The Napavine girls basketball team couldn’t quite overcome a 2A contender in a non-league showdown Saturday, losing 55-41 at White River.
“We experienced how hard we need to play if we want to beat a top team in the state,” Napavine coach Shane Schutz said.
The Hornets raced out to a 34-17 lead at halftime, before the Tigers (6-1, 3-0 C2BL) found more of their rhythm, outscoring their hosts in the second half.
Hayden Kaut led the Tigers with 14 points, and was pressed into an even greater role early after Keira O’Neill suffered a back injury that held her out of the rest of the game. In her place, Schutz pointed to Hannah Fay and Dakota Hamilton for stepping into greater roles off the bench.
Napavine will get one more C2BL matchup in the calendar year, going to Kalama on Wednesday.
