Centralia’s revival season has come to an end. The Tigers’ offense stalled in the third quarter and couldn’t restart quick enough in a 61-39 loss to Mark Morris in a district-playoff, play-in game on Wednesday in Longview.
“(Mark Morris) definitely has got some balanced scoring, and you’ve gotta find a lot of kids on the perimeter,” Centralia coach Doug Ashmore said. “We played well defensively, we just couldn't hit shots.”
Centralia was down by nine at the half, even after missing five free throws in the first half. But Mark Morris turned on the burners in the third, outsourcing the TIgers 19-5 to put the game out of reach and secure the win.
Sophomore Makayla Chavez led the Tigers with 18 points while sophomore Emily Wilkerson added 12 points and 11 rebounds.
“Two sophomores in double figures in their first playoff game, and have eight kids back next season and some kids back from injury, I’m really excited,” Ashmore said. “There were some positive things to build off of.”
Playing in their final high school games were seniors Maddie Corwin, Jadyn Hawley and Maddie Sievert. They battled through double levy failures, an 0-10 season last year and two wins the year before that. Ashmore said he’s proud of their perseverance.
“Been a tough road for them,” Ashmore said. “I told them they’ve gotta be proud for sticking it out. We got seven wins this year and I attribute that a lot to the seniors.”
