State B boys: Saint George’s eliminated by Adna after Northeast 2B League MVP Shawn Jones gets into foul trouble

The St. George’s Dragons’ return to the State 2B boys basketball tournament was short-lived.

With Northeast 2B League MVP Shawn Jones in foul trouble, the seventh-seeded Dragons weren’t able to keep up with the 10th-seeded Adna Pirates, who broke the game open in the second half for a 70-47 victory on Wednesday night at the Arena.

Adna (20-7) advanced to face No. 1 seed Columbia (24-0) in the quarterfinals at 5:30 p.m. Thursday.

St. George’s (20-8) was eliminated from the tournament in its first trip to state since finishing third in 2020.

“They beat us to a bunch of offensive boards in the second half,” Dragons coach Ryan Peplinski said. “… They did a good job taking away any sort of run we could make.”

The Pirates shot 49% from the field and outrebounded the Dragons 33-31 while grabbing 13 offensive rebounds. Braeden Salme, a 6-foot-2 senior, finished 11 of 26 from the field – he took nearly half of Adna’s 53 shots – and made 5 of 6 free throws.

“He’s a problem to match up with,” Peplinski said of Salme. “He’s really good off the bounce. He’s got a great medium-range game. He’s really good in the post, really strong.”

Salme had 10 points in the first half, during which the teams traded the lead six times. Adna built a quick six-point lead to open the second half, but three Dragons juniors – Jones, Mason Zarlingo and Elden Pierce – pulled them back within 33-31.

But things began to unravel for the Dragons soon after that.

Jones picked up his fourth foul with 3:05 left in the third quarter, forcing him to sit. The Pirates scored the next 13 points, a run capped by a 3-pointer by freshman Grayson Humphrey, who had two in the game and finished with six points. With St. George’s trailing 46-33, Jones re-entered to begin the fourth quarter, but he lasted just 2 minutes before picking up his fifth foul trying to follow his missed shot in the lane. Adna went on a 7-2 run to push its lead to 20 points, and the Dragons didn’t have any more answers.

“He’s kind of our guy, or one of them,” Peplinski said of Jones. “He’s important to have on the floor, but that happens. That’s basketball. You’ve got to find a way.”

Jones finished with seven points on 1-of-10 shooting from the field. Zarlingo led the Dragons with 11 points, and Pierce added 10 points and grabbed nine rebounds. St. George’s shot 30% from the field.

“We just weren’t connected (offensively),” Peplinski said. “We were segmented, and it seemed like we had a tough time getting into our sets. The ball stopped too often, and that hurt us.”

The Dragons’ two seniors, Kayden Gu and Robert Witmer and Kayden Gu, finished with seven and five points, respectively.

Adna junior Gavan Muller scored 15 points on 5-of-6 shooting from the field and grabbed six rebounds. Teammates Lane Johnson and Jens Neilson scored nine points apiece. Adna is seeking its first state championship.

Toutle Lake 64, Tonasket 46: The sixth-seeded Ducks (21-6) eliminated the 14th-seeded Tigers (13-11). Toutle Lake advance to play No. 4 Lake Roosevelt on Thursday in a quarterfinal matchup at 3:45 p.m.

Wahkiakum 76, Tri-Cities Prep 57: Zakk Carlson scored 25 points and the 12-seeded Mules (20-6) eliminated the fifth-seeded Jaguars (18-5) in a State 2B loser-out game on Wednesday at the Spokane Arena. Blake McClure led Tri-Cities Prep with 21 points. Wahkiakum advances to the quarterfinals to play No. 3 Colfax on Thursday at 7:15 p.m.

Northwest Christian 59, Chief Leschi 53: Avi West scored 22 points and the ninth-seeded Crusaders (20-7) eliminated the eighth-seeded Warriors (19-8). Mickey Lara led Chief Leschi with 19 points. Northwest Christian advances to play No. 2 Napavine in a quarterfinal at 9 p.m.

1B

Boys

Cusick 64, Muckleshoot 54: Roland Campbell scored 17 points and the sixth-seeded Panthers (20-4) eliminated the 11th-seeded Kings (16-8) in a State 1B loser-out. Payton Brown had 29 points to lead Mossyrock. Chris Makey added 15 for Cusick and Bode Seymour and Dennis Campbell had 14 apiece. Cusick took advantage of the free-throw line, making 14 of 15. The Panthers advance to play No. 4 DeSales on Thursday at 9 a.m.

Mossyrock 69, Summit Classical 68: Zack Munoz scored 19 points and the seventh-seeded Vikings (17-7) eliminated the 15th-seeded Archers (19-8). Trey Hodo had 31 points for Summit Classical Christian. Mossyrock trailed by 15 midway through the third quarter before making the comeback, outscoring the Archers by 10 in the final 15 minutes. The Vikings advance to play top-seeded Lummi Nation at 10:30 a.m.

Neah Bay 58, Oakesdale 43: Makyah Chambers scored 21 points and the fifth-seeded Red Devils (18-5) eliminated the 12-seeded Nighthawks (17-8). Ryker Reed led Oakesdale with 19 points. Tyler Swan added 17 points for Neah Bay. The Red Devils play No. 3 Moses Lake Covenant Christian at 12:15 p.m.

Columbia Adventist 54, Naselle 51: Collin Delaney scored 18 points and the 16th-seeded Kodiaks (18-8) eliminated the eighth-seeded Comets (19-5). Jacob Pakenen led Naselle with 16 points. Columbia Adventist used a big third quarter – outscoring Naselle 17-7 – to hold on to the victory. The Kodiaks advance to play second-seeded Wellpinit on Thursday at 2 p.m.