TUMWATER — From the opening tip, it just wasn’t Tumwater’s night.
Kelso took a quick lead on Tuesday in Tumwater and never looked back, as the Thunderbirds never got rolling in a 76-53 loss to the 3A Hilanders.
“We didn’t do anything very well that game,” Tumwater coach Josh Wilson said.
The Thunderbirds (2-1, 1-0 2A EvCo) struggled with ball security all night, as they turned it over 22 times. Many of those led to easy buckets in transition for the Hilanders, ones that allowed them to easily pull away as the game went along.
When the T-Birds did hold on to the ball, they had a tough time keeping pace with Kelso early, as they shot just 3 for 11 from the field and 1 for 6 from the charity stripe in the first quarter.
“Any easy opportunity we had, it felt like we missed,” Wilson said. “Just a really off night.”
The offense was able to pick it up in the second half, as they shot 13 for 23 from the field, but the defense had no answers for the Kelso trio of Michael Henderson, Hayden Yore, and Easton Marshall.
Henderson drilled five threes while Yore and Marshall went to work inside the arc, mixing in mid-range jumpers while attacking the rim with ease. The three combined for 58 of Kelso’s 76 points, shooting a combined 18 for 32 with seven 3-pointers.
“Defensively, the effort wasn’t there,” Wilson said. “I think our inexperience at the varsity level showed tonight. Kelso is a good team. That’s a good experience for us.”
Clay Morgan was one of the few bright spots for the Thunderbirds on Tuesday, as he scored 20 points on 8 of 15 shooting, including a pair of threes, and he tallied four assists. Beckett Wall added eight points while shooting 4 for 8, and he hauled in a team-high 11 rebounds.
While frustrated with the loss, Wilson did note that he believes his team will get better as it shapes into form. Several football players are just 10 days removed from their final football game, and some have practiced as few as five times.
“It’s gonna take a bit to get our legs underneath us,” Wilson said. “I think that's a good wake-up call. If you don’t do the things we need to do as a basketball team, that’s the kind of result you’re gonna get.”
It’s a quick turnaround for Tumwater, as they are back at home on Wednesday hosting Aberdeen in league play.
