Plateau prep basketball teams experienced a case of Black Thursday in the Tacoma Dome.
A day after all three local representatives to the Class 3A state basketball championships won their opening-round matchups, all three went down to defeat.
At the hoop tourney are the White River girls, along with both the Enumclaw High boys and girls squads. The tournament is a double-elimination affair; any of the teams picking up a victory Friday will play Saturday for a trophy, but anyone losing Friday is done for the season.
Thursday’s action started with the Enumclaw High girls, who fell 45-37 to the Meadowdale Mavericks.
The third quarter was the difference, as each team scored 12 points in the first quarter, six in the third and a dozen in the final period. In the fateful third quarter, the Mavericks enjoyed a 15-7 advantage and that spelled victory.
Enumclaw’s girls outrebounded Meadowdale and scored more from the free-throw line, but the Hornets were ice-cold from the field, shooting just 19 percent. Eighteen turnovers didn’t help matters any.
Heather Hitch led the EHS offense with 14 points and Mark Koplitz added 11.
Enumclaw’s boys also played Meadowdale and stuck close to the Maverick boys before falling 47-41. There were six lead changes in the 32 minutes of play and the game was tied five times.
Riley Carel scored 11 points, pulled down a team-high nine rebounds and had a team-high five assists. Taylor Myers paced the Hornet offense with 14 points.
A tough day for the Plateau was capped late Thursday when the White River girls fell 52-42 to the Holy Names Academy Cougars.
White River spent the better part of two quarters digging themselves into a double-digit hole, then mounted a rally that started just before halftime and continued into the third quarter. Eventually, the Hornets climbed to within a point, but the rally was quickly snuffed. The Cougars responded with a scoring burst of their own and were not seriously challenged the rest of the way.
Carly McCutchen came off the bench to score 10 points and was the only Hornet in double figures.
COMING FRIDAY…
The Enumclaw High girls will take on Lakeside High at 2 p.m.
The Enumclaw High boys will battle Seattle Prep at 2 p.m.
The White River girls will square off against Prairie High at 3:30 p.m.
All three are loser-out games.
