Centralia won its second straight game to open the season Friday night, swarming Steilacoom at home, 55-35.
The Tigers (2-0) got off to a slow start offensively, missing some easy chances at buckets, but found their rhythm in the fourth quarter and played lockdown defense all night.
Coach Doug Ashmore praised the efforts of senior guard Jadyn Hawley, in particular, who scored six points and hauled in 12 rebounds.
“She was unbelievable rebounding for us,” he said. “She played really good defense all night long.”
The Sentinels had just 13 points at the half, and were struggling with the Tigers full-court press and attacking defense. That defense spurred the offense in the fourth quarter as the Tigers finally got into their stride.
“Our girls have done a really good job so far this season,” Ashmore said. “As we kept gaining and gaining we got better offensively.”
Centralia was led by post Emily Wilkerson, who scored 22 points, and Makayla Chavez also scored in double figures with 11. As a team, the Tigers shot 21 of 63 from the field and made 11 of their 15 free throw attempts. The Tigers also hauled in 42 rebounds as a team.
Centralia will head to Rochester for its next game on Thursday.
