 league) in scoring, sinking seven 3-pointers for a total of 23 points and six rebounds.

NASELLE (57) -- Sultemeier 0, Spencer Griss 2, Kyle Burkhalter 21, Austin Burkhalter 23, Conor Smith 6, Casey Heagy 5, Nick Hines 0, Gabe See 0.
OCOSTA (59) -- Colburn 0, Stein 18, Forbis 6, Spivey 14, Quinby 9, Barnes 0, Rasselson 12.

Naselle 15 4 15 23 -- 57
Ocosta 12 11 16 20 -- 59

Comets soar by NWC

Courtesy of The Daily News
NASELLE ---- Naselle cruised past Northwest Christian 49-35 here Saturday in a Pacific 2B League girls basketball game.Ashley Ahlstrom had 13 points and 12 rebounds for the Comets (7-6, 4-3 in league), and Erin Saari added 15 points, six rebounds and three steals. Brandi Keightley chipped in 10 points, eight rebounds and five steals, and Haley Landis grabbed eight boards off the bench.

NORTHWEST CHRISTIAN (35) -- Wagner 14, Crasley 0, Collins 0, Post 6, Minton 2, Bodine 7, Isoz 2, Edwards 4
NASELLE (49) -- Kellyn Pakenen 4, Brandi Keightley 10, Erin Saari 15, Cheryl Steppe 4, Ashley Ahlstrom 13, Haley Landis 2, Jenny Klinger 1

NW Christian 8 9 6 12 -- 35
Naselle 14 13 11 11 -- 49

Burkhalter ignites Comets

Courtesy of The Daily News
NASELLE ---- Kyle Burkhalter exploded for 26 points and nine rebounds to help Naselle beat second-place Northwest Christian 58-53 here Saturday in a Pacific 2B League boys basketball game.Burkhalter hit 10-of-17 field goals for the Comets (6-9, 4-5 in league), and Gabe See was huge off the bench with 10 points and eight rebounds, including six on the offensive glass.Austin Burkhalter added 11 points and Conor Smith nine for Naselle, which out-rebounded the Navigators 37-24.

NORTHWEST CHRISTIAN (53) -- Fox 14, Hamilton 9, Cummings 4, Mailhot 9, Myers 8, Hobbs 4, Groeschell 5
NASELLE (58) -- Nathan Sultemeir 2, Spencer Griss 0, Kyle Burkhalter 26, Austin Burkhalter 11, Conor Smith 9, Nick Hines 0, Gabe See 10

NW Christian 12 7 18 16 -- 53
Naselle 13 16 11 18 -- 58

COMETS GET THROWN IN 4TH AT RAYMOND

Courtesy of SportsRadio 1230 ESPN
With the shots not falling for Naselle, the Comettes did all they could to hang with league-leading Raymond Tuesday night.But despite an outstanding defensive effot, Naselle got buried in an avalanche of free throws as the Seagulls pulled away in the fourth period for a 46-30 victory at home.The win avenged Raymond's only league loss, a 41-39 overtime game at Naselle.Raymond never trailed last night, but could not put the game away until the fourth quarter, when foul trouble caught up to Naselle. The Comettes nearly shut out Raymond's leading scorer, sohpomore McKnzy Miller and limited second-leading scorer Tammy McGough to a single field goal in the contest. It was McGough, however, that did the majority of the damage in the fourth quarter, hitting 8 of 9 at the free throw line on the way to a game-high 13 points. The 5-9 post, one of only two seniors on the Raymond roster, hit just 1 of 5 field goal attempts but went 11 for 15 at the line in the game, as Raymond sank 15 of 17 free throws in the fourth period, outscoring Naselle 21-8 in the quarter."We've been doing some extra sessions in the morning," said Raymond head coach Jason Koski. "They've been coming in the last two weeks and the last two games we've been shooting them very well. I think that's attributed to their willingness to want to get better."At one point, Naselle had accumulated nine team fouls to just one for the Seagulls, and top players Cheryl Steppe, Ashley Ahlstrom and Erin Saari all fouled out of the contest. Ahlstrom finished with a team-high 11 points for Naselle, hitting 5 of 9 from the field, while her teammates shot a combined 6-for-40 (15 percent). The Comets also did not take advantage of their free throw attempts, hitting just 8 of 18 at the line in the game."Ashley really did a good job," said Greg Nelson, Naselle's junior varsity coach, who was acting head coach last night. "They seemed to key on Cheryl [Steppe]. They were doubling her and Ashley did a nice job away from the ball. We got the ball to her real well and she rebounded real well. She got in some foul trouble and I thought that took her out of her rhythm in the second half.Naselle head coach Bob Torppa was not on the sidelines, mandatorily sitting out the game after being ejected at North Beach on Saturday for arguing. A good thing, perhaps, as the foul situation last night likely would have tested Torppa's patience yet again."We fouled McGough a number of times," said Nelson. "We did a great job of defending her, but she ended up getting a bunch of points at the line. I wish we'd have got there a little more. We could have had the opportunity to, we just didn't. The calls didn't go our way."Down 19-16 at halftime, Naselle had ample opportunities to make a run in the third quarter. The Comettes were able to work the ball inside and collected five offensive rebounds to none for Raymond, but struggled to make close-range shots as the Seagulls carried a 25-22 advantage into the final period."Raymond's a good team," said Nelson. "I thought we matched up pretty well with them and it was going to be a good game."We just fell short. We had plenty of opportunities. I thought we handled their posts well. We just didn't get it done when we needed to."Naselle, now 3-3 in the Pacific B League and 6-6 overall, returns home Friday to take on Northwest Christian. The co-ed doubleheader begins with the girls' varsity game at 4:30 followed by the boys varsity contest at 6:00 p.m.

NASELLE 7 9 6 8--30Pakenen, Keightley 4, Saari 2, Steppe 9, Ahlstrom 11, Klinger 1, Beaulaurier 2, Landis 1, Fletcher, Green.
RAYMOND 13 6 6 15--40Kongbouakhay 10, Miller 4, Rutherford 7, Webber 4, McGough 13, Khammala 4, Stepp 2, Settlemyre, Montgomery 2, Buck, Snider.

FIELD GOALS-NAS: 11-49-22%,
RAY: 13-44-30%

3-PT FG'S-
NAS: 0-3-0%,
RAY: 0-5-0%

FREE THROWS-NAS: 8-18-44%,
RAY: 20-26-77%

REBOUNDS-NAS: 37, RAY: 37
TURNOVERS-NAS: 20, RAY: 14

Burkhalter sparks Comets

Courtesy of The Daily News
NASELLE ---- Kyle Burkhalter's double-double powered Naselle to a 71-53 victory over Raymond here Thursday in a Pacific B League boys basketball game."We had some rough spots, but we played pretty well," Naselle coach Brian Macy said. "We need to play like that more."Burkhalter dominated with 22 points and 13 rebounds, and Austin Burkhalter added eight points and 12 boards. As a team, Naselle shot 29-for-59 from the field, 12-for-19 from the line, and out-rebounded Raymond 42-25.Casey Heagy (13 points, six assists) and Spencer Griss (11 points) also played well for the Comets (5-9, 3-5 league).

Comets 71, Seagulls 53

NASELLE (71) -- Nathan Sultemeier 9, Spencer Griss 11, Kyle Burkhalter 22, Austin Burkhalter 8, Conor Smith 9, Casey Heagy 13, Gabe See 4, Josh Martin 2, Jeremy Ray 0, Alan Ericson 0.

RAYMOND (53) -- Xaysay 12, Riggs 2, Gusdal 7, Dickey 8, Getchell 9, El 13.

