Since becoming a full-time contributor last year as a sophomore, Julia Dalan has gotten used to putting up points in bunches.
Last season, she set a W.F. West single-season record with 563 points, and earlier this season, she set a single-game record with 38 points in a win over Montesano on Dec. 13.
On Friday in Centralia, Dalan added another accomplishment to her resume, as she scored her 1,000th career point in a 64-16 Swamp Cup win.
“Super awesome for her,” W.F. West coach Kyle Karnofski said. “She’s put in a ton of work. As a freshman, you see what she was able to do, and then she's able to do it a lot as a sophomore. This year, she’s upped her game even more, which is really impressive.”
Dalan helped the Bearcats seize control early against the Tigers, scoring 12 points in the first quarter to help W.F. West (10-2, 5-0 2A EvC0) take a 19-6 lead.
In the third quarter, Dalan scored three consecutive buckets to become the fourth player in school history to eclipse the 1,000-point mark.
At 1,001 career points, she is now just 23 points away from jumping to third place on the W.F. West all-time scoring list, and she’s just 160 points back of second place.
“She’s a heck of a player,” Karnofski said.
While Dalan helped build the Bearcats lead, it was the W.F. West defense that shut down any chance of a Centralia comeback.
The Bearcats held the Tigers (1-12, 0-8 2A EvCo) to just three points in the second and third quarters combined, forcing dozens of takeaways with their full-court press that led to several easy baskets.
“Basketball is an easy game if you can try to get a bunch of lay-ins,” Karnofski said. “A good way to do that is sometimes to get out in a press and get out in transition. That’s what we talk about. Find easy ways to score, and make it easy on yourself.”
W.F. West put up nearly twice as many shots as the Tigers, shooting 26 for 60 from the field while holding Centralia to just 5 for 33.
Dalan finished with a game-high 24 points, while Dilyn Boeck added 10 and Joy Cushman scored nine. Carlie Deskins and Kaitlyn Chloupek tallied six each, while Amanda Bennett logged five and Lena Fragner added four.
“I really liked the balance scoring,” Karnofski said. “I like the energy from all the girls we had … Everybody contributed, it was pretty cool to see.
While it was a game to forget for the Tigers, Centralia coach Austin Danielson commended Payton Baumel, who’s effort she said “ was an inspiration to the entire team.”
“She defended her butt off as much as she could,” Danielson said.
Makenzie Erickson led the Tigers with seven points, while Gracie Schofield scored four, Makyla Chavez tallied three, and Brooklyn Sprague logged two.
With the win and a Tumwater loss, the Bearcats are now the last remaining unbeaten team in the 2A EvCo, and they sit atop the league standings with a 5-0 league record. They’ll look to extend the gap between them and the T-Birds when they host Tumwater on Tuesday.
The Tigers are back at home on Tuesday against Black Hills.
