There’s a recurring theme when the Toledo High School girls basketball team takes the court.

Even with a deficiency in the height department and just one senior on the roster, the Riverhawks have identified a strength that is willing them over the last month.

No buckets will be a cakewalk, nor will shots come easy.

“We always work hard and it shows in the game,” the lone 12th grader Hope Gould said.

For the eighth consecutive game, Toledo allowed under 40 points and put up just enough offense to beat Centralia 44-38 on Monday night in a non-league contest held on Ron Brown Court.

Since dropping a 20-point verdict to Onalaska, the Riverhawks (10-3) have piled up eight straight wins. The 38 points allowed was the most they’ve given up in the win streak.

“They communicate well and the chemistry is pretty good,” Toledo head coach Randy Wood said. “We have to pressure the ball to limit those entry passes.”

Still, Wood feels there is improvement to be made defensively.

Centralia ran some pick-and-roll plays that gave the Riverhawks fits. Yet the Tigers (5-7) struggled to convert at the rim.

“In a close game, a few plays make all the difference,” Centralia head coach Austin Danielson said.

With the C2BL schedule kicking into gear, Wood still thinks Toledo has another gear to reach.

“I want to see the ball move more,” he said. “We were attacking the rim earlier and now we’re settling for the three ball, but we’re shooting better. There should be no challenge to keep the intensity up.”

Gould had her fingerprints all over the victory.

Her game-high 20 points kept the Riverhawks afloat and she also hauled in nine rebounds and dished out a handful of assists.

Up 39-38 with under 30 seconds remaining in regulation, the right-hander was left wide open in the corner for a 3-pointer that made it a two-possession game.

“My teammates put a lot of trust in me and I can’t let them down,” Gould said.

Wood has been pleased with the leadership Gould provides, seemingly making the transition from being a captain for soccer in the fall to providing guidance on the hardwood.

“She had an outstanding game,” Wood said. “I was really happy to see her, in the offseason, she was the one communicating with the girls. It is paying off.”

Centralia almost completely erased a double digit deficit.

Down 11 late in the third quarter, the Tigers crept to within seven with a stanza to go and scored the first five in the fourth to make it a two-point game.

Ayana Saucedo scored all eight of her points in the final eight minutes. Maddie Ahern led Centralia with 16 points and Payton Baumel grabbed 11 boards. The Tigers host Shelton in an Evergreen Conference matchup on Wednesday.

“There were a couple of players, I hope their efforts don’t get lost in the final score,” Danielson said. “You wish you could have cleaned up a couple stretches. The girls are not disheartened.”

Ryah Stanley added 11 for the Riverhawks, who have one final non-league game on Wednesday night versus District 4 foe Ilwaco. They begin the gauntlet of the league slate against Rainier on Friday.

“If we work hard, it’ll pay off,” Gould said.