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