Naselle 24 10 17 20 -- 71
Raymond 11 16 15 11 -- 53

The family farm

Courtesy of The Chinook Observer

By KEVIN HEIMBIGNERObserver staff writer

NASELLE - A basketball player drives into the key, comes to a jump stop and effortlessly crosses over before gliding for a hanging layup. If you are watching the 2007 version of the Comets chances are you'll be seeing either Kyle or Austin Burkhalter perform the move.If you are thinking back to the early 1980s then their dad Gary would be a likely choice to perform the stylish feat, or maybe their mom Susan (Swanson) would score the hoop. In the 1940s grandparent Ted Swanson, with (future) wife Sally as a song queen or grandpa Bob Burkhalter, wearing the visitor's red and blue of the Valley Vikings with (future) wife Lois in the pep band, both could have made the maneuver in the key for the family that has been synonymous with Naselle hoop success for the better part of six decades.Ted says, "We had some good teams back then." Bob adds, "We had some good players (on our team), too." Ted's 1948 Comets squad finished sixth in the state and he scored 33 points in three state tournaments beginning in 1946. Valley finished second Bob's junior year and he scored 22 points that season and 24 more at state for the Vikings his senior season.After college Bob taught one year at Cathlamet and then coached and taught at Clallam Bay for two more before going to Rosburg to teach seventh grade in 1964. He opened the Rosburg Gym mornings and at lunch and along with Principal Dean Carter and Jim Buchanan in Naselle helped significantly in transforming the Comets into one of the most powerful basketball schools in state history at any level. The junior high teams Bob worked with went to state 16 of the 17 years under head coach Lyle Patterson.Lois says, "The main thing for Bob was to teach young kids basketball fundamentals, good sportsmanship and to learn the game. It was great because we always had great kids to work with and their families taught them a solid work ethic." The Burkhalters raised daughters Carmen, Arlene (who is a coach in Auburn), and Lee Ann and son Gary while Bob taught.Gary started every game between 1980 and 1984 for the Comets and scored 90, 236, 166, and 156 points during that run during the regular season. However, scoring wasn't his measure as he was a standout defensive and team player and leader. Kyle relates, "I think it's great when people tell me my dad was a really good player." Gary's teams won 99 games during those four seasons, second only in state history to Brewster of the mid-1970s (106 victories) and tied with Reardon of the late 1960s. His teams were third twice and second twice at state, losing all four years to the eventual champions and in 1984 Gary's picture was on the front of the state program - working as usual to block out his man for an important rebound.Susan was no slouch either, as her basketball team went to state three times and finished sixth in 1982 in Spokane. Ted, Bob and Gary also competed successfully in football and track. Gary played in the state playoffs in football in 1983 and finished fourth in the shot put his senior year. Susan went to state in volleyball in 1983 and was an integral part of each of her varsity squads.Gary followed in his wife's footsteps as student body president at Neselle. Susan was also yearbook editor and in the band. Gary graduated from WSU in Pullman in 1988 with an agriculture science degree. Sue graduated from WWU in Bellingham in 1987 with a degree in recreation. "We had an I-90 relationship," she quips.With the family pedigree they have in sports success, Austin, a freshman, comments, "I don't feel any pressure." Junior Kyle adds, "Pressure comes from inside. We have our own goals, like earning a trophy at state in basketball and getting to state in football." Recently Austin scored 27 points against Valley "on five three-pointers" he says. Coach Brian Macy, a Naselle teammate of Gary's, says, "Austin had his coming-out party against Valley and Kyle is probably the best defensive player in the league, our leading scorer and our team leader. The guys look up to both of the Burkhalters." Kyle was all-league in football and Austin honorable mention. "I suppose when Kyle graduates I'll take his place as quarterback," Austin says humbly.In 1978 Bob and Lois purchased a dairy when the Grays River Water Dept. was first able to supply the area. Eventually they expanded to more than 200 head of cattle and in 1994 Gary and Sue took over when Bob and Lois retired to live close by. Within the last year Gary employed his WSU education to switch to organic milk products and has found a solid demand for his dairy goods.With all the success of the three generations of Burkhalters, one would never suspect that a tragedy occurred in 1997 that completely changed all of their lives. Carson was Gary and Sue's third son and was born a year after Austin. He was diagnosed with biliary atresia of the liver and had a transplant in Chicago in 1993 when he was two years old and another one in 1997 that led to complications that took his young life at age five.Gary and Sue relied on the grandparents to help with Austin and Kyle while they traveled between Portland and Chicago hospitals during the experience no parent ever wants to endure. The family received support from their community and from their church. When Austin was a first-grader and Kyle in the third the Burkhalters decided to homeschool the boys. "We were concerned about their immune systems not being able to handle illness they may catch at school," Gary reasons.Sue says, "I wanted to spend more time with my boys after Carson's death. It wasn't anything negative about the schools here; we just felt this would be a good fit for us." Sue is a former Naselle school board member, worked as a counselor at the Youth Camp, and also is an EMT. A rescue vehicle sits in their driveway, ready to aid the neighboring community.A day in the life of Austin and Kyle begins at 6:30 a.m. with the feeding of more than 200 cattle by moving four 1,200 pound round bales of hay silage. At about 9:30 a.m. the boys are done and ready for breakfast themselves. After that it is homework with no frills. "I have found textbooks that we like and the kids spend at least three hours a day on their studies," Sue says. "Of course if there is an emergency on the farm, they go to help Gary and then have to make up their work later."After studying such subjects as U.S. History, keyboarding, algebra, geometry, literature and GED preparation for Kyle, the boys are ready for a break. "I usually ask if I can go hunting or fishing," Kyle says. "I have no regrets that we aren't in school or that we live here and not the city." Austin quickly adds, "I like it here." At about 2 p.m. the family sits down to supper and then it's off to practice for the boys."We never pushed the kids into sports," Gary explains. "The only thing is they don't care to play baseball, although Austin is a big Mariners' fan, but they love basketball, football and track." After practice at Naselle High School the boys invariably go to Ted and Sally's for dinner and then its home for more school work, some sports on TV, and then early to bed. "They are typical hungry teenagers," Sally says with a smile. Wednesday nights the boys attend Valley Bible Church youth group.At 3:30 p.m, .Gary and Sue faithfully utilize 16 milking machines to harvest their white, organically-produced gold. On game nights parents and grandparents are at virtually every game, home or away "It is a lot more nerve-wracking watching the boys play than it ever was playing," Gary observes.Kyle wants to major in wildlife management with an eye on being a biologist or game warden and being a typical high school freshman, Austin is undecided. "I guess I could always work on the family farm," he muses. Both boys would love to play college basketball. "I want to see what's out there and I want to go to college, but I know I want to come back to a small town," Kyle says. Both brothers agree, "We are content where we are."The Burkhalter family dairy is tucked away 10 miles east of Naselle near Rosburg, just off Altoona-Pillar Rock Road at seldom-traveled Barr Road. Theirs is a place where basketball fundamentals and dairy farming demands haven't changed much in the past 60 years. A place where loving parents and grandparents, responsible and mature boys, and quality time shared will never go out of style, no matter how the ball bounces.

DAMIAN MULINIX PhotoOut on the farm is where Austin and Kyle spend a majority of their day. “There’s parts that you like and parts that you don’t,” said Kyle. The boys began doing chores around the farm at age six and said the workload tends to increase each year. Working together on their own has built a closeness between them. “We are pretty close,” said Kyle. “To get a job done a lot of times you have to work together, so you get to know someone pretty well.” Kyle added that family definitely comes first out on the farm, something that he said has been ingrained into his sensibilities. “I think I’ll take a lot of things from my life here (into his future family life), including that.”

DAMIAN MULINIX PhotoOn the farm, the boys say their minds stay pretty much on the task at hand in order to get done, though they do have a tendency to talk about basketball when they do converse. The sport has been an important one in the family throughout the years. At the Homeplace barn, where the Burkhalter farm began so many years ago, a basketball hoop is set up next to the hay storage upstairs. Kyle said that when their dad is there to help them they will usually end up playing a game of PIG before leaving.

