With the South Puget Sound League 3A basketball campaign at its midway point, the White River High girls find themselves in the thick of a hotly-contested race.

Through games of last weekend, the Sumner Spartans topped the field with a 6-0 league record, followed by White River at 5-1, Bonney Lake at 5-2 and Lakes at 4-2.

Tuesday night’s schedule was crucial, especially with White River traveling to Sumner High; results could not be included here, but will be posted at www.courierherald.com. Friday’s games have White River hosting Enumclaw and Sumner hosting Bonney Lake.

The White River girls will play a rare Monday game, participating in the Martin Luther King Jr. Classic at Hec Edmondson Pavilion on the University of Washington campus in Seattle. The Hornets will square off against Kentwood, last year’s Class 4A state champion. Game time is 11 a.m.

A key battle for SPSL 3A supremacy occurred Friday night when the Bonney Lake girls invaded the White River gymnasium. The Hornets scored the first four points of the game and never trailed on the way to a 66-47 victory.

“I thought our defensive pressure set the tone early,” Hornet coach Chris Gibson said. “We got off to a good start and the girls showed a lot of intensity.”

The Hornets maintained a lead that hovered in double digits most of the way, but Bonney Lake kept within striking distance. That changed with the opening of the fourth quarter, when White River went on a 14-2 tear and built a 25-point cushion at 63-38.

As usual, the Hornet offense was sparked by the trio of Brooke Paulson, Sabra Sproul and Megan McKune. Juniors Paulson and Sproul scored 11 points each and McKune, a senior, added 10.