Two large schools known for their proud athletic traditions met for a nonleague game. But it wasn’t exactly the battle people would expect when they hear the South Kitsap and Curtis mentioned together.

Both teams feature rebuilding girls basketball teams that showed inconsistency and perhaps some promise — at least if you’re a Wolves fan — Thursday in South’s 54-25 win.

After struggling to finish off the Vikings early, SK (1-1) limited them to just one point in the fourth quarter and outscored them 31-11 in the second half.

“Our defense was really nice,” South coach Mike Allen said. “I was really proud of the effort. We got after a lot of loose balls.”

Allen credited some of that to senior “sparkplug” Tori Fairweather, who scored a team-high 11 points. The Wolves, who went 2-17 last season, won their first game since a 60-53 victory Jan. 27 against Wilson.

After last season, Fairweather said no South player will take any game for granted.

“I always expect a challenge from every team,” she said. “We were ready.”

For an entire game, that is. On Tuesday, South lost its opener at Peninsula, 47-35, after being outscored 29-16 in the second half. No Wolves reached double-digit scoring in that game.

“(Tuesday) night in our second half, we maybe were trying to do a little too much,” Allen said.

That wasn’t an issue against the Vikings as Chelnesha Thuring and Molly Werder joined Fairweather in double-digit scoring with 10 points each.

But after losing the first game, Werder said it was important from a psychological standpoint to get the win. The fact that it was a blowout only gives the team more confidence, she added.

“I think it’s going to pump us up for the rest of the season,” she said.

The Wolves continue nonleague play at 7 p.m. Monday at Shelton. They host Lincoln at 7 p.m. Wednesday in their Narrows League opener.

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