The Tenino girls basketball team played well for a majority of the night Thursday against Castle Rock, but a rocky second quarter left a deficit too big to climb out of it a 38-34 loss.
The Beavers led by three after one, but they were outscored 16-5 in the second quarter and went into the locker room down eight.
They continued to chip away in the second half, but couldn’t close the gap before time expired.
“You don’t want to lose a game,” Tenino coach Kirsi Gofinch said. “But one thing I’ll give this group, they do not give up. That has been really cool to see. They never stopped fighting, and I’m really proud of them for that.”
Chloe Grayless and Holly Thoren led the Tenino offense with 10 points each, and Gofinch had nothing but positives to say about their play to this point in the season.
“They push through,” Gofinch said. “They’re tough, and they work so hard.”
Kylie Gonia and Jaeleen Woodward both scored four, while Keira Laughlin and Charley Jones finished with three points each. Both teams struggled at the free throw line, as the two sides combined to shoot just 14 for 47 at the line.
The Beavers (2-3) will look to snap their three-game losing streak at home against La Center on Saturday.