Comets fall behind Hyaks

Courtesy of The Chinook Observer
Comets fall behind Hyaks in 1st half, can't make it up
By PHIL RAISTAKKAObserver corespondent

OYEHUT - The Naselle Comets gave up too many points in the first half to stay within shouting distance of the North Beach Hyaks in a Pacific League girls' basketball game played in the Hyaks gym Saturday, Jan. 13. The Hyaks used a 52-point first half to key their 74-50 win. Due to the freezing road conditions, the game was played in the afternoon in order to allow Naselle to return home earlier in the day. The Comets' record fell to 3-2 in league and 6-5 overall. The Hyaks' record climbed to 4-2 in league, 8-4 overall.The 24-point winning margin was an exact duplicate of the difference between the two teams the first time that they played this season. Naselle had two players, Erin Saari with 13 points and Colette Beaulaurier with 10, in double figures. But they couldn't match the Hyaks with four players scoring in double digits led by Kylie Williams with a career high 28.Saari and Beaulaurier got good scoring support from Cheryl Steppe with nine points, Brandi Keightley seven, Kelsey Fletcher five and points from three other players. But they could not match the quadruple-led scoring attack of the Hyaks. The Comets trailed 24-16 after one, 52-22 at the half. Playing against a revised lineup in the second half, the Comets were able to win the third and fourth quarter scoring duels with a 14-13 third period and a 14-9 fourth quarter.The Comets finished the game with assistant Greg Nelson coaching when Coach Robert Torppa was ejected from the game for protesting calls.Naselle played at Raymond yesterday, Jan 16 and will play this Saturday, Jan 20, when they host the Northwest Christian Navigators. The Saturday menu of basketball will start at noon with the boys c-squad, followed by the girls JVs, the boys JVs, the girls varsity and the boys varsity, all playing Northwest Christians in Lyle Patterson Gym.

Naselle 16 6 14 14 - 50
NB 24 28 13 9 - 74

Naselle - Erin Saari 13, Colette Beaulaurier 10, Steppe 9, Keightley 7, Fletcher 5, Pakenen 2, Landis 2, Ahlstrom 2, Green, Klinger,

FG - 18-53 (.340).
FT - 12-28.

North Beach - Kylie Williams 28, Amanda Erickson 11, Viereck 11, DeLaCruz 10, Dianovich 6, Weidman 5 anderson 2, Shriner 1, Rogers, Frank, Thatcher;

FG - 25-55 (.455).
FT - 20-34.

JV - Naselle won.

Comets turn cold vs. NB

Courtesy of the Chinook Observer
NHS boys lose 7th game in a row
By PHIL RAISTAKKAObserver corespondent

DAMIAN MULINIX photoNaselle’s Nathan Sultemeier has the ball stripped away by Hyak defender Charlie Capoeman Friday night. The Comets boys had a healthy lead with five minutes to play, but saw their lead slip away.

NASELLE - This game appeared to have the look of the biggest turn-around of the season. A week and a half ago, the Naselle Comets lost to the North Beach Hyaks by 22 points in a game where the Hyaks led all the way. In this rematch, played Friday, Jan 12, in Lyle Patterson Gym, the Comets shot to a 10-point lead with a little over four minutes left in the game. All they had to do for the win was to continue playing, especially as they had played in the previous three minutes when they had built their biggest lead with a 12-0 run. The problem was that someone forgot to tell them .Leading 55-45, Naselle suddenly became tentative and had trouble handling the ball and making shots. Turnovers, many of them unforced, suddenly found the Comets scrambling to try and hold their lead. The Hyaks went on a 17-1 run in three and a half minutes to take a six-point lead with 45 seconds to play. The Comets were able to match the Hyaks' four points in the remaining seconds but that was not enough to prevent North Beach from completing a 21-5 run and winning the Pacific League game 66-60. Naselle's record dropped to 2-5 in league, 4-9 overall. The Hyaks climbed to 5-2 in league, 8-4 overall.The last time that these two teams played, Kyle Burkhalter had done most of Naselle's heavy scoring. This time, Kyle again led all scorers with 21 points, but he got double digit help from brother Austin with 14 and Gabe See with 10 points. The Hyaks again had the same four players score in double digits, Sam Johnson 17, Jordan Fry 13, Ryan Cariker 12 and Jamal Lind 11.Before the Comets' self-destruction, the game had seen seven ties and nine lead changes. The Hyaks largest lead, of seven points, came in the second quarter after Naselle had trouble scoring in the early going. The Comets trailed 10-5 after one quarter when their shots were not going in.Reserve players See and Casey Heagy revived the Comets' offense with six and four points respectively as well as with key rebounds, steals and assists as Naselle fought back in the second stanza. The Comets' late first half run more than matched the Johnson and Fry-led Hyaks earlier surge. Nasell out-scored the Hyaks 19-13 in the quarter and went in at the half leading 24-23.Naselle opened the second half with renewed energy as Kyle's offensive rebound put-back got them started on a small run. Austin got a four-point play on a trey plus the free throw and Spencer Griss popped in a three-ball. The result was a Naselle five-point lead two minutes into the second half. The one negative was that Conor Smith had picked up his fourth foul only 30 seconds into the half and had to go to the bench. With Kyle working hard to score 10 points in the quarter, the Comets were able to hold on with a 19-18 quarter and a 43-41 lead after three.It hadn't been easy as the North Beach "Beef Trust" was beginning to make its presence felt both defensively and offensively. The North Beach front line goes 6-foot 3-inch, 255 lbs. (Cariker), 6-foot 3-inch, 225 lbs. (Fry) and 6-foot 4-inch, 185 lbs. (Johnson) with another 6-foot 2-inch, 210 pounder in reserve. Every time that Kyle got the ball in the paint, two and often three, of those linebacker-types would collapse in on him. As a result, Kyle was not only to lead the Comets in scoring but also in assists (six) as he passed off to his open teammates. That Hyaks' defense and bull-dozing scoring led by Cariker allowed the Hyaks to re-take the lead. However a 6-0 Naselle run, with all of the points coming from the Burkhalter brothers, had given the Comets their third quarter lead.Giving up four quick points for a Hyaks lead to open the fourth period, Naselle then went on a streak that had the appearance of a possible Naselle win. The 12-0 run was started by two points from Austin and saw six points from Kyle and four points from See. In a little less than three minutes, the Comets run had given them a 55-45 lead with a little over four minutes left.Just as quickly as they had earned it, Naselle began to give it away, literally, as turnovers became the order of the day. The Cariker and Fry-led frontal assault force bulldozed its way to rebounds, points in the paint and free throws until the Hyaks tied the score at 56 on a Charlie Capoeman trey. They then took the lead at 58-56 on a Fry break-away with a little over a minute left. The North Beach blitzkrieg had produced a 17-1 run in three and a half minutes. Cariker and Johnson then each went 2-for-2 at the line and the Comets were toast.Nate Sultemeier drained a three-ball to finally break the Hyaks run and bring the Comets within three points with 34 ticks left on the clock. But the Hyaks were to make four of their last six free throws in the remaining time while the Comets could only respond with one of two freebies from Sultemeier to complete a 21-5 Hyaks' run. The result was the Comets' seventh straight loss, by a score of 66-60.Pin-pointing the reason for the loss, Naselle Coach Brian Macy said, "We turned the ball over a lot and missed a lot of free throws. We started playing tentative and couldn't make our shots. (The Comets were one-of-four on free throws inside the last minute.)"Macy continued, "These were two games (Ocosta and North Beach) we should have won but failed to close. We just got real tentative at the end of both games, which leads to missed shots, turnovers and poor decision making. These are games we need to learn from, if we do it will only make us a better team. I really feel like we are ready to break out and unload on some team. It would be nice if it happens quickly."On the bright side, I have been very pleased with the play of Gabe See off the bench and against North Beach he played very well. He gave us solid minutes both defensively and offensively."The Comets hope to get back on the winning track this Thursday, Jan. 18, when they entertain the resurgent Raymond Seagulls, 62-52 winners over South Bend in their last Friday's game and on Saturday, Jan. 20, when they host the high-flying Northwest Christian Navigators, 67-53 winners over Ocosta in their last game. The Saturday menu of basketball will start at noon with the boys c-squad, followed by the girls JVs, the boys JVs, the girls varsity and the boys varsity, all playing Northwest Christians in Lyle Patterson Gym.

