The Toledo girls basketball team eked out a close win over Morton-White Pass on Wednesday, as the Riverhawks survived a second-half MWP surge to win 37-35.
The game was a defensive struggle, as neither side could get into a rhythm. The Timberwolves (7-10, 3-9 C2BL) only scored 11 points in the first half, but they forced several turnovers to limit Toledo (12-8, 6-7 C2BL) to 18.
The Riverhawks struggled with ball security all night, as they turned the ball over 30 times.
Things started to come together in the fourth for the T-Wolves, as they overcame an eight-point deficit in the fourth to tie the game.
The game came down to the final play. With 0.6 seconds left, the T-Wolves were down two, but they drew up an inbound play that drew a foul and gave them a chance to force overtime with two free throws. They didn’t convert.
“Just too many unforced turnovers,” Toledo coach Randy Wood said. “But we played hard and grew up some tonight.”
Ryah Stanley led Toledo with 13 points and eight rebounds, while Kailea Lairson grabbed 10 rebounds and added a pair of points. Hope Gould scored 12 points.
While it was tough for the T-Wolves to come up short in a game where they felt a lot went their way, MWP coach Tim Roberts noted that “sometimes it just doesn’t go your way.
“Our intensity was great all game,” Roberts said. “Toledo did what they needed to do and closed out the game for the win.”
Malia Armstrong and Kiera Miller led Morton-White Pass with nine points each.
Toledo will be the No. 5 seed from the C2BL in the district tournament, and the Riverhawks will take on Chief Leschi, the No. 4 seed from the P2BL, on Saturday at Rochester.
The T-Wolves will play a winner-in game against Kalama on Friday, where the victor will earn the No. 7 seed and take on Rainier on Saturday at Rochester.
