TOLEDO — A couple airballs doesn’t shrink Ryah Stanley’s confidence.
Not anymore that is.
Through countless hours in the gym, even during soccer season, to getting double digit 3-pointers up in practice, the Toledo High School senior has honed in her self-belief that she’ll make whatever shot she takes next.
“I used to have a lot of ebbs and flows, peaks and valleys,” Stanley admitted. “I struggled with confidence, but last year built me up. At the end of the day, trust my hands.”
The southpaw erupted for a game-high 22 points on six 3s, part of an electric night for the Riverhawks with 11 made buckets from beyond the arc in a 63-28 thrashing of Centralia on Tuesday night at home.
Eight days after losing a nail-biter to Raymond/South Bend, Toledo (3-1) turned on the jets in the second quarter with 19 unanswered points to turn a seven-point lead after the first quarter into a 26-point cushion.
It coasted from then on, forcing a running clock with under four minutes to go in regulation.
“We played free on offense,” Riverhawks head coach Brian Layton said. “We did good. Your defense starts your offense, so the weight gets lifted.”
Stanley buried the first field goal of the game for the Riverhawks, a trifecta with 3 minutes, 56 seconds left in the opening stanza. She was a vital part in the second quarter flurry, scoring 10 of the 19.
Her last bucket came in the opening possession of the fourth quarter to cap off her season-high performance.
“I got struck down a few times my eighth grade year, only could shoot and I got it taken away from me a lot,” Stanley said. “The goal was to come out fast; it was fluid.”
Toledo has banked on athleticism in years past. Its roster is littered with multi-sport stars and none of them hone in on a particular sport. Still, Layton – in his first year at the helm – has put an emphasis on the basics.
Stanley, the only senior on the roster, has seen the difference.
“Practice is a lot of breaking it down,” she said. “It has made us come so far. Girls are now reacting.”
Their length and quickness caused issues for Centralia (6-1) in its first loss of the campaign. It turned the ball over in the half court on several possessions and didn’t score in the second quarter until 1:50 remaining on an Anaya Saucedo bucket.
Tigers head coach Austin Danielson felt Toledo was the best team her bunch has seen to this point.
“A reality check is a good thing,” Danielson said. “They have a lot of talented guard play on both ends of the floor. We get to take that experience and learn from it. Know that we need to address those big gaps we saw tonight.”
Ellie Fallon added 15 points for the Riverhawks while Sidney Kruger chipped in nine. They were able to play all 10 girls, a goal Layton came into the game with.
He is hopeful he can find minutes for all 10, regardless if it's a game to go to state or another non-league contest like the one they’ll have on Friday versus Morton-White Pass.
“That’s why we want to press, most girls can guard one-through-five and switch,” Layton said. “We came to play today and it was good to see.”
Saucedo and Brooklyn Sprague combined for 19 of the 28 points for Centralia. It wasn’t until a Lydia Lowe bucket with 1:38 left in the third that someone else had scored.
The Tigers have been balanced in the scoring department. Until Tuesday. They take on Hoquiam in their penultimate non-league game on Thursday before hosting former league foe Rochester on Friday.
Then league play starts once the calendar flips to 2026.
“There’s still some positivity, still some hustle,” Danielson said.
