The Enumclaw Hornet girls finished the first half of the South Puget Sound League 3A season with a 7-1 record, the only blemish coming Friday at the hands of Plateau rival White River.
The SPSL 3A power appears to sit along state Route 410 as the first half ended with White River at 8-0, Enumclaw just a step behind and Bonney Lake firmly in third place with a 6-2 mark.
“I’m happy with where we’re at right now,” said EHS Ted Carlson, who watched his crew rattle off eight straight wins leading up to Friday‚‘s trip across the river.
His Hornets received another serious test Tuesday when they hosted Bonney Lake. The game came on the heels of Monday’s trek to Wenatchee for a nonleague contest that was originally slated for December to postponed due to poor weather. Results of both contests came too late to be included here.
The Enumclaw girls continue SPSL 3A play Friday night at Sumner.
Friday’s contest at White River saw the home team build a 40-25 halftime lead, largely on the strength of some hot outside shooting.
“It was a story of two quarters,” Carlson said, pointing to the fact that his club was outscored 27-17 in the second period but bounced back for an 18-6 advantage in the third.
“We did a nice job of fighting back,” Carlson said, but the rally faltered. The Hornets managed just six points in the fourth quarter, all from the free-throw line.
Mara Koplitz led the Enumclaw offense with 17 points and Heather Hitch added 12. Hitch sparked the Hornets’ third-quarter rally, scoring eight points in the opening three minutes of the period and adding the final bucket in Enumclaw‚Äôs 16-4 run.
The EHS girls had kept their SPSL 3A record clean when they traveled to Franklin Pierce High Jan. 13 and recorded a 58-44 victory.
The host Cardinals, who sit in the bottom half of the league standings, made life a bit difficult for the Hornets. Enumclaw’s lead was just 31-24 at intermission and was even tighter, 39-34, after three quarters of play. In the crucial final period, Enumclaw responded, outscoring the Cardinals 19-10.
The Hornets had three players scoring in double figures, led by Jaynae Saylor’s 15 points. Hitch added 13 and Hayley Kohler chipped in with 10.
Reach Kevin Hanson at khanson@courierherald.com or 360-802-8205.
