Hoop teams keep state dreams alive

The White River High girls, who have made an annual habit of appearing in the state tournament, find themselves tourney-bound once again.

By Kevin Hanson • February 14, 2017 9:40 am
Emunclaw junior Griffin Webb looks to score against Curtis High during Saturday’s West Central District playoff game. Webb scored 10 points during the Hornet loss. Photo by Vince Miller.
Emunclaw junior Griffin Webb looks to score against Curtis High during Saturday’s West Central District playoff game. Webb scored 10 points during the Hornet loss. Photo by Vince Miller.

WHITE RIVER GIRLS

The White River High girls, who have made an annual habit of appearing in the state tournament, find themselves tourney-bound once again.

The Hornets, by virtue of a stellar record and SPSL 2A championship, earned a first-round bye in the West Central District tournament. The team then punched its state ticket with a dominant 58-26 victory Feb. 11 over Lindbergh.

White River will travel to Tacoma’s Foss High Thursday for a district semifinal contest against the Port Angeles Roughriders. The winner plays Saturday, again at Foss, for the district title. Thursday’s loser will be at Foss Saturday for the third/fourth tussle.

White River carries the No. 3 RPI in the state among Class 2A girls.

White River’s district-opening victory over the Lindbergh Eagles was highlighted by a 25-point performance by senior Kendall Bird.

WHITE RIVER BOYS

The Hornet boys were looking to keep their season alive last night, Tuesday, when they challenged the Clover Park Warriors in a West Central District tilt.

The 7:45 game was a loser-out affair, with the winner slated to play again Thursday at Curtis High School in University Place. The Thursday contest is another loser-out game, with the winner earning the WCD’s No. 5 seed into the Class 2A state tourney.

White River opened district play with a 61-59 victory over Port Angeles, a game highlighted by 23 points from Alex Wallen and 13 by Ryan Larsen. The Hornets took a healthy 34-18 lead into halftime, then withstood a third-quarter Roughrider rally to escape with the two-point win. Two nights later, White River fell 71-55 to SPSL 2A champion Foss High to drop into the loser’s bracket. In that one, the Hornets received 13 points from Cameron Cawley, 12 from Wallen and 10 from Joe Flanigan.

BONNEY LAKE GIRLS

The Panther girls split their opening games in the West Central/Southwest District tournament to keep their postseason dreams alive.

The season was on the line against last night (Tuesday), when Bonney Lake took on Mountain View High in the North Thurston gymnasium. It was a loser-out contest, with the winner scheduled to play again Thursday at Timberline High against either Lakes or Wilson. The Thursday winner will play again Saturday in a loser-out, winner-to-state game at Capital High.

The Panther girls opened WCD play Feb. 9 with a 54-29 loss to Timberline High, but stayed alive Saturday with a 52-40 victory over North Thurston.

BONNEY LAKE BOYS

The Panthers saw their season come to an end with a pair of losses in the West Central/Southwest District tournament.

Bonney Lake’s boys opened Feb. 8 with a 62-52 loss to Central Kitsap and then, two days later, fell 98-72 to Evergreen High.

Bonney Lake finished the season with an overall mark of 10-12, which included a 7-7 record in Pierce County League 3A play.

ENUMCLAW BOYS

By splitting their first two West Central/Southwest District basketball games, the Enumclaw High boys find themselves just one victory away from a berth in the Class 4A state Sweet 16.

The Hornets will take on Auburn High at 6 tonight, Wednesday, in the Rogers High gym on Puyallup’s South Hill. The winner advances to play Friday against either Mount Rainier or Kentridge, with both guaranteed a state trip. The loser is done for the year.

The teams met twice during the regular season, with the Hornets taking a pair of close victories.

Enumclaw opened district play with a 47-41 victory over Skyview, then fell Saturday to Curtis 59-47. Against Skyview, Kaden Anderson led the way with 21 points while Peter Erickson added 12, including a crucial, late-game bucket. Against Curtis, Erickson posted a team-high 17 points; Anderson added 14 and Griffin Webb had 10.

ENUMCLAW GIRLS

The Hornets’ season came to an end with a 40-30 setback at the hands of the Puyallup Vikings.

The Feb. 8 contest, twice postponed due to heavy snow, was played in the Graham-Kapowsin High School gymnasium. It was a loser-out game, with the winner earning a berth into the 4A West Central/Southwest District Tournament.

Neither club mustered much offense during the early stages and EHS held a 4-1 lead after one quarter of play. But when the Hornet girls managed only seven points in the second period, Puyallup took the lead for good.

Madison Bosik, playing her final game in a Hornet uniform, led the team with nine points.

Enumclaw finished with a season record of 9-14.