A pair of subdistrict victories – including Saturday’s defeat of Renton High, ranked No. 9 in the state – gave the White River Hornets the No. 1 seed into the West Central District basketball tournament.

That means the Hornets have a first-round bye and are just two victories away from yet another appearance in a state hoop extravaganza. After repeated state trips as a Class 3A school, the  Hornets qualified last year during their first journey through the 2A ranks.

The Hornets’ tourney march begins at 8 p.m. Friday at Lakes High School. White River will face the winner of a contest between Interlake and Lindbergh being played tonight, Wednesday. If the Hornets win Friday they will play at 8:15 p.m. Saturday, again at Lakes, already assured of a state berth; should they lose Friday, they will play at 12:45 p.m. Saturday, needing a victory, plus another win Monday, to qualify for the state tournament.

Saturday night’s 56-31 victory over Renton was still in doubt at halftime, with the Hornets on top 29-21, but the third period made all the difference. A 16-4 surge during those eight minutes gave White River a 20-point cushion that only grew as the contest wound down.

The Hornets put 11 players into the scoring column, none needing a big night to assure the victory. Kennedy Hobert and Kristin Sturdivan scored nine points each to lead the way.

White River’s subdistrict experience got under way Thursday evening with a 60-41 victory over the Port Angeles Roughriders. The Hornets established their dominance early, building a double-digit lead at 20-10 by the end of the first quarter. The ‘Riders cut the margin to seven points late in the first half, but White River bounced back and was never threatened again.

Hobert scored 18 in the first half on the way to a game-high 24 points and Cassidy France added 16.