On the rebound

Michael McElroy shot the ball over the outstretched arms of two Hockinson defenders and made the game-tying basket for Washougal as the buzzer sounded.

Hardly anything fell through the hoop for the Panthers in overtime. The Hawks hit a quick jumper and then a 3-pointer. By the end of those four extra minutes, Washougal had been outscored 14-3 and lost the game 63-52 Jan. 14, at Hockinson High School.

After beating Mark Morris for the first time in school history, the Panthers were back to square one. Washougal (11-5, 3-1) is in a three-way tie for first place with Hockinson (9-7, 3-1) and Mark Morris (11-5, 3-1). Each school has one more game against each other to determine who is going to be the league champion.

Hockinson hosts Mark Morris tonight, at 7:30 p.m. The Monarchs defeated the Hawks 65-57 on Jan. 3.

Mark Morris hosts Washougal on Tuesday, Jan. 29, at 7 p.m. The Panthers beat the Monarchs 66-58 on Jan. 10.

Washougal hosts Hockinson on Friday, Feb. 1, at 7 p.m.

On Friday, Washougal beat R.A. Long 73-37 at WHS. Aaron Deister and Sean Guthrie each scored 12 points, and McElroy and Austin Tran both added 10.

The Panthers got down by seven points early in the game, but then Guthrie nailed three 3-pointers to bring Washougal back to life. Nate Adams netted seven points in the second quarter to help the Panthers build a 35-19 lead at halftime.

Washougal plays at Ridgefield tonight. The teams tip off at 7 p.m.