Pe Ell is 1-9 against Ocosta since December of 2019 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Wednesday. The Pe Ell Trojans will square off against the Ocosta Wildcats at 6:00 p.m.
Last Thursday, Pe Ell ended up a good deal behind Columbia Adventist Academy and lost 64-50. While losing is never fun, the Trojans can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Washington basketball rankings (they are ranked 287th, while the Kodiaks are ranked 126th).
The losing side was boosted by Jakob Hayes, who almost dropped a double-double with 15 points and nine boards. What's more, he also posted a 55% field goal percentage, which is the highest he's posted since back in December of 2024. Another player making a difference was Eli Mason, who posted nine points and four steals.
Even though they lost, Pe Ell smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 14 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least 12 offensive boards in seven consecutive matchups.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Ocosta, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Saturday. Everything went their way against Naselle on Monday as Ocosta made off with a 71-47 victory. The Wildcats have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won six contests by 23 points or more this season.
Ocosta's win came from a few key players Pe Ell will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Sonny Beard, who dropped a double-double with 18 points and ten rebounds. He is also on a roll when it comes to blocks, as he's now posted two or more in the last three games he's played. Dalton Welch was another key player, going 7 for 14 on his way to 14 points in addition to five assists and five boards.
Ocosta is on a roll lately: they've won 11 of their last 14 games, which provided a nice bump to their 14-6 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 58.2 points over those games. As for Pe Ell, their defeat dropped their record down to 9-11.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Pe Ell has been crashing the boards this season, having averaged 32.2 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Ocosta struggles in that department as they've been averaging 39.4 boards. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Pe Ell lost to Ocosta on the road by a decisive 66-50 margin in their previous meeting back in January. Can Pe Ell avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
