Wahkiakum and Naselle set to ring in 2026

The beginning of January marked the inception of the new year, and Naselle and Wahkiakum will be plenty busy to open 2026. With multiple games a week, there's plenty of action in store for both the Comets and Mules.

Wahkiakum High School

Wahkiakum's boys and girls teams have enjoyed sparkling starts to their seasons. Ahead of their Jan. 6 game against Columbia Adventist Academy, the boys have a 7-3 record, including a 3-0 mark in conference play. The girls also jumped out to a hot 3-0 start against district opponents and boasted a 6-1 record before facing the Kodiaks on Jan. 6. The results of the games against Columbia Adventist were unknown at the time of press.

While the girls had a lengthy 19-day break between games around the holidays, the boys played three games to close out 2025. On Monday, Dec. 29, Wahkiakum endured a 68-28 defeat at the hands of the Stillwater Christian Cougars. After giving up a 14-2 run to start the game, the Mules never quite found a way back into the game. It didn't take long for Wahkiakum to rebound, though.

The Mules' next game was against Orcas Island on Tuesday, Dec. 30, and Wahkiakum ended up winning in a 73-70 high-octane, offensive battle. Both teams were raining threes all night, but it was Wahkiakum who had the last laugh, with Parker Leitz sinking shots from distance throughout the contest.

In the final game of 2025, Wahkiakum lost to Mt. Vernon Christian on Wednesday, Dec. 31. The final score was 58-73, but the Mules competed hard throughout, especially in the first half. After giving up another double-digit lead in the first quarter, the Mules responded with stubborn resolve. After being down 20-7, Wahkiakum stormed back in the second to trail by just two points with a little more than a minute in the half. The decisive stretch in the game came in the third quarter, when the Hurricanes pulled away with a shower of three pointers. After entering the third quarter with a 35-28 lead, the Hurricanes took control of the game with a 21-6 flurry in the frame. In the fourth quarter, Wahkiakum outscored Mt. Vernon, but the lead built in the third quarter proved pivotal for the Hurricanes.

The boys will next play Pe Ell on Thursday, Jan. 8, away from home. The girls will host Morton/White Pass on Monday, Jan. 12.

Naselle

Naselle's girls team has opened the season in winning form, but started 2026 with a loss, falling by seven points to Raymond/South Bend on Jan. 2. Despite suffering a defeat, Head Coach Marie Green said it wasn't a poor result for her side.

"Well, coming off a two-week break with no games, this wasn't a bad loss for us,” said Green. “We have a few girls battling illnesses and hope that they get better quickly.”

The Comets started slow against the Ravens. Brooklyn Avalon spent much of the first quarter on the bench due to foul trouble early, and the Comets needed every bit of the spark she provided when she got back in the game. Avalon lit it up in the second quarter, netting 12 of her 20 points in the period, accounting for 75 percent of Naselle's points in the quarter. Thanks to her offensive spark and the defensive effort of Brianna Johnson, Brooke Davis, and Mylee Dunagan, Naselle entered halftime with a 25-22 lead.

In the third quarter, however, the lid wouldn't come off the basket, and Naselle ended up on the wrong side of a 20-8 scoring margin in the period.

"The second half of the game, we just couldn't buy a basket,” said Green. “We had a lot of great looks at the hoop, and the ball would just roll out. That's how it goes sometimes. This was our first game all season where we did not hit a single three."

Going into the Jan. 6 game against Lake Quinault, the Comets have a 5-2 record, and a 2-0 record in league play. Naselle's result against Lake Quinault in league play on Jan. 6 was unknown at the time of press. Naselle hosted Mary M. Knight in a league game Jan. 7, and will host Toutle Lake on Thursday, Jan. 8. On Friday, Jan. 9, the Comets will travel to Ocosta for a league matchup.

The boys nabbed their first win of the season against Pe Ell on Dec. 30, snapping a four-game losing streak. The game was neck-and-neck through the first half, with the teams even at 30-30 going into halftime. In the third, the Comets pulled ahead, doubling Pe Ell's score in the frame to lead 44-37. In the fourth, Naselle kept the foot on the gas, closing the door with a 17-11 frame and winning 61-48.

The Comets couldn't quite muster wins in their subsequent games, losing to Raymond/South Bend on Saturday, Jan. 3, and then also falling to Ilwaco on Monday, Jan. 5, but those games couldn't have been much closer. Naselle lost to the Ravens 56-59, and then fell just short against the Fishermen 53-52. Leith Chadwick turned in a valiant 17-point, nine-rebound performance, but Naselle ended up losing by the narrowest of margins.

It's been a season of close-run defeats for Naselle, as five of the Comets' six losses have been by single digits. Three of the six have been by three points or fewer. With that in mind, there's still plenty of positives to take away for Naselle. With plenty of games on the calendar, the Comets will seek to turn good performances into W’s.

Naselle's result against Lake Quinault in league play on Tuesday, Jan. 6, was unknown at the time of press. The Comets played against Mary M. Knight on Wednesday, Jan. 7, on their home court in a league game. Again, the result of Wednesday’s game was not available at the time of press.