NB 10 13 18 25 - 66
Naselle 5 19 19 17 - 60

NORTH BEACH - Sam Johnson 17, Jordan Fry 13, Ryan Caricker 12, Jamal Lind 11, Capoeman 5, Thornton 4, Alfaro 2, Fitts 2;

FG - 25 of 51 for 49 percent,
3's - 2,
FT - 14 of 21;
Rebounds (30);
Assists: Capoeman 7

NASELLE - Kyle Burkhalter 21, Austin Burkhalter 14, Gabe See 10, Griss 5, Sultemeier 4, Heagy 4, Hines 2, Smith;

FG(2s) - 19 of 46 for 42 percent,
3's - 4 of 14 for 29 percent,
FT - 10 of 14;
Rebounds (30): A. Burkhalter 9, K. Burkhalter 8, See 5;
Assists: K. Burkhalter 6

JVs: North Beach 50,
Naselle 47;

The Naselle C-squad won their game over the Hyaks.

Naselle boys lose a close one to Ocosta

Courtesy of The Chinook Observer
By PHIL RAISTAKKAObserver corespondent
WESTPORT - The Naselle Comets boys' basketball team lost its sixth game in a row and the fourth league game in succession, Tuesday, Jan. 9, in a Pacific League game played against the Ocosta Wildcats in the Cats' home gym. The Comets seemingly had the game under control, leading the entire game, with a 38-31 lead at the end of three quarters. However, the Wildcats roared from behind with a 25-14 fourth period to win the game 56-52. Naselle's league record dropped to 2-4 and to 4-8 overall. Ocosta, winning only its second game of the season, improved to 2-4 in league and 2-8 overall.Naselle soared out to an early lead, leading 17-9 after one quarter. They were to get good scoring from their five starters in the game, but they got no points from their reserves. The Burkhalter brothers, Kyle with 17 points and Austin with 15, led the Naselle scoring.Naselle saw some of its lead disappear in the second quarter as Tommy Quinby (13 game points) and Kevin Spivey (11 game points) led the Wildcats' 14-9 surge. The Comets still led at the break 26-20.The Comets managed to hold on to the lead with a 12-11 third period and they entered the final eight minutes with a seven-point advantage.That lead evaporated as the Wildcats, with five players either in or close to double digits in the game, took control with their big 25-14 quarter. The Wildcats dropped in four three-pointers in a row that gave them the lead and Naselle could not recover. Naselle could not come back and they went home with a 56-52 loss.Coach Brian Macy said, "They came back with their three point shots and we got a little tight. We are a young team and we have to learn to close our games."

Naselle 17 9 12 14 - 52
Ocosta 6 14 11 25 - 56

Naselle - Kyle Burkhalter 17, Austin Burkhalter 15, Sultemeier 7, Griss 7, Smith 6, Heagy, Hines, See,

FG -18-36 (.500).
FT -11-19;
Rebounds (26): Smith 7, K. Burkhalter 7, Griss 6;
Assists: Griss 4, Hines 3;
Turnovers (16)

Ocosta - Tommy Quinby 13, Kevin Spivey 11, Raffelson 9, K. Forbis 9, Stein 8, J. Forbis 4, Barnes 2, Doull, Colburn:

FG -21-50 (.420).
FT -8-15;
Rebounds (29): Raffelson 7, Stein 7

Hard-charging Hyaks win

Courtesy of The Daily News
NASELLE ---- North Beach overcame a 10-point deficit in the closing minutes with a 21-5 run to turn away Naselle 66-60 in a Pacific 2B League boys' basketball game on Friday.Naselle (4-9, 2-6 league) led 43-41 entering the final period, and was ahead 55-45 when the Hyaks began their comeback."We turned the ball over a lot and missed a lot of free throws," Naselle coach Brian Macy said. "We started playing tentative and couldn't make our shots."Naselle made 23-of-60 shots including 4-14 from outside the arc.Kyle Burkhalter led the Comets with 21 points, eight rebounds and six assists, and Austin Burkhalter added 14 points and nine rebounds.Naselle entertains Raymond on Thursday.

Hyaks 66, Comets 60

NORTH BEACH (66) -- Alfaro 2, Thornton 4, Kaponen 5, Fitts 2, Lind 11, Fry 13, Joshnson 17, Carriker 12.
NASELLE (60) ---- Nathan Sultemeier 4, Spencer Griss 5, Kyle Burkhalter 21, Austin Burkhalter 14, Conor Smith 0, Casey Heagy 4, Nick Hines 2, Gabe See 10.

No. Beach 10 13 18 25 -- 66
Naselle 5 19 19 17 -- 60

Comets drop fifth straight

Courtesy of The Chinook Observer

Comets drop fifth straight at rival South BendBy PHIL RAISTAKKAObserver corespondent

DAMIAN MULINIX photoNaselle sophomore Conor Smith, who scored a total of eight points, pulls up for a shot in the lane over South Bend’s Chase Mitchell in the fourth quarter of Saturday’s 59-52 loss.

SOUTH BEND - The Naselle Comets boys' basketball team fire has been dampened badly since the Astoria Christmas Tournament. They just completed their third Pacific League game of the week with their third successive league loss and their fifth loss in a row. The Comets lost 59-52 to South Bend in Don Koplitz Field House Saturday, Jan. 6. The Comets league record fell to 2-3 and to 4-7 overall.Naselle Coach Brian Macy said, "Defensively we played well enough to win. We are just turning the ball over too much and not rebounding as well as we are capable of doing. We are starting to play with the effort it takes to win, but need to fix the mistakes. We must get more than 42 shots a game."The Comets seemed to have control of the game through the first half as they lead 10-4 after one quarter and 24-17 at the half. But things began to go south in the third quarter as the turnovers and lack of offensive rebounds (only three offensive boards in the game) began to make a difference.The Comets were led by Kyle Burkhalter with 17 points and Casey Heagy who added 12. Conor Smith was just out of double figures with eight points. The Naselle rebounding was led by Kyle Burkhalter, Austin Burkhalter and Smith, each with seven boards.Macy said, "We were up by seven at the half but really could have been up by much more had we taken care of the ball and played with more composure. We are inexperienced with a lot of youth. Hopefully we will get through some of the growing pains."Those growing pains took the form of a South Bend rally that saw them outscore the Comets 18-13 in the third period to take over to pull within two points of the Comets. South Bend then completed their comeback with a huge 24-13 fourth quarter as they fashioned their seven point win. Randy Eang, who was the game's high scorer with 27 points, led the South Bend surge."I really think this year's team has the capacity to develop into a very good team. We just need to focus on our weaknesses as a team and as individuals and keep our nose(s) to the grindstone - if we do this, the development will occur much quicker," Macy said.That development will get a chance to grow and show this week as the Comets travel to Westport on Tuesday, Jan. 9, to take on the Ocosta Wildcats. They entertain the North Beach Hyaks this Friday, Jan. 12, in a rematch of the Comets 72-50 loss to the Hyaks only a week ago.Indians 59, Comets 52

NASELLE (52) - Kyle Burkhalter 17, Casey Heagy 12, Smith 8, Griss 6, A. Burkhalter 3, Sultemeier 2, See 2, Hines 2, Ray;

Shooting: FG - 19-42 (.452),

3's - 2-11, FT - 12-20;

Rebounds (30): K. Burkhalter 7, A. Burkhalter 7, Smith 7;

Turnovers (22)

SOUTH BEND (59) - Randy Eang 27, Michell 12, Yi 9, Rose 5, Lazelle 3, Huber 2, Wetterauer 1;

Rebounds (29)

