In Enumclaw High’s solitary contest last week, Peninsula High braved the elements, made the trip to The Hive and wound up suffering its initial setback of the 2008-09 campaign at the hands of the red-hot, 4-0 Hornets.

The final score of the Dec. 16 contest was 64-28.

“I really thought we would give them more of a challenge than we did and maybe even get a little payback from them beating us in the state tournament last year,” Peninsula coach Kerry Yousey said. “If I would have known that we were going to be whipped in every phase of the game like we did, I would have called ahead and told them that there was too much snow on our side of the Narrows Bridge and we were not going to be able to make the trip.”

Enumclaw’s junior center Tarren VanTrojen was a force to be reckoned. The Hornets posted up and the 6-foot-6 VanTrojen was the game’s leading scorer with 18 points and was also the top rebounder in the lopsided affair, bringing down nine boards.

Enumclaw built a 35-17 advantage by intermission and went 15-of-16 from the foul line.

“Being in the paint was a good place for us to be,” said EHS coach Phil Engebretsen, “because when we weren’t sinking shots in close we were getting fouled and putting in free throws. We had a lot of success from the foul line and Tarren consistently made his presence known down low.”

Snow and icy roads put a damper on Enumclaw’s Friday night plans to travel to Clover Park, which – like Enumclaw and Lakes – survived the pre-holiday season with an undefeated status.

“It is annoying when you are on a roll and then the weather shuts everything down,” Engebretsen said. “I guess everyone has the same disadvantage.”

The undefeated Hornets won’t be gathering cobwebs during the Christmas interlude, as they are slated to participate in the eight-team Holiday Jam Tournament at Bellevue Community College Saturday, Monday and Tuesday.

Reach John Leggett at jleggett@courierherald.com or 360-802-8207.