Basketball Game Preview: Willapa Valley Vikings vs. Pe Ell Trojans

The Willapa Valley Vikings will take on the Pe Ell Trojans at 4:00 p.m. on Saturday.

Willapa Valley is probably headed into the contest with a chip on their shoulder considering Mary M. Knight just ended the team's three-game winning streak on Tuesday. They took a 45-36 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Owls.

Despite their defeat, Willapa Valley saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Rilyn Channell, who posted nine points and eight boards, was perhaps the best of all. Channell is also on a roll when it comes to steals, as she's now grabbed two or more in the last three games she's played. Another player making a difference was Lauren Matlock, who put up five points in addition to six steals and five assists.

Even though they lost, Willapa Valley smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with ten offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive boards in four consecutive matchups.

Meanwhile, Pe Ell put another one in the bag on Thursday to keep their perfect season alive. They claimed a resounding 55-6 win over Washington School for the Deaf. Given the Trojans' advantage in MaxPreps' Washington basketball rankings (they are ranked 109th, while the Terriers are ranked 354th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Pe Ell's victory was their eighth straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 14-0. As for Willapa Valley, their loss dropped their record down to 7-7.

Willapa Valley suffered a grim 51-28 defeat to Pe Ell in their previous meeting back in December of 2024. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Pe Ell's Karli Phelps, who went 9 for 17 on her way to 28 points and eight steals. Now that Willapa Valley knows the damage she can cause, will they be able to stop her this time? There's only one way to find out.