Naselle 10 14 13 13 - 52

South Bend 4 13 18 24 - 59

Comets can't control Langer

Courtesy of The Chinook Observer
Comets can't control Langer in league loss to VikingsNASELLE - Willapa Valley 6-1 senior Brady Langer had one of those games that players dream about, but it turned into a nightmare for the Naselle Comets. The Comets could do little to slow him down, let alone stop him, in their Pacific League boys' basketball game played in Naselle's Lyle Patterson Gym Thursday, Jan. 4. Langer scored points from every conceivable angle with about every shot seen on the basketball court in scoring 36 points. With Langer's huge game as the key, the Vikings easily rolled over the Comets 74-64 in a game that wasn't as close as the final score indicates.Naselle's Burkhalter brothers, freshman Austin who had a career high scoring night (27 points, eight rebounds) and Junior Kyle (21 points, eight rebounds), more than matched the points scored by Langer, but they didn't have the scoring backup that Langer had. Two other Vikings, Rick Bannish and Mike Anderson, each scored in double figures with 15 points for Anderson, plus 16 rebounds and five blocks and 13 points for Bannish, while no other Comet was in double digits. Nathan Sultemeier added six points for Naselle.From the opening tip, this was a game of Langer and the Vikings speed, quickness and defense in the paint versus the Comets outside game. Langer quickly established the pattern that was to be followed practically all game long. The Comets took their only lead of the game when Sultemeier was fouled on a three-point try and he made all three free throws for a 3-2 Naselle lead. Langer countered by scoring Valley's first nine points on the way to 12 points in the period.For variety, Tom Colburn broke free on three back door cuts along the baseline to add four Valley points in the period plus two more to open the second quarter. The Comets got points from four players, the Burkhalters, Nick Hines and Casey Heagy, each added a hoop. But Naselle still trailed Langer and Co. 16-11 after one quarter.Naselle's best quarter turned out to be the second. Austin dialed in his three ball from the corner, canning three treys in the period as part of his 12 second quarter points while Kyle was scoring nine points on drives to the hoop and by hard work around the basket. Those points allowed the Comets to barely outscore the Vikings 21-20 in the quarter. But guess where 12 of Valley's points came from in the period? - You got it. Langer was busily scoring more than half of the Viking points in the quarter. But with the Burkhalter brothers' big scoring effort, the Comets only trailed the Vikings by four points at the break after having fallen behind by as many as 13 points as each team had traded scoring runs.The Comets solid quarter had put them right back into the game as they only trailed 36-32 at the break. But who could predict what was to follow?The Vikings opened the second half with a 10-0 run in the first three minutes and Langer did not score the first six points as the Vikings press and fast-break offense left the Comets scrambling. Austin finally broke the Naselle scoring drought with two freebies at the 5:14 mark, but Valley answered with six more points. Big 6-foot 5-inch Mike Anderson added his sixth point of the period as did 5-foot 7-inch guard Rick Bannish. That duo and Langer were to each score eight points in the eight minutes of the third period. On the Naselle end of things, only the Burkhalter boys were able to find the hoop. Austin had the Comets first five points of the period and Kyle the last six as Valley ran away with a 24-11 third quarter.Trailing 43-60 at the end of three, it was to get better and then get worse, again, before it ended a little better for the Comets. Bannish stole the ball for a lay-up but Austin, who was five for 10 behind the arc, countered with another three-ball. Sultemeier then stole the ball and soloed for a lay-in to bring Naselle within 14 points of the Vikings in the first minute of the final stanza.Langer - always Langer - and Co. then popped in the next 10 points while Naselle could only counter with Sultemeier's two free throws. That stretched the Vikings lead to 22 points with a little more than half a quarter left in the game. Gabe See's put-back rebound finally broke the Valley scoring string. With Valley Coach John Peterson clearing his bench at the two minute mark, the Comets completed a 14-2 run with many subs on the floor as Valley went home with its convincing 74-64 win.Suffering its fourth straight loss as they finished the first half of the regular season, the Comets record dropped to 4-6 overall and to 2-2 in the Pacific League with nothing but tough league games ahead. The Vikings are 4-0 in league and 4-5 overall.Naselle Coach Brian Macy said, "Turnovers and rebounding are killing us. We are usually out-manned and need to do a superior job at blocking out. This needs to come along quickly. The turnovers are from poor decision making and playing tentatively. This was a tough week and it is not over, as we travel to South Bend tomorrow. They will be very scrappy and quick."After finishing this week at South Bend, the Comets will play two league games a week for the next four weeks, and then finish the league season with a single away game in the final week of the regular season, hopefully followed by a district tournament berth.The Comets JVs lost to the young Vikings 55-23.$$$ The Naselle Community Pep Band, directed by Cliff Weimer and made up mainly of "used-to-be" band members, played some excellent ball game music. The band, in its second year, is a welcome change from the canned pre-game and half-time music that is often played loudly at Naselle home games. A big thumbs-up for Weimer and the band members who bring some of the old-time flavor back to games at Lyle Patterson Gymnasium!Vikings 74, Comets 64

WILLAPA VALLEY (74) - Brady Langer 36, Mike Anderson 15, Rick Bannish 13, Colburn 6, Mayfield 2, LeClair, Johnson, Barrett, Lundy, King, Landrum;

Shooting: FG - 33-69 (.478).
FT - 7-12;
Rebounds (36): Anderson 16;
Blocks: Anderson 5

NASELLE (64) - Austin Burkhalter 27, Kyle Burkhalter 21, Sultemeier 6, Hines 3, See 3, Heagy 2, Griss, Smith, Erickson;

Shooting: FG - 21-52 (.404),
3's - 5-15.
FT - 19-25;
Rebounds (36): A. Burkhalter 8, K. Burkhalter 8;
Turnovers (22)

Willapa Valley 16 20 24 14 - 74
Naselle 11 21 11 21 - 64

Kyle Burkhalter's efforts not enough

Courtesy of the Chinook Observer
Kyle Burkhalter's efforts not enough to stop balanced HyaksOYEHUT - An outstanding performance by Naselle's Kyle Burkhalter was not enough to counter the balanced team effort of the North Beach Hyaks in a Pacific League make-up boys' basketball game played in the Hyaks gym Wednesday, Jan. 3. Burkhalter poured in a season-high 29 points but his solo efforts fell far short of the Hyaks, with four players in double figures, in a 72-50 Naselle loss. The Comets absorbed their first league loss of the season, to fall to 2-1 in league games and 4-5 overall.The Comets fell behind early on and lost ground steadily as the Hyaks controlled all aspects of the game, except Kyle. His play was not enough to counter the Hyaks onslaught. "We got out-rebounded and out-hustled," said Coach Brian Macy.Casey Heagy added eight points and Conor Smith seven points to the Naselle total. The rest of the Comets scored only six points total among them. That contrasted with the Hyaks team scoring, where they were led by four players with 17, 15, 15, and 10 points respectively and with 16 points scored by the remaining players. Ryan Cariker had a double-double with 17 points and 12 rebounds.The Comets trailed 14-9 after one quarter, 29-19 at the half and 52-38 after three periods on their way to the 72-50 loss. Naselle was out-scored 43-31 in the second half.After a solid season-opening stretch of games, the Comets have now lost three straight where they have been out-scored 203-129. It doesn't get any easier for the rest of the week with Willapa Valley coming to town on Thursday and a trip to South Bend on Saturday, both tough league games.Hyaks 72, Comets 50

NASELLE (50) - Kyle Burkhalter 29, Heagy 8, Smith 7, Austin Burkhalter 2, Martin 2, Sultemeier 1, Ray 1, Griss, Hines, See, Erickson;

Shooting: FG - 17-52 (.327),
3's 1-12,
FT - 15-24;
Rebounds (26): K. Burkhalter 13, A. Burkhalter 6

NORTH BEACH (72) - Ryan Cariker 17, Fry 15, Johnson 15, Lind 10, Moore 5, Capoeman 5, Alfaro 3, Thornton 3, Payne, Pope;

