Black Hills High School hosted rival Tumwater Friday, January 30, 2026, for the Pioneer Bowl, a boys and girls 2A EVCO (Evergreen Conference) basketball double-header. The Lady Wolves won the girls game 59-46, but the Tumwater boys team split the night with a convincing 59-46 victory.
The atmosphere in the gymnasium was electric for both games, with almost a standing-room-only attendance. Tumwater school board members attended to judge the “Billy Goat” spirit award competition, which Black Hills won.
Black Hills Girls Basketball Wins Against Tumwater
In the girls meet, both teams battled in a close rematch, with Black Hills (11-8, 4-4 EvCo) avenging its previous 59-60 OT loss to Tumwater (11-8, 5-3 EvCo) on January 13.
“Tumwater works hard, but I told my team that if we didn’t get outworked, we would win the game,” Black Hills head coach Herb Guscott stated. “I like our chances moving forward and we are peaking at the right time.”
Before the game, Wolves junior guard Tyler Venable was awarded a “1000 point” basketball trophy for achieving the mark earlier in the season. Venable currently has almost 1100 points in her career and is on course to beat the 1308-point school record of 2000 graduate Valerie Gustafson.
Venable thought the pre-game ceremony was “pretty cool” but praised the support of her coaches and team. “Honestly, I couldn’t have achieved any of this without my teammates as they are the ones feeding me the ball,” remarked Venable after the game. “All the credit goes to my teammates and my coaches.”
Tumwater girls assistant Gabi Larson thought the game was a typical tough cross-town rival meeting. “We needed to stay composed and play our system and we will work on that,” Larson noted. “We have a chance to reset and we will be focusing on improving our mental game. Coming together and staying together and playing our system is key.”
Tumwater Boys Basketball Triumphs Over Black Hills
The Tumwater (17-1, 8-0 EvCo) boys team won the second game with steady scoring and intense defensive pressure to reclaim the boys EvCo title. Black Hills (13-5, 6-3 EvCo) started strong with a 12-5 lead, but then Tumwater went on a 13-0 run to take an 18-12 lead that they would never give back.
Tumwater head coach Josh Wislon praised his team’s defensive effort and thought it was their best game of the season. “We just keep getting better each game, and I just thought the environment tonight was fantastic and we played well and this puts us on a good path moving into the postseason. We really have been working on our defense and I think our length and athleticism are strengths for us.”
Black Hills coach Jeff Gallagher praised the discipline and even-keeled play of Tumwater. “They are extremely well coached. I told my kids we played hard but not well,” Gallagher stated. “We had a few opportunities in the second half, but Tumwater would always just make a play. We will reset and try to make improvements moving forward.”
Tumwater holds the No. 1 seed in the Class 2A District 4 tournament and will host Greater St Helens League’s No. 4 seed on February 14.
