HS Boys Hoops: Tenino Defeats Elma to Win First League Title Since 2013

1/31/24

Elma 6 21 32 43
Tenino 13 23 34 55

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(Tenino, WA) A league title tilt took place in Tenino on Wednesday night when the Elma Eagles battled the Tenino Beavers in the Stone City. After inheriting a very young team last season, head coach Ryan Robertson was looking to complete a quick turnaround and lead the Beavers to their first Evergreen 1A league title since 2013. Meanwhile, Elma was looking to spoil the opportunity and the senior night festivities for Tenino.

A slow start for both sides was really a story in the entire first half. Neither team got in much of a groove scoring as open shots just weren’t falling for either side. There weren’t many opportunities for open shots as both defenses were playing very well. The pressure on both sides created some turnovers and limited the shots for both teams. We would have a close score at halftime with Tenino leading Elma 23-21.

In the 3rd quarter it was a lot of the same as the first half. Carter Studer was rolling for the Eagles while Noah Schow continued his strong output with Austin Gonia also finding some offensive rhythm. With the score tied early in the 4th quarter, Schow turned his game up to another level. The junior could not miss regardless of where he was on the floor, hitting a variety of jumpers and attacking the basket inside. No matter how many defenders Elma had on him, Schow just couldn’t be stopped. A big three felt like the dagger as Elma’s offense couldn’t keep up as the Beavers held on for a 55-43 win to clinch the EvCo 1A league championship.

Our Thorbeckes MVP of the game was Noah Schow. Already having a monster season, Schow put the cap on his junior regular season with one of his best performances under the brightest lights. After spreading out his scoring in the first half, Schow caught fire at the end of the 3rd quarter and carried it over to the 4th. It never mattered the position that Schow was in, it felt like he was always one move away from a basket. The junior also did well at the free throw line to cap off the league title win.

With the win Tenino finishes the regular season with a record of 12-4 and a 7-1 record in the EvCo 1A. They will now move into the opening round of the District 4 1A tournament where they will host the #4 seed out of the Trico League on Wednesday. Elma drops to 10-6 and 4-3 in league play with still one regular season game to go. The Eagles will be back in action to wrap up the regular season on Friday when they host Eatonville at 7pm.

Scoring Stats

Elma: Studer 14, Flores 8, Carter 8, Holmes 6, Seaberg 3, Vessey 2, McGaffey 2
Tenino: Schow 33, Gonia 12, Burkhardt 6, Feltus 4

Postgame Show