Wolves prove they’re still a 2A EvCo contender with rout of Centralia

This isn’t exactly the season Black Hills High School expected when the season began in November.

After a second consecutive trip to the Class 2A state tournament last winter, it seemed fitting that veteran point guard Lindsey Nurmi, now a senior, and forward Maisy Williams, a junior, would be the two biggest pillars for the Wolves entering the 2017-18 season.

But Williams — an Olympian All-Area selection who averaged 11.2 points, eight rebounds and three blocks last season as a sophomore — was lost for several weeks after suffering a broken jaw in a jamboree game days before the regular season began.

She is projected to return during the final week of the regular season.

But, despite Nurmi being the only returning regular starter currently in the lineup, the Wolves (10-3) have consistently proved they’re still a top contender.

Wednesday night in Tumwater, they added to that argument posting a 50-31 rout of 2A Evergreen Conference rival Centralia and moving to 2-1 in league play.

“Right after it happened, we sat down with the team and had a really emotional talk,” Nurmi said of Williams’ injury.

Team members vowed to step up during Williams’ absence, and several have put together quality seasons so far.

Wednesday night, sophomore guard Megan River led all scorers with a career-high 17 points. Nurmi added another 10 points as part of a scoring effort that included nine players on Black Hills’ roster.

“It’s really great to see them do that,” said Nurmi, who is averaging a team-high 13 points per game.

“Megan is amazing and Jordyn (Bender) has stepped up really big in a few games. A lot of (the younger players) have really stepped up and filled a role to help us.”

The Wolves jumped out in front early, and held a comfortable lead throughout the contest. Black Hills’ relentless defense consistently caused the Tigers to turn the ball over, and the Wolves allowed just five points apiece in the first and second quarters.

Centralia (9-4, 2-1) made up some ground in the second half, but never enough to threaten the lead. Carissa Kaut led the Tigers with 13 points, but leading scorer Ellie Corwin (14.7 points per game) was limited to seven.

This story was originally published January 10, 2018 at 11:36 PM with the headline "Wolves prove they’re still a 2A EvCo contender with rout of Centralia."