Two more victories last week pushed the White River High Hornets to the top of the South Puget Sound League 2A girls basketball standings.

The crucial victory came Jan. 18 at Sumner when undefeated White River knocked off the also-unscathed Spartans 46-40. The week was capped Friday night was a 51-32, home court win over the Clover Park Warriors.

The triumph at Sumner allowed the Hornets to finish the first half of the league season with a 7-0 record. The two clubs will meet again Feb. 8 in Buckley in the regular-season finale.

The Hornet defense stepped up in the victory at Sumner, holding scorers like Angie Sanchez and Kaitlin King to single digits. At the same time, the Hornets were getting just enough to maintain a slim lead.

The first quarter found the teams deadlocked at 10 and White River managed a slim 24-22 lead at intermission. The difference was the third quarter when the Hornets doubled up on their hosts 12-6.

The White River offense was led by Brook Paulson’s 18 points and 12 from Rani Weigand.

Friday’s victory saw White River grab a convincing 20-8 lead after one quarter of play, then coast to a 19-point victory over a Clover Park crew that made every effort to stay within striking distance.

Paulson and Weigand again led the offense, scoring 13 and 12 points, respectively.

Through Friday’s games Paulson was averaging 16.5 points per outing, best in the SPSL 2A. Weigand was third in league scoring with 15.7 points per game.