NAPAVINE — The Tigers got off to a slow start on Saturday at home against the Thunderbirds, but then quickly kicked it into gear for a dominant 56-22 win.
“I was proud of our kids,” Napavine coach Shane Schutz said. “Our kids battled today, and that was good to see.”
The Thunderbirds (7-3, 4-0 2A EvCo) got rolling early with five quick points from Regan Brewer, but shortly after, Brewer left the game with a knee injury.
With Brewer out, the Napavine (10-1, 4-0 C2BL) defense ramped up their full-court press and wore down the T-Birds over the course of the game.
In the first half, the Thunderbirds did enough defensively to stay within striking distance, as they trailed by just 10 at the break, but a flurry of turnovers led to easy baskets that allowed Napavine to pull away in the third quarter.
“I was pleased with how we played the first half,” Tumwater coach Nathan Buchheit said. “They just ramped it up on their press, and we didn’t take care of the basketball the way we should have.”
In the second half, the Thunderbirds shot 2 for 16 from the floor, including an 0 for 5 mark from deep, and the Tigers scored 27 points off turnovers.
“When things start not going your way, and then runs start happening, it’s the snowball effect,” Buchheit said. “We just gotta work on the mental side of the game on our end and get stronger.”
Both in transition and in the half-court, the Napavine found consistent open shots in the second half.
After scoring 24 points in the first half, the Tigers blew the game open with a 22-point third, one where four players connected for five threes, including a pair from Taylen Evander. After three, the lead had stretched to 26.
The Tigers weren’t just balanced in the third quarter, as five different Tigers scored eight or more points on the day.
Grace Gall, the only scorer who hit double-figures, led the way with 13, while Jessie McCoy, Hayden Kaut, and Evander tallied nine each. Dakota Hamilton added eight and also collected a team-high eight rebounds.
“I thought we made better decisions with the basketball,” Schutz said. “It’s a good way to come back from break after having a few days off and getting our feet wet getting ready to start league play again.”
The Tigers will return to league play riding a four-game winning streak, and they’ll head to Onalaska on Wednesday. Tumwater has now lost three of four after starting the season 6-0, but they remain undefeated in league play and will host Black Hills on Friday.
