The W.F. West boys basketball team is now alone atop the 2A EvCo standings, as they defeated Tumwater 71-57 on Friday.
Both offenses started slow, as the two teams combined for just 46 points in the first half, but they picked up the pace in a big way in the second half.
The Bearcats (10-5, 7-1 2A EvCo) slowly pulled away in the second half, scoring 18 points in the third quarter before dropping 27 in the fourth.
“The energy was just relentless,” W.F. West coach Chris White said. “We played really aggressive defense, shared the ball really well, fed the post well. Just a total team effort.”
Tyler Klatush had his usual success from deep, hitting three 3-pointers to finish with 17 points, and Gage Brumfield also tallied 17.
“It was nice to see Gage Brumfield just really hit his spots and get some strong post ups,” White said. “He really got going.”
Klatush also added nine rebounds and five assists, Parker Eiswald scored 12 points and grabbed nine rebounds of his own, and Lucas Hoff tallied 12 points.
For the Thunderbirds (11-7, 8-2 2A EvCo), Sahara Anthony III led the way with 20 points, while Clay Morgan added 15 and Jake Dillon scored 10.
With just one loss in league play, the Bearcats now control their own destiny when it comes to a league title. Due to postponements, they still have four conference games remaining, including a trip to Shelton, but White is confident that the group is getting hot at the right time.
“This is a good time to start getting things figured out,” White said. “They just always bring their best effort to practice and it’s really starting to pay off.”
W.F. West’s final stretch begins Monday at home against Rochester. Tumwater will welcome the Warriors first on Saturday before finishing the regular season on Tuesday at Black Hills.
