In battles of the baskets, Buckley reigns supreme

White River’s girls will enter the regular-season finale undefeated.

By Kevin Hanson • January 18, 2022 11:35 am
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It was a Hornet-Hornet battle for a rebound Friday night when the girls’ teams from White River and Enumclaw met in Buckley. Coming away with the ball is White River freshman Vivian Kingston; also in the scramble are teammate Josie Jacobs and Enumclaw’s Bella Firnkoess (21). Photo by Kevin Hanson
It was a Hornet-Hornet battle for a rebound Friday night when the girls’ teams from White River and Enumclaw met in Buckley. Coming away with the ball is White River freshman Vivian Kingston; also in the scramble are teammate Josie Jacobs and Enumclaw’s Bella Firnkoess (21). Photo by Kevin Hanson

It was a hardwood version of the Battle of the Bridge Friday night, when White River and Enumclaw High squared off for Plateau hoop supremacy.

The evening went the way of the Buckley teams, with White River’s girls registering a 52-45 victory over EHS and the WR boys taking a 75-58 decision over their Enumclaw rivals.

Round 2 of the South Puget Sound League 2A pairing will take place Feb. 11, the regular-season finale for both schools.

Friday’s contest between the girls’ teams held special intrigue, as both were undefeated in league play when they stepped onto the Buckley court. Enumclaw opened with an 11-8 advantage during a fast-paced first quarter, but the White River crew turned the tables with a 21-14, second-period advantage. The lead changed hands several times during that eight-minute stretch.

The teams raced up and down the court the rest of the evening as the game stayed close. The primary difference-maker was White River junior Morgan Greene who scored more than half her team’s points, finishing with 27.

Last week saw big numbers posted by a pair of White River Hornets. Greene tallied 65 points during the team’s three league victories and freshman Vivian Kingston added 51. Kingston poured in 26 during her team’s Jan. 10 victory over Steilacoom, the biggest scoring outburst by a White River freshman in more than 20 years, according to longtime coach Chris Gibson.

Friday’s win pushed White River’s record to 7-0 in SPSL 2A play, 11-1 overall. Enumclaw dropped to 6-1 in league, 7-3 overall.

The Hornet-Hornet boys’ battle was played out in Chuck Smith Gymnasium in Enumclaw and was close for three quarters. Heading into the final period White River held a slim 52-46 lead, only to enjoy a 23-12 advantage over the final eight minutes.

With the victory, White River’s boys remained perfect in SPSL 2A play with a 6-0 record (8-1 overall). Enumclaw slipped to 4-2 in league, 6-4 overall.

White River’s triumph was highlighted by double-figure scoring from five players. Rylan Donovan led the way with 20 and Dane Goudy added 19, followed by Carson Voellger’s 12 points and 11 each by Ashtin Harris and Colin Schmidtke.

Enumclaw was paced by Karson Holt’s 18 points and 14 from Noah Seabrands.

White River’s balanced scoring attack was nothing new. The squad has four players averaging in double figures for the season: Donovan (24.6), Goudy (17.3), Harris (12.3) and Voellger (10.7).

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