ELMA — Centralia hung in there with Elma here Tuesday night until the end of the first half neared, when the Eagles went on a 6-point run to gain an 11-point lead.
The Tigers were then outscored 25-7 in the third quarter before falling 75-55 in Evergreen 2A Conference boys basketball action.
Easton Masteller scored 14 of the team’s 16 points out of the chute, before finishing with a game-high 24.
“Easton got us off to a great start,” Tiger coach Ron Brown said. “We were really close in the first half until just the end of the half.
“In the third quarter, they came out hot, hit some 3s and kind of buried us.”
Centralia was without post James Green, and when the team’s other presence in the paint, Steven Hamilton, found himself in foul trouble, the Tigers really died on the boards, according to Brown.
“We couldn’t rebound with them,” added the coach, whose team had a 34-22 disadvantage on the glass. “They had 10 offensive boards in the first half, and that just really hurt us.”
Brown did, however, commend the play of sophomores Cole Housden and Andrew Pullin, who combined to score 15 points. He was also happy with Hamilton’s performance in the second half.
Centralia (3-16, 1-12 league) hosts W.F. West Thursday in a rivalry game.
“They’re a good team,” Brown said of Chehalis. “Like most other teams in the league, they’re probably highly favored over us. It will be a challenging game.”
Notes: JV won 60-40 over the Eagles.
