Tenino ripped off a 20-8 run in the fourth quarter and the Beavers withstood Montesano for a 43-30 win in their 1A Evergreen League opener Wednesday at home.
“An ugly win still counts, especially if it’s a league game,” Tenino coach Joe Chirhart said. “The first half, we were just going through the motions. We were lethargic and couldn’t hit a shot.”
Tenino trailed 7-5 at the end of one frame and 15-13 at the half before tying it up at 23-23 entering the fourth quarter before the offensive explosion in the final frame to seal the victory.
“Once we were a couple minutes into the third, we started playing hard, getting deflections and getting our hands on the ball,” Chirhart said. “I was much happier with our defense in the second half.”
Senior post Takari Hickle led the Beavers with a double-double of 15 points and 16 rebounds to go with four blocks. Jack Burkhardt added 12 rebounds, while Noah Schow contributed 10 points and Will Feltus finished with eight points and three steals.
Chirhart praised the defensive performances of Preston Snider and Toby Suess off the bench. The Beavers turned the ball over only 11 times on the night.
Tenino (5-4, 0-1 Evergreen) continues league play when it heads to Eatonville on Friday.
