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TENINO — Young and spry. Knowledgeable plus quick-witted. Heart and hustle.
For a roster built around six freshmen, the Tenino High School girls basketball team have moments of playing older than their age. And while some teachable instances occur, it does remind Kirsi Gofinch to pause just briefly.
Three of the freshmen were varsity starters as eighth graders. She’s thrown offensive and defensive terminologies, sets and directions at them in practice and on gameday.
“One thing I appreciate is I’m intense and I’m very competitive and every one of those freshmen, I can get on them without them taking it personally,” Gofinch said. “They are so coachable. Ultimately, they are so competitive and they are OK with getting pushed.”
The Beavers have taken it all in stride.
Nearly every possession saw a Tenino player hustle for a loose ball or cause a tie-up and it carried over throughout the night in its 42-32 victory over Vashon Island on Tuesday night in a non-league contest.
While the record is the exact same as before the holiday break, 2-6 last year and the win puts the Beavers at 2-6 this season, Gofinch feels there’s continual progress.
Tenino won its first two games of the season in 2024 before going on an extended skid. It has been just as competitive in 2025, losing to Morton-White Pass by four points and Mary M. Knight by three.
“Both years, we’ve had these weird struggles with an injury here or there,” she said. “These girls work so hard all the time. They do an awesome job. There is nowhere to go but up.”
Tied at 12 after the opening frame versus the Pirates, Kylie Gonia opened the second with a 3-pointer and the Beavers never trailed or were in a tie game again. They increased the margin to 12 on the strength of a 7-0 run to begin the third.
Their largest lead was 13 in the fourth.
“They did a great job executing and being smart with the ball,” Gofinch said.
Defensively, Tenino forced errant turnovers thanks to its 1-2-2 full court press defense before settling into a 2-3 zone in the half court. It banked on Vashon Island (2-7) taking 3s on a routine basis.
The Pirates made seven buckets from beyond the arc, but the Beavers controlled the glass with 35 rebounds. Senior Chloe Grayless led the efforts with 10 while Alyssa Brodersen and Charley Jones each grabbed six.
Jones paced the scoring department with 11 points and Brodersen added 10. Three others lit up the scoreboard for the Beavers.
Brodersen controlled the paint even as an undersized forward at 5-foot-6. Vashon Island cut the margin to eight late in the final stanza, but a Gore floater and Brodersen layup sealed the victory for Tenino.
“That was a big point of emphasis for us; we had to win that battle on the boards,” Gofinch said.
The Beavers have four more home games, including the Evergreen League opener versus Montesano, before their next road contest. They take on Kalama and Stevenson to close out 2025.
I feel really blessed, they are such a great group of girls,” Gofinch said. “They never quit. They are the boost of life we needed in this program. It is really fun to coach them.”
