FORKS — Forks went toe-to-toe with Ilwaco in an early season tussle for the top spot in the Pacific League boys basketball standings, running out to a 30-19 lead with 20 seconds left in the first half.
But a late Fishermen 3-point make sparked Ilwaco into and out of the halftime break as Forks saw its intermission lead evaporate in the face of pressure defense.
“Tough loss,” coach Keith Weekes said. “We played a great, hard-fought first half, we were doing all the things we wanted to do. Got out to a nice lead, Ilwaco hit a 3 at the halftime buzzer, and it was all the momentum they needed.
“Ilwaco came out and dominated the second half and shot the ball incredibly well. We lost a bit of our aggression. Ilwaco didn’t change anything they were doing; we were just unable to match our effort of the first half.”
Aidan Salazar led Forks with 10 points, while Brodie Lausche added nine points and nine rebounds, and Kyle Lohrengel knocked down 2 of 3 3-point tries for the Spartans.
“We feel like we didn’t get beat, we lost it,” Weekes said. “We’re going to study the game, learn, put in the work, and we’ll be ready for the next one.”
Forks (2-1, 5-3) hosts Raymond (2-1, 3-2) tonight at 7 p.m.
Ilwaco 64, Forks 41
Ilwaco 11 11 25 17— 69
Forks 19 11 5 6 — 41
Forks (41) — Salazar 10, B. Lausche 9, Lohrengel 6, Olson 6, Davis 4, Micheau 2, Hernandez 2, Gonzales 2, Rowley, Davila.
Boys Swimming
Port Angeles 120, Klahowya 39
PORT ANGELES — The Roughriders finished first in nine of 11 events to sink the Eagles at Shore Aquatic Center on Wednesday.
The meet kicked off with an outstanding performance by the Roughriders in the 200-yard medley relay. The quartet of Finn Thompson, Nolan Medgin, Thomas Jones and Colby Ellefson set the tone, finishing first by an impressive 23-second margin.
The 200 freestyle witnessed a Rider sweep, with Edward Gillespie taking the top spot, followed by Isaac Meek in second and Killian Waknitz in third, leaving Klahowya trailing by 17 seconds.
“Remarkably, all three athletes were competing in this event for the first time,” coach Sally Cole said.
Thompson continued the winning streak for Port Angeles in the 50 free, not only clinching victory but also achieving a district-qualifying time.
The momentum continued with Ellefson’s triumph in the 100 butterfly, also swimming a district-qualifying time and achieving a personal best.
In the 100 free, the Roughriders claimed a podium sweep, with Medgin securing first place, Jack Root in second and Isaac Meek in third. Notably, Medgin swam a personal record, surpassing his previous time by 0.56 seconds.
Jones touched in first in the 500 free, setting a personal record by 3.6 seconds, and teammate Finn Thompson nabbed second, both swimmers posting qualifying times for the district championship meet.
Port Angeles maintained its dominance in relay events, with the team of Gillespie, Waknitz, Meek and Root grabbing another first-place finish in the 200-free relay.
Ellefson carried on his stellar performance with a win in the 100 backstroke, claiming first place along with another districtt-qualifying time, while Gillespie touched in second place, a whole 10 seconds ahead of Klahowya’s third-place finisher.
The meet concluded with another relay victory for Port Angeles in the 400 free. Jones, Medgin, Thompson and Ellefson sealed the win with a commanding 40-second lead over the nearest competitors.
Wrestling
Riders win duals
BAINBRIDGE — Port Angeles nailed down two Olympic League dual meet victories on the road Wednesday.
“[We] wrestled two tough duals, coming out victorious over North Mason and Bainbridge 44-34 and 44-33,” coach Rob Gale said. “They were both solid wins, even with some of our starters out due to another school event. That proves we have a great team with a ton of heart. We keep moving forward.”
