The Hornet-Hornet hoop tussle went the way of the White River girls Wednesday night.

Playing on their home court, White River defeated neighboring Enumclaw High 51-43 in nonleague basketball action.

The contest remained relatively close the entire way: it was tied at 14 apiece at the end of the first quarter; EHS used a 12-8 advantage to take a 26-22 lead into halftime; and White River mounted a second-half surge to eventually take control. A 15-2 run midway through the final period gave White River the lead it would maintain until the final buzzer.

That’s not to say Enumclaw didn’t make it interesting. Beginning the fourth quarter down by 10 points, EHS quickly sliced the deficit to just 44-39. When White River’s Sutton Mills and Kennedy Hobert scored late buckets, Enumclaw’s Katie Holland answered with a pair of her own to keep her team within striking distance.

As the game clock wound down, White River’s Hobert buried a free throw and Amanda Lance added two more to polish off the scoring.

The rival schools will square off again Thursday night, with a Hornet-Hornet boys basketball battle beginning at 7 p.m. in the EHS gymnasium.