The experienced Sumner High girls basketball squad hosted two of the better opponents in the South Puget Sound League 2A last week, earning a split.

In the initial duel of the week, Jan. 18 against 8-0 White River, which currently sits atop the SPSL 2A, Sumner got into early foul trouble and couldn’t quite pull off the victory, falling 46-40 in the showdown for first place.

Sumner bounced back in its Friday matinee, though, when it hosted Eatonville High and won an important 68-58 shootout on the wings of a senior scoring performance from Angela Sanchez, who poured in 18 points, and Kaitlin King, who added 17.

The week left Sumner High all alone in second place in the SPSL 2A standings, with a 8-1 league mark and a 12-2 accounting overall, having lost only to league foe White River and Class 4A Lake Stevens by one point in the Alaskan holiday hoopfest in late December.

Against White River, the Spartans didn’t have an answer for the torrid shooting of Hornet standout Brooke Paulson and talented transfer Rani Wiegand who teamed up to ignite the scoreboard for 30 points.

The purple and gold quickly regrouped against a stalwart Eatonville High unit on Friday though, to beat the Cruisers for the second time this season despite Eatonville star Becca Schrimpsher putting up 24 points.

Sumner jumped out to a 16-3 first quarter lead, but then had to hang on for dear life in the fourth quarter when a Cruiser comeback bid nearly succeeded.

Eatonville outscored SHS 23-19 in the final eight minutes, but the Spartans had accumulated a 19 point upper hand by the close of the third period.