EVERETT — The seeds of Shorecrest’s fourth-quarter comeback on Friday night were planted at practice.
The Scots girls basketball team hit three 3-pointers to start the fourth quarter and played lock-down defense on Everett, outscoring the Seagulls 19-10 in the decisive quarter to win the Wesco 3A showdown 53-48 at Everett Community College.
“We just had a bunch of girls on the floor that had so much of a desire to win this game,” said Shorecrest head coach Dori Monson. “We knew that Everett is a great team and it was first place in both divisions and our girls worked really hard at practice. The reason we run hard (in practice) is so we can play well in the fourth quarter and I think our conditioning really paid off.”
Trailing 38-34 going into the fourth quarter, Shorecrest got a pair of 3-pointers from freshman Keyonna Jones and another from fellow freshman Jalyn Hizey to take a 43-40 lead midway through the fourth quarter.
Everett, though didn’t wilt. A pair of putbacks by Amber Hagar and Darian Rielly helped Everett retake the lead 46-45 with a little over 3 minutes to play. But Shorecrest’s Wurrie Njadoe hit a basket and Onyie Chibuogwu had a putback after a missed free throw to help the Scots cap a 5-0 run and take a 50-46 lead.
After the two teams traded turnovers, Sidney Rielly hit a left-handed runner to draw the Seagulls to within a basket. But free throws by Njadoe and Hizey and a pair of missed shots by Everett sealed the game.
“We dropped a couple of rebounds and had a few timely turnovers and they made the plays when they needed to and we didn’t,” said Everett head coach John Low.
The win helped Shorecrest (6-1 3A South, 11-3 overall) keep pace with Mountlake Terrace (6-1, 11-3) for first place in the Wesco 3A South. Everett (5-2, 9-5) remains in first place in the 3A North.
Onyie Chibuogwu was a force for the Scots. The senior post scored 13 points, grabbed 15 rebounds and had three steals despite missing the last half of the second quarter with foul trouble. With Chibuogwu on the bench, Everett scored the final two baskets before halftime to take a six-point lead into the break.
“Onyie is an amazing leader for us,” Monson said. “She gives us that senior stability.
“When the ball is coming off the rim I’ve never seen somebody want the ball as much as her. She plays about four inches taller than she really is.”
The Rielly sisters combined for 31 points to lead the Seagulls.
Everett played without senior guard Tenika Wentworth, who suffered a concussion last week. Low said he is hoping to get Wentworth back next week.
At Everett Community College
Shorecrest 14 9 13 19 — 53
Everett 15 12 11 10 — 48
Shorecrest—Lindsey Shattuck 5, Wurrie Njadoe 11, Arianna Rantz 0, Keyonna Jones 15, Onyie Chibuogwu 13, Savannah Tidwell 0, Jalyn Hizey 11. Everett—Megan Dedrick 0, Caroline Overstreet 0, Sydney Taggart 4, Darian Rielly 13, Sidney Rielly 18, Julie Ramirez 1, Amber Hagar 8, Katy Hedington 4. 3-point goals—Jones 3, Hizey 3, Shattuck, D. Rielly 2, S. Rielly. Records—Shorecrest 6-1 league, 11-3 overall. Everett 5-2, 9-5.
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