Wahluke girls basketball starts short some players

MATTAWA — The Wahluke High School girls basketball team started the season last Friday on the short end of 63-33 runaway by Cle Elum in non-league action.

The Warriors might have made a better showing except there were only seven of them. Injuries, suspensions and family trips to Mexico have depleted the ranks.

“Cle Elum is a good team, and we have too many kids who just weren’t able to play the game that fast,” coach Brock Anderson said. “Instead we made way too many self-inflicted mistakes (27 turnovers).”

The absentees will be a challenge most likely through the month of December. Ten of the 25 girls in the program have left or area leaving for Mexico for family vacations.

“This always happens to some extent, but almost never at the varsity level,” Anderson said.

Despite this development, Anderson remains upbeat. He expects the remaining girls to persevere and become better over the next three weeks.

Anderson said his girls, overall, are improved over last year. He noted they scored 28 points in a 10-minute jamboree game against Othello the previous week.

“It will begin to show at some point,” he said.