12/11/25
Napavine 56, Montesano 13
(Napavine, WA) Two teams with aspirations to make it to Eastern Washington for their respective state tournaments met in an early season showdown as the Evergreen 1A’s Montesano Bulldogs looked to make it two wins in a row as they battled the favorite in the Central 2B in the Napavine Tigers. With a bulk of new faces for Montesano, they would look to get into a groove offensively against a very talented and experienced Napavine Tigers who took home the third-place trophy back in March.
Napavine’s full court press was a major problem right out of the gate for Montesano as they struggled to even move the ball past midcourt. Hayden Kaut and Sophia Bittner got off to a nice start while Taylen Evander got in some early foul trouble which moved Hannah Fay to the point. The Tigers couldn’t cash in on some good looks and despite dominating early, a three ball by Regan Wintrip cut the Tigers lead early to 6-3. Napavine followed with a 13-0 run that spanned the rest of the first quarter and into the second. Evander subbed back in and hit a couple of big threes to open up the Tiger lead while the length on defense from Hayden Kaut, Nicholle Valentine, and Sophia Bittner gave the Bulldogs fits. Josie Forster and Jillie Dalan would score a few buckets late in the half, but Napavine had a very comfortable 31-9 lead at halftime.
The Tiger defense continued to steal the show in the second half. They cutdown on the fouls that were a first half issue while the bench began to add on with Ava Ondong and Alexis Schutz finding points. Nicholle Valentine took over in the second half and outscored everyone else with 10 points in the third and fourth quarters with some very impressive moves in the paint. Paige Busz and Addisyn Williamsen would both find points for Montesano in the second half, but the Tigers 40-point lead made it a running clock for the final four minutes. Napavine’s younger players got to close the show as the Tigers rolled to a 56-13 win over Montesano.
Our Thorbeckes MVP of the game went to Nicholle Valentine for Napavine. The Tiger junior was focused primarily on defense in the first half but showcased her evolution as a player by pouring in 10 points in the second half to complete her strong, all-around performance.
The win moves Napavine to 3-1 on the season and a perfect 3-0 at home. The Tigers will have a very quick turnaround with a short notice game on Friday when they visit WF West in a game you can see here on ESN. Montesano falls to 1-4 on the season and will look to get back in the win column on Thursday when they visit Bear Creek at 5pm.
Scoring
Montesano: Josie Forster 4, Regan Wintrip 3, Jillie Dalan 2, Paige Busz 2, Addisyn Williamsen 2
Napavine: Hayden Kaut 20, Taylen Evander 12, Nicholle Valentine 10, Sophia Bittner 7, Ava Ondong 4, Alexis Schutz 3
Link to watch full game replay on the NFHS Network (subscription required)
ESN Postgame Show
Highlights
Montesano Defense Leads to Offense
Kaut Three Completes 13-0 Run
Valentine Continues Big Second Half
elisportsnetwork.com