TENINO — Uncharted territory.
Tenino High School boys basketball head coach Ryan Robertson used those two words to encompass the days leading up to Saturday’s Class 1A District 4 quarterfinal matchup.
It had been 16 days since the Beavers played a competitive game of hoops.
“That long of a break is impossible,” Robertson stated. “We tried to shorten the practices, we prepared well. Can’t go that long without playing a game. Game shape is different.”
Even with bursts of energy, Tenino never got a long-term jolt.
La Center outscored the Beavers 18-8 to close out the third quarter and made enough plays down the stretch to come away with a 65-47 triumph at Tenino High School to open the playoffs. The game, originally scheduled for Thursday, was pushed back twice due to snow.
Which made the gap for Tenino even longer.
“We struggled to make shots,” Robertson said. “Fatigue got to us.”
Now, the Beavers (8-13) will have to crawl out of the elimination portion of the bracket to return to the 1A state tournament. They’ll get one final home game when Columbia (White Salmon) comes to town on Wednesday night.
Tip is scheduled for 6 p.m.
“They’re a good team,” Robertson said. “They do a nice job forcing you baseline and helping. We didn't adjust to that.”
For a bit, Tenino’s first half was similar to one of its barn-burning wins – the second league matchup versus Montesano – where the offense struggled, but the defense put on a showcase and secured a comeback win.
Austin Gonia went on a personal 6-0 run that featured a steal-and-dunk plus a midrange jumper that put the Beavers’ deficit at 31-30. La Center head coach Jeremy Ecklund kept the message simple in the huddle.
“That talk, I just said ‘Get the ball inside,’” Ecklund said.
The Wildcats ballooned the lead back to seven, then an 8-0 spree behind two 3s from Jayce Grotte, put the advantage at 11 entering the fourth quarter. They led by as much as 16 early in the final stanza.
Tenino trimmed the margin to 14, 13 and 12 points, but never crept to within single digits again.
“We missed a bunch of easy shots early on and that takes your momentum away,” Robertson said. “It just wears you down.”
It was a furious start for the Beavers, fueled by a 9-0 outburst. Gonia – who poured in a game-high 26 points – had nine of their 13 first quarter points. He canned a triple and Jack Burkhardt split two free throws to tie the game at 19 in the second.
That was the last time Tenino would come close to a lead.
La Center closed the half on a 7-0 flurry and never squandered the cushion. Grotte’s team-high 15 points all came from downtown while Logan Rainey added 13 points. Callum Bradley and Zayne Latham each added nine points for the Wildcats.
Bradley, Latham and Rainey each snared five rebounds.
“A lot of times, we let the game come to them, but it wasn't happening,” Ecklund said of Rainey and Grotte. “We specifically called sets for them to get open. They came off the screens well and knocked down the shots.”
Tenino struggled to get Jack Burkhardt, held to seven points and fouling out, going in high post situations. La Center brought doubles and caused havoc. Will Feltus walked off under his own power after hurting his previously-injured leg and finished with 10 points.
That mindset and the senior leadership is part of the reason why Robertson believes his boys can find the resolve with their backs against the wall.
“Now we’re prepared for what’s next,” he said. “I’m confident. You got to go do it, but I’m confident.”
