Devils overcome Waterville-Mansfield to make district finals

WATERVILLE — The Wilson Creek Devils kept the season alive after winning 48-43 in a close matchup against Waterville-Mansfield Wednesday evening. Coming off a big win, the Devils get ready to head to Wenatchee for a chance to make the state tournament.

“It was a pretty good game,” said Devils Head Coach Caleb McMillan. “It was neck-and-neck all the way through.”

Wilson Creek and Waterville-Mansfield were both consistent in the first half, pressing the net and scoring points one after another. By the end of the half the two were tied.

In the third quarter, the Devils kept up their momentum and were persistent in scoring, but the opposition stayed right there with them. It wasn’t until the final moments of the fourth quarter that Wilson Creek finally pulled away through their free throws to gain the victory by five.

McMillan said the greatest strength from Wilson Creek came on the defensive side of the ball. The Devils’ defense held Waterville-Mansfield’s top shooter to a minimum up until the very end of the game which gave Wilson Creek a major advantage.

“We played very good defensively, out-rebounded them, and that was our main goal going in,” said the coach. “We had to out-rebound them to no second-chance points and we dang sure did it.”

The key to the success seen this season comes from the coach’s mindset of having the players take each matchup as they come along.

“You play one game and see what happens and go to the next one,” he said.

Wilson Creek’s greatest motivator for the team this season has been the six seniors Aiden Galindo, Isaias Alvarez, Reece Kane, Wiley Kimble, Aiden Valline, and Travis Shearer. The coach said both their leadership and their goal to end their high school careers on a high note have fueled the entire team’s desire to win.

“None of the seniors want it to be their last game yet, so they’re still working hard and putting everything they’ve got into it,” said McMillan. “The younger classmen have been falling along and it’s been pretty good.”

As the Devils prepare for Saturday’s matchup, the coach said he wants the boys to get in a few more good practices and work to show up for the final game of the district tournament.

“They’re excited to get the win over Waterville. Now we’ve just got to get back to work and get Saturday,” he said.

The Devils will face Entiat on Saturday at 12:30 p.m. for a third-place district title and a ticket to the state tournament.

BOX SCORE:

WCRK: 48

WVMF: 43

    Wilson Creek senior Aiden Galindo looks for an open teammate to pass the ball to during a home game earlier this season.
  

    Devils senior Aiden Valline makes his way down the court after gaining possession of the ball in a previous home matchup.