The B team had the lead at halftime on Sunday, but the A team flipped the momentum after the break and held on for a 108-103 win in the 2026 Southwest Washington Boys Senior All-Star Game at Centralia College on Sunday.
“Getting an opportunity for all the high school kids to get here, it’s just a fun time,” A team coach Tyler Ashmore, a Centralia assistant coach who played in the All-Star Game when he was a senior, said after the game. “It’s just fun to celebrate all these kids. Our county has a rich basketball tradition, I think, so this game is always meaningful.”
Ashmore’s A squad included players from six different schools, including Centralia, W.F. West, Black Hills, Shelton, Aberdeen, and Elma.
Elma’s Isaac McGaffey was named the game’s Most Valuable Player, as he scored 18 points and brought down nine rebounds to go along with two thunderous dunks that were the highlights of the game.
Shelton’s Brayden Phillips also added 18 points, and he added four rebounds and three assists, and Black Hills Quinton Morrill and Talon Morrill both scored 15.
Shelton’s Masyn Gard added 12 points, W.F. West’s Fox Rogerson scored nine, Shelton’s Jeremy Myers tallied eight, Aberdeen’s Isaac Garcia chipped in seven, and Centralia’s Kadin Yeung finished with six.
Talon Morrill and Fox Rogers both added five rebounds and two assists, and Quinton Morrill pitched in four rebounds and two assists of his own.
The B squad included four players from Toledo, two from Napavine and Wahkiakum, and one from Montesano.
Napavine coach Kayden Kelly led the B squad, and he embraced the opportunity to coach Hudson Chambers and Tyce Vigre one final time.
“You don’t think about it when the last game of the season ends, I thought I was done coaching Hudson and Tyce,” Kelly said. “Getting to do that one more time, it’s just awesome. It just means a lot.”
Chambers finished with a game-high 28 points and added six rebounds, while Wahkiakum’s Parker Leitz added 20 points. Toledo’s Trevin Gale scored 15 points and added eight rebounds and three assists, and Toledo’s Cooper Fallon finished with 14 points, six rebounds, and three steals.
Montesano’s Mason Fry tallied eight points and 14 rebounds, Vigre added eight points, Wahkiakum’s Cooper Carlson scored seven points, and Toledo’s Adam Kruger scored three.
“It’s cool to be involved in something where we get to play together like that,” Kelly said. “We’re pumped up that we got to be a part of that.”
It was also somewhat of a reunion for Kelly and Ashmore, who both played at Centralia College.
They didn’t cross over at CC, missing each other by a year, but the two did play each other in high school, when Ashmore was at Centralia and Kelly was at W.F. West.
Ashmore’s assistant, Josh Forster, another Centralia assistant, was also on the bench. He played alongside Kelly during Kelly’s final season, when Centralia College men’s basketball coach Joe Chirhart was an assistant coach under Centralia College Athletic Director Jason Moir, who was the head men’s coach at the time.
After the game, Kelly, Forster, and Chirhart shared a brief conversation and posed for a photo together.
“A lot of people that I’m used to being around,” Kelly said. “Getting to coach against and seeing them in the gym is a really cool experience.”
For Chirhart, getting the chance to build on those connections and giving each senior one final game is what the event is all about.
“Both the girls and the boys, they show up, they play hard, and it’s a blast,” Chirhart said. “Everybody shows up and makes it a great event … I’m just really thankful that everybody does a good job supporting and showing up for the kids to give them a great environment.”
