CHEHALIS — It was crazy week for the La Center boys basketball team that began with a triple-overtime loss and ended with a guaranteed two more weeks of basketball.
The Wildcats not only clinched the 1A Southwest District’s last berth to regionals with their 58-46 victory over Forks in Friday’s night’s third-place game at W.F. West High School, they’ll also play basketball in Yakima for the first time in 14 seasons.
Not since the 2002-03 team has La Center (15-4 overall) reached this stage of the 1A state tournament; the Wildcats made the regional round in 2013 and 2015.
“It’s a great feeling to get there and to make memories with our seniors,” said junior guard Avery Seter. “And to play basketball.”
La Center will face a familiar opponent — Lynden Christian — in next week’s regional game in Mountlake Terrace. Because of two higher-seed RPI teams falling (Overlake and either King’s or Mount Baker), that locks the Wildcats in at No. 7, climbing from its regular-season spot of No. 9. The top eight teams are guaranteed one game Yakima regardless of the outcome of next weekend’s regional contest.
Even entering Friday, La Center knew it won half the battle, but knew it needed to take care of business on its end against the Spartans.
Seter led the Wildcats with 19 points, Hunter Ecklund added 16, and 1A Trico League MVP Jake Wise had eight of his 17 points in the fourth quarter.
Forks physicality, led by 6-foot-9 center Marky Adams (24 points, three blocks) was a problem matchup for the Wildcats. Matt Baher had much of the defensive assignment on Adams all night, and his play drew praise from Wildcats coach Jeremy Ecklund.
“I’m not sure he can move right now,” he said. “He worked his tail off.”
Even with Adams controlling the paint and contesting most of La Center shots inside, the Wildcats still got their fair share of points in the paint. After back-to-back 3s by Seter gave La Center its first double-digit lead at 39-28, a Wise floater over Adams at the 6:20 mark of the fourth made it a 9-point lead at 45-36.
Forks got no closer than seven the rest of the way.
