Just call it a first-world problem.

That is what an undefeated Auburn Riverside girls basketball program seems to be dealing with as the Ravens overcame another slow start to defeat Auburn Mountainview 52-35 on Tuesday night in a South Puget Sound League 3A contest.

“That’s been a reoccurring theme,” said Auburn Riverside coach Derek Pegram, whose team also surrendered 10 unanswered points to start last Friday’s game at Sumner before prevailing 55-43. “All it takes is a steal and a bucket and it seems to wake us up.”

That again was the case against the Lions. After both teams entered the second quarter tied at 11-all, junior point guard McKenzi Williams scored four consecutive points in the first 40 seconds of the period. Auburn Mountainview (11-3 overall, 7-2 league) never threatened again.

“Mountainview hasn’t lost since we played them last, so I knew they would be coming in with a lot of confidence,” Pegram said.

The Lions had an eight-game win streak since suffering a 60-37 setback Dec. 11 against the Ravens. Pegram noticed freshman Taylor Flores’ impact during that time and made it a goal to contain her. She finished with six points.

“What we needed to do was really focus defensively,” Pegram said. “We put a lot of focus on Flores. She’s been doing a really good job.”

Auburn Riverside (15-0, 9-0) also accomplished it with a different lineup than usual as senior forward Kiana Drumheller came off the bench. Pegram said Drumheller missed the Sumner game because she participated in a volleyball tournament in Missouri.

“Just coming back we thought it was best that she come off the bench,” he said. “It was fair to the other kids. Going forward we will reassess it and who deserves that spot.”

Meanwhile, freshman guard Autumn Lee has become a fixture in the Ravens’ starting lineup since New Year’s Day. She converted a pair of 3-pointers against Auburn Mountainview.

“Autumn moved up, took that spot and she’s not letting it go,” Pegram said. “She’s been playing with a lot of composure and has been playing really well defensively.”

Pegram, who is in his third season as Auburn Riverside’s coach, said he never has been apprehensive about playing freshmen. Williams moved into the starting lineup as a freshman and junior Olivia Denton, who scored 12 points against the Lions, played significant minutes in 2013-14, as well.

“We love to have competition,” Pegram said. “If you’re better than the next person, I don’t care if you’re a freshman, sophomore, junior or senior, you’re going to start. That’s kind of what we live by.”

He hopes that remains a motivating factor for the Ravens, who are pushing to reach the state tournament for the first time since 2011. And against that level of competition, Auburn Riverside might have more difficulty overcoming slow starts.

“It’s crazy because at the beginning of the year we started out so well in the first quarter,” Pegram said. “We had four or five games where we had a 10-point lead in the first quarter.

“I’ll look at it and see if we need to start out in something else defensively to get them going or if we need to mix up some sets. I’m definitely going to look at it.”

Williams is familiar with the program’s history – Auburn Riverside has won three state championships since the school opened in 1995 – and she is motivated to build on that tradition. The Ravens have only five regular-season games remaining. They host Enumclaw at 7 p.m. Friday.

“We want to get to state,” Williams said. “We’re not going to let anyone stop us.”