BLHS GIRLS BASKETBALL: Panthers keep clawing for postseason position

It was an up-and-down week for the Bonney Lake High girls in South Puget Sound League 3A basketball action.

It was an up-and-down week for the Bonney Lake High girls in South Puget Sound League 3A basketball action.

The Panthers scored a 77-29 win over Clover Park Saturday – a day after they were upset on the road 60-57 by Peninsula.

The split dropped the Panthers to 8-3 in league, 11-4 overall, and to third place behind 9-2 Sumner and the first-place, 10-1 White River Hornets.

In Saturday’s win, the Panthers held winless Clover Park in single digits in three quarters and outscored the Warriors 24-3 in the third period.

Marcel Pounds popped in a game-high 31 points for the Panthers. Carli Elwin and Rani Wiegand added 10 each.

The Panthers and Peninsula battled back-and-forth all game Friday. Peninsula took a 17-14 lead early, but Bonney Lake came back for a 32-27 margin at the half.

The Seahawks outscored Bonney Lake 25-27 in the final period for the win.

Rochelle Murray led the Panthers with 13 points. Pounds hit for 12 and Emily McCoy added 11.

Pounds connected for 21 points, while Murray chipped in 12, as the Panthers posted their second consecutive 30-plus win over Enumclaw, 64-31 at home in SPSL 3A play Jan. 19.

Pounds, the Panthers’ leading scorer, hit five 3-pointers – including three in the third period.

Bonney Lake used a 20-3 second-period run to take a 32-11 lead into intermission.

McCoy and Wiegand added eight each for Bonney Lake.

The Panthers will play at Lakes Friday, then host Franklin Pierce Tuesday.