Prep highlights: Kalama puts together solid victory over Adna

Jackson Esary scored 19 of his game-high 28 points in the second half as Kalama (5-1) returned to Central 2B League competition Saturday with a 73-62 win over Adna.

“I’m very pleased,” Kalama coach Wes Armstrong told The Daily News of Longview. “Whenever you can beat a good Adna team and hold serve on our home floor in a league game; I’m very, very pleased with our effort.”

Kalama’s Jack Doerty scored 22 points with 19 coming in the first half. He made five 3-pointers, as did Esary.

“For us to be an upper-echelon team, we have to be able to not only depend on Jackson,” Armstrong said. “When we have other guys stepping up and providing some of that scoring, I think that makes us a very dangerous team.”

Boys basketball

KELSO 61, BLACK HILLS 54 — The Hilanders pulled away early in the non-league game with a dominating first quarter, outscoring their hosts 21-8, and finished strong with a 20-point fourth quarter.

Michael Foust led Kelso with 17 points. Tyler Hays, who helped seal the win from the free-throw line, finished with 15, and Payton Stewart had 13.

The Hilanders (5-2) led by 12 with two minutes to go, before a couple frantic 3-pointers fell for Black Hills to cut the gap to single-digits.

Girls basketball

ADNA 77, KALAMA 24 — Aubrey Doerty led Kalama with 10 points in the non-league loss to visiting Adna.