LONGVIEW — After a sloppy first quarter in which the Thunderbirds scored just six points, Tumwater coach Josh Wilson’s message to his team was simple.
“You definitely can’t win a basketball game if you’re gonna turn the ball over more than you shoot it.,” Wilson said.
That was the case in the first, where Tumwater attempted just six shots while giving the ball away to the Pirates seven times.
While the T-Birds didn’t play their cleanest game over the final three quarters, the offense found enough footing to pull away and hold on to a 48-45 win over Adna at Lower Columbia College.
Both defenses were stout throughout, as the two teams had combined for just 55 points in the first three quarters. Tumwater’s (7-6, 5-1 2A EvCo) best stretch came in the middle quarters, when the T-Birds outscored Adna (9-4, 3-2 C2BL) 27-11 to take a 33-22 lead into the fourth.
In the fourth, the Adna offense came alive, more than doubling their point total to get back in the game. At one point in the fourth quarter, the Pirates were within one point, and they had a chance to tie it on the final possession, but a long three fell just short.
“We had a good third quarter, and then we lost it again in the fourth,” Wilson said. “I’m gonna hang my hat that we got the win.”
While the Pirates came up short, Adna coach Luke Salme was pleased with the way his team fought against a bigger team, noting that they likely won’t see a size mismatch the rest of this season.
“We competed well the entire game and had good energy,” Salme said. “We gave ourselves a fighting chance … That size and physicality, that’s great to prepare us for the next month and a half of basketball.”
The Pirates fell into the same issue that the T-Birds did early on, tallying more turnovers than points scored in the second and third.
Trevin Salme led the Pirates with 18 points, hitting four threes, including two in the fourth to help the Pirates close the gap.
On the other side, while it wasn’t the prettiest win, Wilson was happy to get the win, especially since the T-Birds haven’t practiced since snow hit the area last week.
“You get those three days off, and it gets a little weird,” Wilson said. “But it is what it is, and we got that one under our belt … It was a good game for us to get.”
Ten different Thunderbirds got on the scoresheet, led by Clay Morgan, who scored 12.
Both teams return to league play next, as the Thunderbirds will host Rochester on Tuesday and the Pirates will welcome Morton-White Pass on Wednesday.
