Sandwiching Thursday and Saturday victories around a Friday evening loss allowed the White River High girls to claim a third-place finish in the Class 2A state basketball tournament.

The Hornet girls joined seven other hoop hopefuls for the three-day extravaganza staged in the Yakima SunDome. All had survived the regular season, plus district and regional battles, to earn a spot in the 2A’s Elite Eight and a trip to Yakima.

For White River, the third-place showing ties for the best finish in school history. The 2000 club also placed third  while competing at the Class 3A level.

“I was very pleased,” veteran coach Chris Gibson said. “If someone had told me at the beginning of the season we’d go 27-3 and take third at state, I would have taken it.”

Gibson had high praise for this year’s squad, pointing to a strong work ethic and team camaraderie.

“They do things the right way,” he said.

White River 42, Blaine 28

Thursday, March 1

Neither team shot well, but that’s not uncommon during the first day of a state tournament. Each connected on just 18 percent of their shots from two-point range. The biggest difference was White River’s ability to get to the free-throw line; the Hornets went 21-of-33 from the stripe while the Borderites were good on 11 of their 19 attempts. The White River bench also made a difference, outscoring Blaine’s nonstarters 14-4.

Senior Cassidy France was particularly active, scoring nine of her game-high 15 points at the line. Freshman Kristin Sturdivan also cracked double figures, draining three 3-pointers on her way to 11 points.

After trailing 9-8 following the first quarter of play, White River rattled off a 15-4 advantage during the second frame and never looked back.

East Valley-Yakima 46, White River 40

Friday, March 2

No one wants to start a tournament game ice cold, but that’s exactly what happened to the Hornets. White River found itself trailing 12-0 and didn’t make a field goal until Kennedy Hobert’s layin at the buzzer.

The second quarter was a different story entirely, as White River suddenly got hot, outscored the Red Devils 15-8 and trailed just 20-17 heading into halftime. The third quarter showed the Hornets were for real, as White River took a lead on the No. 2-ranked team in the state.

Perhaps the rally took a toll on the team. White River led by three heading into the final eight minutes of the contest but could muster only six points during the fourth period.

“We had some good looks, but just missed shots,” Gibson said.

Again, free throws played a crucial role in the outcome. The Hornets outscored the Red Devils from the field, but were sent to the free-throw line just four times, making two. The Yakima crew connected on 15 of their 20 attempts from the stripe.

Hobert, who was named to the all-tournament team, led the Hornets with 17 points and 10 rebounds.

White River 56, Lynden 46

Saturday, March 3

Anyone who thought the Hornet girls would drop into a deep funk following Friday’s loss was mistaken.

“I was proud of the way we came back and played very well,” Gibson said. “I liked the energy we showed and the passion we played with Saturday.”

That doesn’t mean the Hornets made it look easy. A 15-point halftime lead (34-19) was whittled to nine points in the third quarter. The Lions outscored White River 15-9 during those eight minutes to cut the margin to 43-34 heading into the fourth quarter. The Hornets weathered the brief in fine fashion, though, and went on to claim then third-place hardware.

White River had its best shooting night of the tournament, connecting at a 48 percent clip from the field. And, again, the Hornets held the advantage at the foul line, making 17 free throws to Lynden’s eight.

France led the offense with 12 points and Hobert chipped in with 10.