TUMWATER — For the ninth time in the last 13 years, the W.F. West Bearcats are league champions.
The Bearcats clinched their second consecutive 2A EvCo title on Thursday with a big win in Tumwater, as they topped the Thunderbirds 65-21.
At 10-0 in league play, W.F. West is now locked into the No. 1 seed in the upcoming district tournament, and they are two wins away from their second unbeaten league season in the last four years.
“It’s obviously super awesome,” W.F. West coach Kyle Karnofski said. “But we’re not gonna celebrate yet. We’ve got bigger things that we are focused on.”
The Thunderbirds (10-8, 7-4 2A EvCo) came out strong, going blow for blow with the Bearcats (15-3, 10-0 2A EvCo) in the first quarter. Sydney Sumrok and Kamryn Wilson each hit a three, and the T-Birds trailed by just three entering the second.
From that point on, it was all W.F. West.
Dilyn Boeck opened the second quarter with a 3-pointer, kickstarting a 19-2 Bearcat run. Carlie Deskins and Grace Simpson both connected on two shots, Joy Cushman hit from deep, and Boeck added another 3-pointer to push the lead to 20 at the break.
“I thought a lot of people stepped up tonight,” Karnofski said. “We had a big chunk of girls contributing. We have that ability. I think we have to just find the mindset to take those shots and be confident with it. I thought our girls did a good job with that tonight.”
Julia Dalan was limited in the first half, scoring just six points, but she scored 10 in the third to push the lead above 40. Dalan went on to finish with 17 points, Boeck added 14, and Cushman scored nine.
Defensively, W.F. West clamped down, allowing just two field goals in the final three quarters, both 3-pointers from Sumrok.
“We weren’t disciplined,” Tumwater coach Nathan Buchheit said. “They started doing some things defensively that caused a little bit more havoc … the snowball effect kind of goes from there.”
Sumrok led the Thunderbirds with nine points, while Wilson added six.
Over the last month, the T-Birds have missed Regan Brewer, who has been out since Dec. 30 after she re-injured her knee at Napavine.
On senior night, though, she was able to take the home court one final time. After receiving the opening tip, she was immediately subbed out for her sister, Reece, and she was brought to tears as she made her way to the bench to loud applause.
“You just know it means a lot to her, because she just wants to play,” Buchheit said. “Basketball is one thing in her life, and she’s really good at that, but she’s also a great person. And when you have those two things that go hand-in-hand, it makes it a little bit more emotional.
“I hope that’s a memory that they can cherish that’s well beyond their playing days.”
The T-Birds are on the road for their regular season finale at Black Hills on Tuesday, while the Bearcats return home on Wednesday to host Centralia before wrapping up their regular season on Friday, Feb. 2 at Aberdeen.
