The Morton-White Pass girls basketball team dropped a back-and-forth contest against Rainier on Tuesday, falling to the Mountaineers 63-51.
The Timberwolves (8-10, 3-8 C2BL) jumped on the Mountaineers (18-2, 10-2 C2BL) with pressure early, opening up a 15-6 lead after one. With the help of McKenzee Mays’ 14 first-half points, they pushed the lead to double-digits early in the second.
Bryn Beckman found a groove before halftime, however, scoring 10 points in the frame to cut the deficit to just two at the break.
Mays continued to keep the T-Wolves in the game in the third, as she hit all four of her 3-pointers in the frame and MWP entered the fourth down two.
The Timberwolves took a lead midway through the fourth, but Haleigh Hanson scored eight points in the final frame to help Rainier pull away.
Mays finished with a game-high 27 points, shooting 8 for 11 from deep.
“She was in the zone tonight,” Morton-White Pass coach Tim Roberts said. “I’ve been waiting for her to have one of these nights, and it was great to have her explode against a top team.”
Despite the final scoreline, Roberts was pleased with the overall performance, noting it was “exciting and rewarding” to see the team play a full, focused game.
Hanson led the Mountaineers with 18 points, Beckman added 17, and Angelica Askey scored 11.
Rainier will finish its regular season on Thursday at Kalama, while Morton-White Pass will welcome Toledo on Wednesday in Morton.
