It didn’t take new W.F. West coach Kyle Karnofski to get his first win as the Bearcats opened up their season with a 52-28 non-league victory over Washougal here on Thursday.
“Our defensive effort tonight was unreal. We had a game plan. We practiced it and we executed it pretty flawlessly,” said Karnofski.
The Bearcats gave up no more than six points in each of the first three quarters and held the Panthers under 30 percent shooting on the night. Skylar Bea led the Panthers with 12 points.
Maggie Vadala helped spark the Bearcats with 12 points and four steals on the night.
“Maggie in the second quarter hit two 3’s and that really just springboarded us the rest of the game,” said Karnofski.
The Bearcats shot close to 40 percent from the field, knocked down 13 of 18 free throws, and scored no fewer than a dozen points in any quarter. Annika Waring scored 12 points for W.F. West while grabbing six rebounds. Drea Brumfield dropped in 11 points in the win.
However, as coaches (even new ones) are wont to do, Karnofski was most focused on his team’s defensive effort.
“Really I thought the person that just dominated all night was Tehani Henry,” noted Karnofski. “She was just a terror down there. She was getting after it and not letting anyone get anything easy.”
Henry scored four points and hauled in a team-high seven rebounds.
W.F. West (1-0) will host North Thurston on Monday.
Rainier Takes Down Tenino
TENINO — The Beavers kept it close in the first half but Rainier was able to pull away in the second half for a 48-39 win in a non-league girls basketball game here on Thursday.
Ashley Schow scored 20 points for the Beavers to lead all scorers and Abby Severse added 11 points.
Rainier’s Kaeley Schultz tallied 19 points and Sophie Beadle and Hazel Busic each chipped 10 points.
Tenino led 17-13 after one quarter and maintained a 24-22 lead at halftime. The Mountaineers outscored the Beavers 26-15 in the second half to earn the win.
“We played hard, they played well. We’re not deep, we have six full time players, all sophomores on varsity. We’re a young squad,” Tenino coach Scott Ashmore said. “They played hard, just ran out of gas. They just took it to us in the second half, really pounding the ball, Rainier did. It’s a learning experience, a tough non-league opponent to start with.”
Ashmore commended the play of Schow for being aggressive and Severse for shooting well in the first quarter.
Tenino (0-1) travels to Adna on Tuesday for a non-league game.
