Cougars beat Timberwolves in 1B basketball game

TEKOA – Jenkins (Chewelah) High School traveled down to Tekoa on Dec. 29 to face the Tekoa-Rosalia girls basketball team.

The Lady Timberwolves were searching for their first win of the season against the Cougars, but ultimately couldn't get it – falling 64-17 to the visitors.

Both teams started relatively slow in the opening stages of the game. Jenkins held the early 4-0 advantage over Tekoa-Rosalia with 4:34 to go in the first quarter, before proceeding to more-than-double its point total in the following minute to go up 9-0.

In the last three-and-a-half minutes of the opening frame, the Lady Cougars put on a display on both sides of the court and went into the second quarter up 19-0, blanking the Timberwolves.

Tekoa-Rosalia was able to end its scoring drought in the second quarter with a Riley Terrell 3-pointer, and put up 10 more points the rest of the quarter, but still went into halftime trailing 38-13.

"My biggest thing is not giving up," Tekoa-Rosalia head coach Tatiana Mendoza said. "I think playing four quarters against a tough team, (my team) completed that. We're a young team. We're still growing. This is a totally different team from last year and I'm proud of my girls. We got to keep working, getting our shots up and do the best we can."

Tekoa-Rosalia tallied four more points in the third quarter while Jenkins put up 18, giving the Cougars a 56-17 advantage over the Timberwolves heading into the final eight minutes of the game.

Tekoa-Rosalia failed to score another point in the final frame and Jenkins tallied another eight for the 47-point Cougars' win.

Joan Barnowsky and Kayla Eilertson led the Timberwolves with six points each in the loss.

"These girls got heart," Mendoza said. "And they want to put in the work, put in the time. We'll get there eventually. We're a young team and a couple seasons down the road, we're going to get there."