Eventually, Tenino’s turnovers were going to come back and bite them, and after taking care of the ball and rebounding as well as they have all season in the first half, the Beavers couldn’t keep it up in a 67-62 defeat at the hands of La Center Saturday afternoon.
The Beavers (4-1) coughed up the ball at least six times in the final moments against the Wildcats, per coach Joe Chirhart, after holding a narrow lead for much of the game.
“We didn’t take care of the ball well enough in the fourth quarter,” he said. “It killed us. We shot ourselves in the foot.”
Tenino was led by Takari Hickle’s 14-point, 17-rebound double-double, and two other players in double figures. Austin Gonia had a team-high 15 points and Will Feltus finished with 13 points.
But turnovers, and a barrage of threes in the second half from the Wildcats led to the Beavers’ first loss of the season. Though it stings, it's a great learning opportunity for Chirhart and his Beavers.
“These kids have already grown so much, and there’s lots of growth left for those kids” Chirhart said.
Tenino will take on Seton Catholic — which has a win over 2A Centralia to its name — on the road on Wednesday.