Shooting: FG - 27-54 (.500)
FT - 14-21;
Rebounds (30): Cariker 12

Naselle 9 10 18 13 -- 50
N. Beach 14 15 23 20 -- 72

Saari soars in win over Vikings

Courtesy of The Chinook Observer
MENLO - Happy New Year, Naselle girls' basketball fans! The Naselle Comets opened the New Year with a win in one of the most difficult game venues in the league. Naselle did what is very hard for any visiting team - win a basketball game in Willapa Valley's Ed "Bull" Tenoski gym. But the Comets did just that behind the double-double of Erin Saari with a come-from-behind 50-46 Pacific League girls' win in a game played Wednesday, Jan. 3.While Saari led the way with 22 points and 11 rebounds, she was the leading point of the Comets team efforts. Brandi Keightley returned, after missing several games since mid-December with a hand injury, with a 12-point game. Cheryl Steppe added seven points and Ashley Ahlstrom six points and they led a 49-rebound team performance with 13 and 15 boards respectively.The Comets opened the game on a high note, leading 8-4 after the first eight minutes. But the Vikings took control in the second stanza with a 17-9 quarter and they led 21-17 at the intermission. The Comets superiority on the boards really began to take effect in the second half as they outscored the Vikings 33-25 in the last two periods. Naselle used an 18-14 third quarter to tie the Vikings at 35-all, going into the final eight minutes. The Comets were then able to again outscore the Vikings by four points, 15-11, to earn their key league win.The Vikings got within a point at 46-47 with a little over a minute to play, but the Comets were able to make the last three points for their win. Coach Bob Torppa said, "They fouled Erin (Saari) with 53 ticks left and she made two free throws. We did a great job of stopping them and getting the ball back. Then with little time left, they fouled Kellyn (Pakenen) and she made one-of-two to give us a four point win."The Comets third period comeback was keyed by a switch from a zone defense to a man defense. That change and the Comets' board control proved to be decisive factors in the decision. Torppa said, "Kellyn did a great job on (Chelsi) Friese defensively. Ashley (Ahlstrom) played one of her best games, with six points and 15 rebounds. Ashley and Cheryl's (Steppe) timely screens helped battle Valley's full court press. Ashley has been known to take out two players out with one screen."We switched to a man to man defense at mid third quarter. We did a very good job defending a smaller quicker team and we were able to get more pressure on their shooters with our man defense. It was the best game of the season for Erin. For Brandi (Keightley) to come back after a month with only one practice and get 12 points was big for us," Torppa said.

NASELLE (50) - Erin Saari 22, Brandi Keightley 12, Steppe 7, Ahlstrom 6, Pakenen 3, Fletcher, Klinger;
Shooting: FG - 13 of 41 for 32 percent,
3's - 3 of 5,
FT - 15 of 30;
Rebounds (49) Ahlstrom 15, Steppe 13, Saari 11;
Steals (17): Saari 5, Ahlstrom 4;
Blocks (7): Steppe 3;
Turnovers (29)

WILLAPA VALLEY (46) - Chelsi Freese 15, Larissa Rohr 15, Teylor Dickey 10, Crose 4, Millican 2:
Shooting: FG -18-59. (.305).
FT - 6-15

Comet girls on a streak

Courtesy of The Chinook Observer
Comet girls on a streak with wins over South Bend, ValleyBy PHIL RAISTAKKAObserver corespondentNASELLE - The Naselle Comets girls won their third in a row - all league games - as they thumped South Bend 44-21 in a Pacific League game played in Naselle's Lyle Patterson Gym Friday, Jan. 5. The Comets balanced team scoring effort saw nine of their 11 players get in the scoring column. The Comets' league record improved to 3-1, their overall record to 6-4. South Bend fell to 1-3 in league, 1-7 overall.The Comets took control from the opening tip and scored in double figures in three of the four quarters while holding South Bend to single digit scoring or less in all four periods. Naselle held South Bend scoreless in the second period when they were only able to get off three shots. The Comets led 15-9, 23-9 and 34-16 at the close of each of the first three quarters.Brandi Keightley and Haley Landis led the balanced Naselle scoring with nine points each. Cheryl Steppe and Ashley Ahlstrom led the rebounders with 10 and nine boards respectively, while Colette Beaulaurier added four boards and three steals. Erin Saari led the Naselle defense with six steals.Naselle's pressure defense was able to force South Bend into 34 turnovers, many of which led directly to Comets' points. That was especially evident in South Bend's scoreless second quarter. Coach Bob Torppa said, "The girls got after it pretty good defensively in the second quarter. South Bend was only able to get three shots in the whole period."The Comets entertain Ocosta this Thursday, Jan 11 and they travel to North Beach on Saturday, Jan. 13, and to Raymond on Tuesday, Jan. 16. All three games are Pacific League games.

NASELLE (44) - Brandi Keightley 9, Haley Landis 9, Ahlstrom 7, Steppe 6, Beaulaurier 4, Klinger 3, Green 3, Pakenen 2, Saari 2;

Shooting: FG - 18-53 (.340),
FT - 4-14;
Rebounds: Steppe 10, Ahlstrom 9;
Steals: Saari 6, Beaulaurier 3

SOUTH BEND (21) - Deborah Nhotsoubanh 6, Heffernan 5, Anderson 4, Nisbet 4, Bisbee 2; Shooting: FG - 10-24 (.417).
FT - 0-4;
Rebounds: Anderson 6;
Turnovers: (34)

Comets crunch S. Bend

Courtesy of The Daily News
NASELLE ---- Haley Landis and Brandi Keightley scored nine points apiece, and Naselle's full-court pressure held South Bend scoreless in the second quarter Friday night en route to a 44-21 victory over the Indians in a Pacific 2B League girls basketball game.The Comets (6-4, 3-1 league) led 15-9 after a quarter, then applied the clamps in the second period and skunked the Indians 8-0."The girls got after it pretty good defensively in that second quarter," Naselle coach Bob Torppa said. "They (the Indians) only got three shots off the whole quarter."Cheryl Steppe grabbed 10 rebounds and Ashley Ahlstrom nine for the Comets. Erin Saari (six steals) and Colette Beaulaurier (four rebounds, three steals) also played well.Comets 44, Indians 21

SOUTH BEND (21) -- Bisby 2, Coma 0, Nesbitt 4, Heffernan 5, Nhotsoubanh 6, McCoy 0, Anderson 4, Hardy 0.
NASELLE (44) -- Kellyn Pakenen 2, Brandi Keightley 9, Erin Saari 2, Kelsey Fletcher 0, Emily Green 2, Jenny Klinger 3, Colette Beaulaurier 4, Haley Landis 9, Cheryl Steppe 6, Ashley Ahlsmtrom 7.

S. Bend 9 0 6 6 -- 21
Naselle 15 8 11 10 -- 44

Naselle lead slips away

Courtesy of The Daily News
OCOSTA ---- Ocosta caught fire from the 3-point line in the fourth quarter and snatched a 56-52 victory over Naselle here Tuesday in a Pacific 2B League boys basketball game.Naselle built and early lead and held it until the final quarter, when the Wildcats knocked down four 3-pointers to erase an eight-point deficit."We got a little tight, they started taking it hard to the hoop and hit some 3s," Comets coach Brian Macy said. "We're a young team and we've just gotta learn to close out games."Kyle Burkhalter led Naselle (4-8, 2-4 league) with 17 points and Austin Burkhalter added 15. Spencer Griss added seven points, six rebounds and four assists, Conor Smith and Kyle Burkhalter each grabbed seven rebounds, and Nick Hines had three assists off the bench for the Comets.Wildcats 56, Comets 52

Naselle 17 9 12 14 -- 52
Ocosta 6 14 11 25 -- 56

NASELLE (52) -- Nathan Sultmeier 7, Spencer Griss 7, Kyle Burkhalter 17, Austin Burkhalter 15, Conor Smith 6

Eang torches Comets

Courtesy of The Daily News
SOUTH BEND ---- Randy Eang knocked down a game-high 27 points as South Bend rolled over Naselle 59-52 in a Pacific B League boys basketball game on Saturday.Naselle (4-7, 2-3 league) led 24-17 at halftime, but was outscored by the Indians 42-28 in the final 16 minutes.Kyle Burkhalter led the Comets with 17 points, and Casey Heagy added 12.Indians 59, Comets 52

NASELLE (52) ---- Nathan Sultemeier 2, Spencer Griss 6, Kyle Burkhalter 17, Austin Burkhalter 3, Conor Smith 8, Casey Heagy 12, Nick Hines 2, Gabe See 2.

