Some of the scores were not to the full liking of the W.F. West High School boys basketball team coaching staff and players. For a roster filled with multi-sport athletes, games in the 30s, 40s and mid-50s were constant.

That was the opposite of the vision Chris White had when viewing the 2024-25 season.

“We’re not built to get in these half-court battles and play slow,” the Bearcats head coach said. “Trying to play a faster style and embrace that. Let them go.”

Consider the Bearcats unleashed.

For the third straight Evergreen Conference game, W.F. West played fast and loose to the tune of a 75-38 thrashing of arch rival Centralia in the first of two Swamp Cup matchups on Wednesday night in Chehalis.

In victories over Aberdeen, Shelton and now Centralia, the Bearcats are averaging 75 points per game. A stark contrast from putting up 31 and 43 points against the top-two teams in the league, Tumwater and Black Hills.

Which are the next two opponents for W.F. West as the second league meetings begin on Friday night.

“We’ve had a bumpy road and we feel like we needed to stop thinking so hard,” White said. We want to see if we can be more aggressive defensively and play more free-minded.”

Much of the game was far from competitive.

W.F. West (7-9, 3-2 EvCo) was up 13-5 and went on a 10-0 spree to finish the first quarter up 17. The halftime cushion ballooned to 21 and the final 12-plus minutes saw the margin increase to as much as 35.

One of the aspects of establishing an up-and-down tempo is to utilize the bench. The Bearcats’ reserves made their impact felt with every varsity player recording at least two points in the win.

Freshman Wyatt Hoffman was the second-leading scorer at nine points while Hayden Rooney chipped in eight. Gage Grisham scored seven in the second half.

“Those guys are contributing nicely,” White said. “We can play harder and get our bench involved and everybody is in a great mindset. I’d love to keep playing this way.”

Weston Potter paced the balanced scoring with 14 points while Grady Westlund stuffed the stat sheet with six points, seven assists and double digit rebounds.

Despite the setback and the losing streak extended to nine, Centralia (2-13, 0-5) flashed some moments that first-year head coach Jordan Thomas was pleased with.

The second quarter showcased some improved ball movement, including one instance that a couple extra passes and Johntay Pirtle completed a 3-point play. Then in the early part of the third, the Tigers’ defensive energy picked up.

They didn’t allow a W.F. West field goal for three-plus minutes in the third.

“Even when the game isn’t going our way, they’re locked eyes with me,” Thomas said. “Our kids are not quitters. They’re engaged and I know how much they care.”

One of the elements Thomas wants to see is with more moments, it turns into consistency. Terrell Sanders notched a game-high 15 points for Centralia while David Daarud registered eight.

“Keeping the turnovers down is the biggest hurdle we’re trying to jump over and fighting through screens,” Thomas said. “We’re trying our hardest.”

Now, the rematch versus Tumwater awaits the Bearcats at home on Friday night. The chance to earn a top-two finish in the league and avoid a Class 2A District 4 pigtail game remains alive.

When we played them the first time, we had horrible spacing,” White admitted. Playing gritty defense and flying around. Should be pretty competitive. We’re going to lay it all on the floor.”