Sumner High girls basketball coach Rob Thayer has a philosophy that losses cannot stay in your heart for too long.

That comes in handy this week, since his team dropped a pair of South Puget Sound League 3A contests last week, first to White River Jan. 12 and then to Bonney Lake Friday.

Thayer’s girls stumbled after starting the league season 6-0.

Against White River, Sumner was matching an experienced Hornet squad basket-for-basket, as the halftime score was 32-31 in favor of WRHS. Then, despite Spartan shooters Angie Wagar-Sanchez and Tyeanne Lubking combining for 32 points, Sumner couldn’t stop the bleeding as it ran into trouble in the fourth frame, committing five straight unforced miscues in a row and lost 64-58.

Thayer called the coming week a golden opportunity to get back into the swing of things as Sumner’s girls had a bye Tuesday.

He and his staff will busily be scouting upcoming opponents, Thayer said.

Sumner travels to Enumclaw Friday to play what Thayer called a much-improved Hornet squad, then hosts Peninsula Saturday. Sumner’s girls are scheduled to make the trip to Lakewood Tuesday to face Clover Park’s Warriors.