Centralia led at the half but the Tigers’ offense stalled in the second half in a 60-51 loss to visiting Shelton in 2A Evergreen Conference play on Monday.
The Tigers took a six-point deficit after one quarter and turned it into a 30-28 lead at the half behind senior Cole Wasson’s offensive spurt.
“First half, we did a good job moving the basketball,” Centralia coach Kyle Donahue said. “We really wanted to get the ball inside and we did. Landon (Kaut) did a good job passing out of double teams.”
But the Highclimbers would retake the lead in the third quarter, and outscore the Tigers 13-7 in the final frame to secure the win.
“The third quarter we did the exact opposite of the second quarter,” Donahue said. “We quit seeing the high post and getting the ball in the low post. It was a weird flip.”
Kaut led the Tigers with 18 points and five rebounds. Brandon Yeung added 12 points, Cole Wasson finished with 10 points and five boards and Brady Sprague dished out four assists.
“Brandon shot the ball well tonight,” Donahue said. “He had a lot of good looks. Cole went on a run in the second quarter, and Landon played tough inside.”
The Highclimbers were led by Tyler Ireland's game-high 19 points.
Centralia (5-10, 3-7 EvCo) hosts rival W.F. West in the second leg of the Swamp Cup on Wednesday.
