A cross-river hoop rivalry was played out Thursday night as the Hornet girls of Enumclaw High hosted their counterparts from White River.

What the game boasted in proximity wound up lacking in drama, as the White River crew took just a few minutes to grab a lead they would never relinquish. In the end, the Class 2A Hornets took down their Class 3A hosts 54-31.

The contest got off to a slow start, scoreless for more than two minutes until Enumclaw’s Julia Myers knocked down a 3-point bomb. White River still couldn’t buy a bucket, instead getting free throws from Kennedy Hobert and Erin Worley to take a 4-3 lead. When Enumclaw’s Danielle Saltarelli added a bucket with 3:46 to play in the opening period the home squad enjoyed its final lead.

White River was sparked by freshman starter Amanda Lance who gave her club the lead for good, first with a long-range with a 3-pointer followed by a traditional three-point play. Her quick six spurred a 15-2 run that spanned the first and second quarters and the White River girls never looked back.

Lance added another 3-pointer in the second quarter, helping White River to build a 27-17 halftime advantage.

The EHS girls showed they weren’t about to fold, putting together a seven-point flurry at the end of the third quarter to slice a 19-point deficit to a dozen. Katie Holland had two hoops and Calli Remitz and Saltarellli added free throws during the short-lived rally.

White River was good on 10 free throws in the final eight minutes to stretch its lead.

The winners were led by Hobert’s 14 points and 10 from Worley, along with nine each by Lance and senior point guard Cassidy France. Enumclaw was topped by Holland with eight points and Saltarelli’s six.

With the win, White River improved to 2-0 on the young season. The Hornets had started the campaign Nov. 29 with a 49-38, home-court victory. In that one, White River jumped to a 26-13 halftime lead but saw the advantage whittled as they were outscored 17-10 by the Vikings in the third frame. An improved effort during the final period salted away the win.

France scored 16 against Puyallup to take scoring honors and Hobert added 14.

Thursday’s loss dropped Enumclaw to 0-2, following on the heels of a 62-31defeat Nov. 29 at Mount Rainier. A slow start doomed the EHS squad, which trailed 34-12 at halfltime.

Holland and Myers scored seven apiece to top the Enumclaw offense.