La Center Boys: Senior-led Wildcats look to keep hold of Trico

By Joshua Hart, Columbian sports reporter

Published: December 21, 2019, 3:00pm

La Center's Hunter Ecklund is the reigning Trico MVP. (Samuel Wilson for The Columbian)

La Center’s talented senior class doesn’t know what a basketball season is like without a Trico League title. The Wildcats are hoping that doesn’t change.

Led by coach’s kid and returning all-league player of the year Hunter Ecklund, the Wildcats will start an all senior lineup.

“Several of those kids started in third or fourth grade with my son,” coach Jeremy Ecklund said. “They’ve been around me a lot. They know how I like to play.”

La Center’s style is scoring a bunch of points. They averaged nearly 79 points per game in a 23-4 season a year ago. Hunter Ecklund led the area with 21 points per game.

Joining him in the starting lineup is all-league returner Evan Norris, a 6-4 forward.

“He’s kind of our big kid in the middle that can step outside and hit the 3 as well,” coach Ecklund said of Norris. “We’re also really pretty good on the press. We’ve got some length.”

The Ball twins, Hunter and Parker, check in at just under 6-feet tall and bring some scrappiness to the backcourt. Tobey Deemer, a 5-10 guard, rounds out the starting five.

“We believe we can compete with anybody in our area,” Ecklund said.

Despite winning the Trico last season, the Wildcats watched league second-place King’s Way Christian make a run to the state championship game. La Center finished fifth after falling to eventual champion Zillah in the semifinals.

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