MATTAWA — The Wahluke Warriors (0-1) were defeated 67-43 by the Tri-Cities Prep Jaguars on Tuesday in their return to the hardwood. Wahluke head coach Anfernee Cortez said some of the loss may be attributed to first-game jitters.

“We started too flat and just kind of dug ourselves into a hole early. Against a team like Tri-Cities Prep, it’s tough to catch up at that point,” Cortez said.

A slow start by the Warriors allowed Tri-Cities Prep to take hold of the momentum early and build a commanding lead. In the first half, the Warriors struggled to knock down shots and attack the rim. The Jaguars carried their momentum into the second half to run away with the game. Wahluke had a stronger second-half showing, but Cortez said it was not enough to get back in the game.

“They’re a really talented team,” he said. “Ultimately, it just comes down to us executing what we do and not getting in a mindset where we’re rushed or hurried. We got to play with confidence and play our game.”

The Jaguars were dominant in the first quarter over the Warriors. They capitalized on missed shots to jump out to 23-7 lead heading into the second quarter. It was much of the same the rest of the first half. The Jaguars put up 19 points while the Warriors put up six.

Heading into halftime, the Warriors trailed 13-42.

Despite the slow start in the first half, the Warriors came out swinging. Their offense erupted for 18 points which was enough to outscore the Jaguars who put up 15 in the third quarter. Heading into the fourth, the Warriors trailed 31-57. Their sudden surge on the offensive end was assisted by an improvement on defense, Cortez said.

“We picked up our defense a little bit better; our man-to-man (defense) improved throughout the game. As far as just getting the ball up the court and trying to get some easy buckets at the rim started happening a little bit better in the second half,” Cortez said.

Wahluke’s Keaton Zirker, Ethan Moreno and Kobe Corrales were providing the spark they were looking for in the second half. Cortez said Zirker and Corrales knocked down tough shots on offense while Moreno came off the bench and helped strengthen their defense. In the blink of an eye, the Warriors found themselves in a rhythm.

The Jaguars were able to slow Wahluke down in the fourth quarter by holding them to 12 points while they maintained their lead by adding 10 more points of their own. They secured the win and handed the Warriors their first loss of the season with a score of 67-43.

Despite the first game jitters, Cortez feels confident his players will be able to shake off this loss and bounce back in their upcoming games. He emphasized staying mentally focused and executing what they work on in practice.

“I think early in the game, we got out of that a little bit, and it dug us a hole. When we were able to remind them and calm them down, things started to look better,” Cortez said.

Including their matchup against the Jaguars, the Warriors open the season with six straight home games. Their next game is Dec. 5 against White Swan. Cortez said it will be important for them to be defensively sound by putting pressure on the ball and remaining disciplined.

“We’re going to have to do our job by boxing out and getting rebounds and being able to run the court. I think that’s going to be our keys right there,” he said.

His players need to not settle for threes, as they did against Tri-Cities Prep, Cortez said. He is hoping to see them be more aggressive about attacking the rim like they were in the second half Tuesday.

“Playing in our home gym is always great because we’re in that gym every day, we’re shooting on those hoops every day,” Cortez said.

Wahluke is set to tip off against White Swan on Friday at 7:15 p.m.

BOX SCORE:

TCPJ: 23-19-15-10: 67

WHLK: 7-6-18-12: 43

    Keaton Zirker (23) applies defensive pressure on a Tri-Cities Prep player. Head Coach Anfernee Cortez pointed to Zirker as a key player who provided a spark for them in the second half.
  

    The Wahluke Warriors’ Jose Acevedo (1) defends down the court on a fast break. Head Coach Anfernee Cortez said their slow start put them in a hole early and made it difficult to mount a comeback against Tri-Cities Prep on Tuesday.