The W.F. West Bearcats came out on top in the 100th Swamp Cup meeting on Wednesday, topping Centralia 66-16.
W.F. West coach Kyle Karnofski joked that it was a “swampy” start for both teams, as neither team could establish a rhythm early on.
Karnofski turned to his bench, subbing in a new group of five players that provided a spark.
Joy Cuschman, Kaitlyn Chloupek, Ellie Clinton, Grace Simpson, and MaKenzie Dotson got the Bearcats going, helping them take a 14-6 lead after one period of play.
“That group came in and gave us a good burst of energy,” Karnofski said. “They kickstarted the push for us to get going. I was really proud of them for that.”
Once the Bearcats (16-3, 11-0 2A EvCo) got rolling, they broke the game open, pushing their lead to 20 at halftime and 35 after three.
Julia Dalan scored 21 points, while Cushman added 15 and Simpson tallied eight. Chloupek and Dilyn Boeck logged seven each.
Brooklyn Sprauge led the Tigers (2-17, 1-10 2A EvCo) with seven, while Ayana Saucedo added three.
W.F. West’s two seniors, Lena Fragner and Carlie Deskins, scored two points each on Wednesday, and Karnofski noted that the two have meant a ton to him and the program over the last four years.
While the Bearcats have already captured the league title, they’ll look to complete an unbeaten league season on Friday at Aberdeen.