SOUTH BEND (59) -- Dustin Howard 0, Brian Yi 9, Randy Eang 27, Eric Wetterauer 1, Shaun Rose 5, Derek Huber 2, Tim Lazelle 3, Michell 12.

Naselle 10 14 15 13 -- 52
So. Bend 4 13 18 24 -- 59

Holiday blahs

Courtesy of SportsRadio 1230 ESPN
Ocosta 56, Naselle 52...The holiday blahs continue for the Comets, who led 21-8 early but could not sustain that momentum in a loss at Westport. Kyle Burkhalter led Naselle with 17 points and Austin Burkhalter added 15. Tommy Quimby paced the Wildcats with 13 points. Naselle hosts North Beach on Friday night at Patterson Gymnasium. In other Pacific 2B league action Tuesday night, Willapa Valley handed Northwest Christian its first league loss with a 75-66 win at home. North Beach topped South Bend 55-41 and Tacoma Baptist defeated Raymond 63-31

Comets can't claw back

Courtesy of The Daily News
NASELLE ---- The never-say-die Naselle Comets rallied from a 15-point second-quarter deficit to make it a four-point game at halftime, but couldn't quite complete the comeback and fell to Willapa Valley 74-64 in a Pacific 2B League boys basketball game Thursday.Brady Langer scored a game-high 36 points for the Vikings, who outscored the Comets 24-11 in the third period to take command."We fought so hard to come back in the first half. They led 26-11 and we really played hard to make it 36-32 at halftime," Naselle coach Brian Macy said. "I just think we had a letdown in the third quarter."Willapa Valley began the third with a 10-0 run.Brothers Austin and Kyle Burkhalter led the Comets (4-6, 2-2 league) with 27 and 21 points, respectively, and both grabbed eight rebounds. Austin Burkhalter, a freshman, made 5-of-10 from 3-point territory.

WILLAPA VALLEY (74) -- Langer 36, Mayfield 2, Barrett 0, Bannish 13, Lundy 0, LeClair 2, Johnson 0, Anderson 15, King 0, Colburn 6, Landrom 0.

NASELLE (64) -- Nathan Sultemeier 6, Spencer Griss 0, Kyle Burkhalter 21, Austin Burkhalter 27, Conor Smith 0, Casey Heagy 2, Nick Hines 3, Gabe See 3, Alan Erickson 0.

Valley 16 20 24 14 -- 74
Naselle 11 21 11 21 -- 64

Saari soars for Comets

Courtesy of Daily News

MENLO ---- Erin Saari posted a double-double with 22 points and 11 rebounds as Naselle rallied in the second half for a 50-46 victory over Willapa Valley in a Pacific 2B League girls basketball game Wednesday.The Comets (5-4, 2-1 league) amassed 47 team rebounds.Naselle trailed 21-17 at halftime, then switched from a zone defense to a man-to-man midway through the third quarter. The Comets outscored the Vikings 33-25 in the second half.Brandi Keightley added 12 points, while Sheryl Steppe (seven points, 13 rebounds) and Ashley Ahlstrom (six points, 15 rebounds) dominated Willapa Valley on the boards.

NASELLE (50) -- Erin Saari 22, Brandi Keightley 12, Cheryl Steppe 7, Ashley Ahlstrom 6, Kellyn Pakenen 3, Kelsey Fletcher 0, Jenny Klinger 0.

WILLAPA VALLEY (46) -- Freese 15, Rohr 15, Dickey 10, Crose 4, Millican 2.

Naselle 8 9 18 15 -- 50
Valley 4 17 14 11 -- 46

Burkhalter stars in loss

Courtesy of Daily News

OCEAN SHORES ---- Kyle Burkhalter poured in 29 points for Naselle, but it wasn't enough as the Comets fell to North Beach 72-50 on Wednesday in a Pacific 2B League boys basketball game."We got out-rebounded and out-hustled," Naselle coach Brian Macy said.The Comets are now 4-5, 2-1 in league.Hyaks 72, Comets 50 NASELLE (50) -- Nathan Sultemeier 1, Spencer Griss 0,

Kyle Burkhalter 29, Austin Burkhalter 2, Conor Smith 7, Casey Heagy 8, Jeremy Ray 1, Nick Hines 0, Gabe See 0, Josh Martin 2, Alan Ericson 0.

NORTH BEACH (72) -- Alfaro 3, Moore 5, Thornton 3, Capoeman 5, Lind 10, Fry 15, Johnson 15, Cariker 17.

Naselle 9 10 18 12 -- 50
N. Beach 14 15 23 20 -- 72

Lady Fishermen blow out Comets

Courtesy of Chinook Observer
By PHIL RAISTAKKAObserver corespondent

ASTORIA - The Naselle Comets girls were only trailing the Astoria Fishermen by four points at the half-time intermission of their opening game of the Vince Dulcich Memorial Tournament played in the Astoria High Brick House Wednesday, Dec. 27. However, that changed quickly in the second half as the Comets were only able to score 10 second-half points, while the Lady Fishermen popped in 26 on their way to a 38-18 win over the Comets. Naselle's overall record dropped to 3-4 for the season.Taking a page from their male counterparts' playbook, the Fishermen girls used a full court pressure defense to harass the Comets into turnovers or hurried shots and the result was an Astoria runaway win. In contrast to their game against Raymond last week, the Comets could not consistently get into their offense for good shots. Most of the Naselle points came on breakaways and solo efforts.Naselle opened the game as though they would be right in the game with Erin Saari, Cheryl Steppe and Jenny Klinger each scoring. They led 8-6 at the end of one period. The second period was a different matter as the Comets could not find the hoop, going scoreless for the period, and they went in at the half trailings 8-12.The Comets were able to hang around through the third stanza with Saari and Ashley Ahlstrom each scoring four points for the Comets. However, Astoria were able to counter the Naselle points with two three-point plays and win the quarter battle 10-8 to lead 22-16 going into the fourth period.The Fish then went on a fourth period 16-0 run that wasn't stopped until Saari finally scored with a little over a minute left in the game. That was it for the scoring and Astoria sent the Naselle girls home with a 38-18 loss and a spot in the tournament's consolation game against Banks.(Last Friday's game with Banks, which lost to Knappa in its tournament opening game, is not published in the sports section of this edition of the Chinook Observer due to the early printing deadline for that section of the paper caused by the New Year's Day holiday.)

NASELLE (18) - Erin Saari 8, Ahlstrom 4, Steppe 4, Klinger 2, Pakenen, Landis, Beaulaurier, Rodriguez:

ASTORIA (38) - Jennifer Stephens 9, K.J. Carr 9, Cullen 6, J. Coggins 6, O'Bryan 4, Roman 2, Hillard 2, Wilson, B. Coggins

