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Interview: Hunter Ecklund, La Center's newly minted all-time scoring leader, scores 27 in 1A regional win over Bear Creek

BATTLE GROUND — Hunter Ecklund became La Center’s all-time leading scorer last week in a district title game. On Saturday, he showed why. The senior scored 27

Andy Buhler, SBLive Sports

Interview: Hunter Ecklund, La Center's newly minted all-time scoring leader, scores 27 in 1A regional win over Bear Creek
Interview: Hunter Ecklund, La Center's newly minted all-time scoring leader, scores 27 in 1A regional win over Bear Creek /

BATTLE GROUND — Hunter Ecklund became La Center’s all-time leading scorer last week in a district title game.

On Saturday, he showed why.

The senior scored 27 points to lead 10-seed La Center past Bear Creek, 74-59, in a 1A regional loser-out game at Battle Ground High School. It's Ecklund's third trip in his four years at La Center.

Isaiah Romero had 17 points for the Wildcats.

Last year, the Wildcats made a run to the 1A state semifinals, where they lost to eventual state champion Zillah.

Bear Creek (14-11), which packed the stands and whose fans made their presence known despite being hours away from home, finishes a season that a second place finish in the 1A Emerald City League. The Grizzlies were paced by Jace Blankenbeckler's 18 points and 10 points from Nathan Shields.

With the win, the Wildcats book a trip to the Yakima Sundome, where it will face Trico League foe King’s Way Christian in a first round loser-out on Wednesday.

Here is an interview with Ecklund:

Published
Andy Buhler, SBLive Sports
ANDY BUHLER, SBLIVE SPORTS

Andy Buhler is a Regional Editor of Texas and the national breaking news desk. He brings more than five years of experience covering high school sports across the state of Washington and beyond, where he covered the likes of Paolo Banchero and Tari Eason served on state tournament seeding committees. He works on the SBLive/Sports Illustrated Power 25 national boys basketball rankings. He has covered everything from the Final Four, MLS in Atlanta to local velodrome before diving into the world of preps. His bylines can be found in The News Tribune (Tacoma, Washington), The Associated Press, The Columbian (Vancouver, Washington), The Oregonian and more. He holds a degree from Gonzaga and is based out of Portland, Oregon.

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