The same bug that hit the Tumwater girls basketball team early this week took its toll on the boys team Thursday, but despite missing a couple starters the Thunderbirds kept the offense hot in an 82-65 win over Rochester in 2A EvCo play Thursday.
With Luke Brewer and Connor Hopkins both out sick, Andrew Collins stepped up with a 28-point effort, finishing 12 for 16 from the floor, to go along with seven rebounds, four assists, and two steals.
Gunnar Harroun continued his strong start to the season, with 15 points on 78 percent shooting, seven boards, and three blocks. Clayton Morgan added 14 points, and Brayden Oram had 10. Luke Reid dished out seven assists.
The Thunderbirds finished the night shooting 63 percent from the floor, and 42 percent from beyond the arc.
Tumwater came out firing in the first quarter, with Collins and Reid both scoring eight points en route to a 26-8 lead for the hosts after eight minutes. The Warriors didn’t go away, though, outscoring the T-Birds by five points in the second quarter and two in the third, hitting a quartet of 3-pointers to narrow what had been a 20-point deficit to 11 going into the fourth.
Rochester never let Tumwater run away with things completely, but the hosts had just too much offense, finishing the night with a 24-point fourth quarter.
Carson Rotter had 22 points to lead Rochester, while Larenz Payned added 14 and Ben Clouse scored 13.
“Another tough loss,” Rochester coach Gino McDuffy said. “But these boys have no quit. Once they put everything together, the victories will come.”
Tumnwater (3-0, 2-0 2A EvCo) gets nearly a week off before taking on Aberdeen on the road next Wednesday. Rochester (0-4, 0-2 2A EvCo) will host Centralia that day.
