The White River High boys basketball team needs a vacation like nobody’s business. Since Nov. 28 this Buckley contingent has played eight games and lost six, beating only Peninsula and Clover Park along the way.

“We are going to do a lot of practicing over the holidays,” first-year coach Rick Tripp said, “because we have been playing so many games that we haven’t had enough time to practice and get some things as squared away as I would like to.”

Last week seemed like a nightmare for White River’s boys hoop contingent now 2-3 in league action after being blown out 81-37 at Lakes, then hosting Franklin Pierce and losing 62-53.

“Lakes is really good and Franklin Pierce is a pretty darn good team too,” Tripp said. “We haven’t played any cupcakes yet that’s for sure. Against Franklin Pierce we competed as Billy Keil, Blake Halversen and Chad Sayler combined for 39 of our 53 points.

“Franklin Pierce couldn’t miss from the free-throw line and we just kept getting called for fouls in the fourth period. The Cardinals went 13 for 15 from the charity stripe in the fourth period. One thing we have to work on are these 5-minute lapses in games where we kind of lose it. We have to do something about those because they have happened in just about every game we’ve played.”

White River isn’t slated to be involved in any holiday tournaments and Tripp explained that is a good thing because his team has some kinks that need to get worked out prior to the league starting up again. “Because those little moments are just killing us,” he said.

League action restarts for White River Jan. 8 when it treks down the road to face the Bonney Lake Panthers at 7 p.m. Before this game with the teal and black, White River plays a nonleague warm-up game on the road Jan. 5 against the Trailblazers of Timberline. Tipoff is 7 p.m.

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