Opening each half strong in its first hoops contest of the season, the Morton-White Pass boys basketball team defeated 1A La Center on the road Tuesday night, 86-65.
The Timberwolves were led by a balanced scoring effort, with five players cracking double-digits, led by Hunter Hazen’s 24 points. Jake Cournyer added 17 points, Josh Salguero had 13, Jace Peters had 11, and Judah Kelly rounded out the double figure scorers with an even 10 points.
“We came out at the start of each half and played extremely well for a first game,” T-Wolves coach Chad Cramer said. “Got a nice lead early and made it stand up all game. La Center is a proud winning program and to come on a long road trip in the first game and quiet their student section was a good accomplishment.”
The T-Wolves scored 29 points in their opening frame to just eight by the Wildcats, dampening La Center’s home opener in the opening minutes and effectively taking the Wildcats crowd out of the game early. Though MWP let La Center get into a rhythm, getting outscored by five points in the second quarter, a 24-point third quarter effort was enough to put the game out of reach.
“There are definitely things we have to clean up and do better right away, La Center did a good job of exposing some weaknesses at times,” Cramer said. “I’m super proud of our balance, getting five guys in double figures.”
Cramer singled out Carter Dantinne for his strong performance, scoring six points and making all the right plays on both ends for the Timberwolves.
Morton-White Pass will play next against Seton Catholic on the road on Saturday.