Senior night didn’t go according to plan for the Sumner Spartans girls basketball team.

The White River Hornets clinched the South Puget Sound League 2A championship Friday night with a 54-36 victory against the Spartans at Sumner High School.

White River center Kennedy Hobert poured in a game-high 22 points. Sumner’s Jamie Lange had 10 points, and senior Breanna Allsop added nine.

White River head coach Chris Gibson said his team turned up the volume in the second half after a sluggish start in all phases of the game.

“I thought we were a little sloppy with the ball offensively early on,” Gibson said. “We had to take care of the ball quite a bit better and put the ball inside. The good thing about the first half was that we were playing at a pace we liked. It was all about execution.”

Sumner kept it close early and trailed by 10 at halftime. But White River outscored the Spartans 18-5 in the third quarter with a high-pressure defense and potent shooting from the perimeter.

White River frustrated Sumner’s backcourt in the second half when it opened the third quarter with pressure from baseline to baseline.

“We made some location mistakes, but I was really happy with the intensity we played with,” Gibson said.

The coach added that clinching the league title on the road is something that will pay dividends in the future.

“We respect the Sumner Spartans,” Gibson said. “Any time you get a road win, and especially when the league championship is on the line, tonight is a great night. I’m really proud of my kids. We played good basketball tonight.”

Sports Editor Shaun Scott can be reached at 253-552-7002 or by email at shaun.scott@puyallupherald.com. Follow him on Twitter, @herald_shaun.