Astoria defense downs Comets

Courtesy of Chinook Observer
By PHIL RAISTAKKAObserver corespondent
ASTORIA - They have yet to change their name to the "Killer Bees" or the "Piranhas" but that may not be too far away if the Astoria Fishermen boys' basketball team continues to play defense as they have played this early season. The Killer Bees - er, Fishermen - swarmed their way to a 66-30 thumping of the Comets in the teams' opening game of the 35th Vince Dulcich Memorial Tournament played in the Astoria High Brick House Wednesday, Dec. 27.The loss knocked Naselle into the tournament's consolation game on Friday.The Fishermen's tenacious pressure defense forced the Comets into 28 turnovers.The Naselle coaches knew what to expect in this game after watching Astoria press Ilwaco into submission a week ago. Coach Brian Macy had a plan to combat the Astoria press and it worked beautifully to start. However, the Comets lost the ball after breaking the press on their second possession. So, Astoria did what they do best and ran a textbook fast break for their next two points. Astoria's pressure didn't allow the ball to get past the center line and the Fishermen led 8-0 only a minute and a half into the game.It didn't get any better as the Comets fell behind further with only Kyle Burkhalter (13 game points, 7 rebounds) able to solve the Fish-riddle as he scored Naselle's first five points and Astoria led 18-5 after one period. The Fishermen scoring had come from six different players with their top scorer, 5-8 senior point guard Andy Murray (12 game points), leading the way with six quick points.One of the Fishermen's top players, super sophomore Jordan Poyer, didn't even start the game as Murray, one of ten seniors on the team, has now returned from an injury. However, the 6-1 Poyer quickly established his presence with two early points on the way to nine game points as well as rebounding and defense keyed by his quickness.A ray of hope buoyed the Comets hopes in the second stanza as Burkhalter led the early charge with the Comets scoring the first five points of the quarter. However, the Fishermen didn't let that phase them as Poyer and Brian Anderson, with his second trey of the game, more than matched the Naselle hoops. Naselle's Casey Heagy provided eight late first-half points with four of those points coming on a trey plus a free throw. Those four late points allowed the Comets to close the second quarter scoring with a 22-15 deficit, trailing 40-20 at the break.The Fishermen continued to roll in the third period with a 12-0 run that wasn't interrupted until Kyle finally broke the Naselle drought after the mid-quarter mark. Astoria out-scored Naselle 16-4 in the period, even though Coach Chris Hunt pulled back the press at mid-quarter. Astoria's unrelenting pressure still changed Naselle's shots, usually only allowing only one hurried shot if they didn't steal the ball as the Comets tried to run their offense. Astoria's lead climbed to 56-24 after three periods.With 11 of their 12 players scoring in the game, Astoria continued to pull away from the Comets no matter what combination of inter-changeable players they used and they won the fourth quarter scoring battle as well, 10-6. The Comets, with the exception of Kyle, could not hit a shot in the final eight minutes and Astoria sent them home with a 66-30 drubbing.Naselle's record fell to 4-3 with the loss.(Last Friday's game with Banks, which lost 79-55 in its tournament opening game with Knappa, is not published in the sports section of this edition of the Chinook Observer due to the early printing deadline for that section of the paper caused by the New Year's Day holiday.)

NASELLE (30) - Kyle Burkhalter 13, Casey Heagy 8. Austin Burkhalter 3, Sultemeier 2, Griss 2, Smith 2; Rebounds: K. Burkhalter 7;

Turnovers (28)

ASTORIA (66) - Andy Murray 12, Brian Anderson 10, Poyer 9, Macareno 8, Landwehr 6, Culver 4, Alfonse 4, Robinson 4, Davis 4, Christianson 3, Faulkner 2, Dalton; Rebounds; Murray 7;

Assists: Murray 4;
Steals: Macareno 7

ASTORIA GIRLS SHUT DOWN COMETS

Courtesy of SportsRadio 1230 ESPN
The Astoria Girls Basketball team has had a "dis-jointed" non-conference start to the 2006-07 campaign.Injuries, suspensions, and poor weather all have contributed to an up and down start to the season, but one thing has emerged: This Lady Fishermen team can play defense.On display at the Brickhouse on Wednesday night, Astoria clamped down on Naselle, held the Comets scoreless in the 2nd quarter, and almost repeated the feat in the 4th quarter, only allowing Naselle 2 points, on their way to a convincing 38-18 victory in the opening game of the 36th Annual Vince Dulchich Memorial Tournament."I've been very happy with our defense," remarked Gordon Thompson, Astoria Head Coach. "We have kept ourselves in almost every ball game with our defense and tonight, we stepped it up a notch."After Naselle jumped out to a quick 8-2 lead in the 1st quarter with 5:07 left, Astoria called a quick timeout and settled into a defensive rhythm that found the Fishermen holding the Comets scoreless the rest of the first half. While Astoria was not exactly lighting up the scoreboard themselves, a balanced attack led by Jamie Coggins (4 points) and Hilary O'Bryan (4 points), staked the homestanding Lady Fishermen to a 12-8 halftime lead.The second half was more of the same for Astoria, and unfortunately, for Naselle. Taking a 22-16 lead into the final frame, Astoria placed the vice grip around the Comets offense yet again, with Sara Cullen hitting 3 consecutive open jumpers and KJ Carr clearing off the boards, Astoria out-scored Naselle 16-2 in the 4th and cruised to the 20-point win.Astoria was led by Carr with 9 points, Jennifer Stephens also with 9, and Cullen with 6. Naselle was paced by the 8 points of Erin Saari. Astoria evens their record at 5-5 and will next play in the Championship game of the Dulchich Tournament Friday night against the winner of Thursday nights Knappa-Banks showdown. The Comets drop to 3-4 on the season and will play the loser of the Knappa-Banks game Friday afternoon at 2pm.The Astoria game can be heard Friday night with the pre-game at 5:45 pm on 1370 AM KAST.

NASELLE 8 0 8 2 - 18Saari 8, Steppe 4, Ahlstrom 4, Klinger 2, Landis, Pakenen, Beaulaurier, Green, Fletcher
ASTORIA 6 6 10 16 - 38Carr 9, Stephens 9, Cullen 6, Coggins J. 6, O'Bryan 4, Roman 2, Hillard 2, Coggins E., Wilson

FIELD GOALS- AST: 17-45-37%,
NAS- 9-21-43%

FREE THROWS- AST: 4-6-66%,
NAS- 0-5-0%REBOUNDS-

AST: 23,
NAS: 19

TURNOVERS- AST: 14,
NAS: 21

WHIZZ, WHIRR, WOW...FISHERMEN DOMINATE NASELLE

Courtesy of SportsRadio 1230 ESPN
When Astoria Basketball Coach Chris Hunt looked over his 2006-07 boy's basketball team, he knew that they had the ability to create havoc for their opponents.Hunt now calls his kids "a bunch of sharks"."Our kids start pressing and it's like the smell the blood in the water," Hunt remarked. "The ability of our guys to cause turnovers and create easy opportunities for our offense has improved as the season has gone along."That improvement reached it's highest level of the young season as Astoria throttled Naselle in the nightcap of the 36th Annual Vince Dulchich Memorial Tournament, with a 66-30 win at the Brickhouse.The Fishermen jumped out to a quick 8-0 lead within the first 90 seconds of the game and never looked back, improving their record to 7-2 on the year and notching their 7th straight win. The last time Astoria lost on the court was in the Madras Tournament to Columbia River, Wa., on December 2nd."Our guys are finally getting into condition," said Hunt. "We knew that it would take a few weeks, but now we're seeing what this team is capable of when our press leads to transistion baskets."Naselle, who dropped to 4-3 overall with the loss, found themselves down 18-5 at the end of the 1st quarter and never recovered from the early spurt by the Fishermen. The Astoria lead grew to as many as 24 points in the first half as the Fishermen blistered the nets with 49% shooting from the field while causing 17 first half Naselle turnovers.Leading 40-20 at the break, Astoria continued to build on its' lead, which ballooned to 37 points in the second half, as the Fishermen held back any hope of a Comet comeback by keeping the pressure on the full 94 feet until late in the game.Led by Andy Murray, who got his first start of the season, every player except one for Astoria made it into the scoring column. Murray and Brian Anderson paced the Fishermen with 10 points a piece, with Murray adding in 7 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals for good measure. The Comets were led by Junior Kyle Burkhalter, who led all scorers with 13 points, along with 7 rebounds and 2 assists.Astoria next faces the winner of the Knappa-Banks matchup on Friday night in the Championship game of the Dulchich Tournament, a game that can be heard on 1370 AM KAST, immediately following the Girl's Championship contest.

NASELLE 5 15 14 6 - 30
Burkhalter K. 13, Heagy 8, Smith 2, Burkhalter A. 3, Sultemeier 2, Griss 2, Hines, Erickson

ASTORIA 18 22 16 10 - 66Murray 10, Poyer 9, Macareno 8, Alfonse 6, Landwehr 6, Robinson 4, Culver 4, Anderson 10, Faulkner 2, Davis 4, Christensen 3, Dalton

FIELD GOALS- AST: 28-66-42%,
NAS: 12-43-28%

3-PT FG'S- AST: 2-6-33%,
NAS: 1-11-9%

FREE THROWS- AST: 8-14-57%,
NAS: 5-12-42%

REBOUNDS- AST: 44,
NAS: 29

TURNOVERS- AST: 16,
NAS: 28