Three-point loss to Capital rough start

The White River High boy’s basketball team lost its first two games this season.

In its initial challenge, when it hosted Yelm Dec. 2, the improved Hornets seemed to be in command of the contest with only seconds remaining in the non-league season opener. A hot-handed Tornado shooter buried a basket from long range at the buzzer to seal the Hornet’s fate 43-42.

White River coach Bill Hawk said his team showed improvement when it traveled to Capital High for a Saturday encounter. The Hornets battled back from a 33-25 halftime deficit before falling to a heavily favored Capital crew 58-55.

Rochester High senior transfer Kenneth Thomas fared well against the Cougars scoring 10 points and hauling down 13 rebounds for White River.

“Kenneth has a lot of talent and he will definitely be a big asset to us down the road,” Hawk said. “He isn’t extraordinarily tall, but he can really jump and he is very aggressive under the boards.”

White River’s dance card will be full this week as the Hornets visited Peninsula’s mostly senior team Tuesday, with the results coming too late to include here. The Hornets will host Clover Park at 7 p.m. Friday and will hit the road for a rare 5:45 p.m. Saturday South Puget Sound League 3A affair at Auburn Mountainview.

“There aren’t going to be very many breaks or breathers in this league,” Hawk said, “but as long as we keep improving every game, I think we are going to be OK.”

Reach John Leggett at jleggett@courierherald.com or 360-802-8207.