Late in the third quarter of its matchup against Black Hills on Friday, W.F. West was scrambling.
Through 22 minutes of game time, the Bearcats had mustered just 26 points, and the Wolves were on the brink of pulling away for a road victory.
The Bearcats suddenly kicked it into gear, however, roaring back to take a lead of their own and pulling away with 24 points in the final frame.
“It was us calming down, solving a few problems and executing a few plays,” W.F. West coach Chris White said. “We really were just disjointed a lot of that game. It finally kind of came together at the end.”
W.F. West’s strong fourth quarter was enough for the Bearcats (3-2, 3-0 2A EvCo) to come away with a 56-48 victory, one that keeps them unbeaten in league play.
In the final eight minutes, they made nearly as many field goals (10) as they did in the first three quarters combined (13). They drilled a trio of 3-pointers, building their lead with the first two before icing the game with a third.
Tyler Klatush hit the first after a Black Hills timeout midway through the quarter before Lucas Hoff and Weston Potter hit back-to-back threes to push the lead from three to nine with less than a minute remaining.
“They just hit big shots,” Black Hills coach Jeff Gallagher said. “They had kids that weren’t afraid to take them. They took them and they knocked them down … Hats off to them.”
Klatush was the top option offensively for the Bearcats, as he finished with a team-high 19 points. Hoff added 11, and the trio of Gage Brumfield, Parker Eiswald, and Potter combined for 27. Grady Westlund led the team with nine rebounds.
While the Wolves (2-4, 1-2 2A EvCo) couldn’t keep pace with the outburst in the fourth quarter, they still had their share of success on the offensive end.
Simon Nysted was the driving force, scoring 21 points on five three-pointers, four of which came in the first half.
As the game got deeper into the second half, the Wolves struggled with foul trouble, which forced Gallagher to switch up defensive assignments.
“We kind of got a little bit more into scramble mode,” Gallagher said. “But I was proud of our kids.”
Talon Morrill scored nine, seven of which came in the second half, while Quinton Morill scored seven.
For White, the way the Bearcats responded was a positive development for the team’s mental toughness, especially with how their two losses this season played out.
In their opener against Ridgefield, they held a 12-point lead entering the fourth, but couldn’t hold on. On Monday against 4A Battle Ground, they held a six-point lead in the second half before a “mental meltdown.”
“I was really pleased with the effort and the grittiness,” White said. “This was a definite step in the right direction and a big confidence builder … I’m proud of their resolve to get the job done.”
It’s back to non-league games for both teams next week, and both teams will be heading north for their next matchups.
Black Hills will make the trip to Bremerton on Monday, while W.F. West will travel to Port Angeles on Tuesday.
