The Tumwater boys basketball team jumped out to a big lead right out of the starting gate, and never let Ridgefield get back in it in a 66-48 district quarterfinal win at home.
The Thunderbirds pressed and harried the Spudders early, holding their guests to just 10 first-quarter points while going off for 28 themselves. Ridgefield ended up tying Tumwater over the course of the final three quarters, but that just kept the deficit at 18 come the final horn.
Andrew Collins finished with 19 points — going 7 for 8 from the field — to lead the T-Birds, and also racked up a team-high eight rebounds, five steals, and three blocks.
After Luke Brewer scored 10 points in the opening quarter, the Spudders keyed in on him with a box-and-one defense, holding him to six points the rest of the way. Luke Reid had 12 points and five assists, and Gunnar Harroun added 10 points and six boards.
Tumwater will cross over the freeway into rival territory on Tuesday, facing R.A. Long in a rematch of both last year’s district title game and the State quarterfinals at Black Hills.
