Tigers Take Down Hawks for First Win

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The Centralia boys basketball team finished its run of non-league matchups to open the season with its first win of the winter, downing River Ridge 57-48 in Lacey on Tuesday.

“We handled pressure a lot better than we have in the first couple games,” Centralia coach Kyle Donahue said. “We took care of the basketball in the second half. We also didn’t settle for bad shots, executed our offense late in the game, and finished our looks.”

Carlos Vallejo had 22 points to pace the Tigers, while Brady Sprauge scored 10, Jordan Yeung put in eight, and Cohen Ballard added seven.

The Tigers put the clamps on early, holding the Hawks to just four points in the first quarter, but then let their hosts explode for 22 in the second, and went into halftime trailing 26-25. After a close third quarter, though, it was Centralia’s turn to break out on offense, with a 22-point fourth leading the way to the win.

Centralia (1-3) will open 2A EvCo play at home Friday, against Aberdeen.