Naselle sophomore Jimmy Strange drives to the basket for the Comets.

ELLENSBURG, Wash. — The Naselle boys basketball team hit a temporary roadblock Saturday on the road to the WIAA state championships.

The Comets lost a 1B regional playoff against Sunnyside Christian 57-39. The No. 1-ranked Knights (22-1) earned a first-round bye at state, which starts Wednesday in Spokane.

Naselle, fresh from an 82-49 playoff win over Taholah and an 80-40 win over Mary M. Knight, already had earned its place at state. Coach Brian Macy’s team travels to the Hardwood Classic with a 17-6 record and will play Garfield-Palouse 9 p.m. Wednesday.

Naselle senior Antonio Nolan went down with a leg injury in the second minute and took no further part in the game. His replacement, junior Corey Gregory, came onto the court and immediately opened the scoring with a three-pointer, but it was the only time Naselle was ahead.

Senior Jacob Eaton scored nine points and sophomore Jimmy Strange had eight. The Knights had four players score in double figures.