By The Chronicle
DES MOINES — Four Trailblazers notched double-digit scoring as No. 7 Centralia rocketed out to 29 first-quarter points to blast Highline 74-26 in a Northwest Athletic Conference league road victory Saturday.
Sophomore Piper Cai scored a game-high 16 points while Megan Cash added a double-double with 15 points and a game-high 14 rebounds as the Blazers ran their win streak to 11 games.
Sophomore Caitlin Yenne and Selena Cudney each added 11 points and Lindsey Nurmi knocked in 10 points and dished out a game-high four assists for the Blazers.
Centralia (18-7, 11-0 NWAC) remains unbeaten in West Region play and has the third-longest win streak in the 34-team Northwest Athletic Conference.
The Blazers held Highline to single-digit points in each quarter, along with all players to single-digit points. Highline shot just 27 percent from the field, including 0 for 4 from beyond the arc. Centralia shot 45 percent from the floor, with a red-hot 42 percent from 3-point land (8 of 19). Cash and Nurmi each hit two 3-pointers for Centralia.
Centralia hosts Grays Harbor at 6 p.m. on Saturday.
DES MOINES — The Trailblazers were trailed by eight at the half and couldn’t cut the lead any further en route to a 78-70 Northwest Athletic Conference road loss to Highline Saturday.
Tyler Ashmore scored a team-high 13 points, Taylor Peppinger added 11 and Jerry Boston 10 in the loss for the Blazers.
Centralia (10-15, 5-6 NWAC) saw its two-game win streak come to a close and sits in the bottom-half of the West Region standings with the loss. Highline (14-11, 6-5 NWAC) extended its win streak to two games. The Thunderbirds were led by Mahlik Hall’s game-high 24 points.
The Blazers actually shot well despite the loss, hitting 31 of 69 shots at a 45 percent clip, which was better than the Thunderbirds, who shot 29 of 68 (43 percent). The difference was Highline hit 10 3-pointers while Centralia nailed just five of 23 (22 percent). The Blazers were also outrebounded 37-34. L’Marcus Walker dished out a game-high eight assists and tallied eight points and six rebounds in solid play off the bench.
Centralia hosts Grays Harbor oat 8 p.m. on Saturday.
