LYNNWOOD — The Ferndale girls basketball team stumbled offensively in the first half of its loser-out game against Marysville Pilchuck Saturday night.
The Golden Eagles made up for the early-game struggles after halftime, outscoring the Tomahawks 42-26 to come from behind and defeat Marysville Pilchuck 58-47 in the 3A District 1 third-place game at Lynnwood High School.
“They did an outstanding job running the ball, and we knew that going into it that they had a very good transition offense,” said Marysville Pilchuck head coach Julie Martin. “The first half we hung with it for a while and I feel like we ran out of a gas a little in that second half.”
Both teams struggled offensively in the first quarter. Klep had 11 of her game-high 22 points in the second quarter to help jumpstart the Marysville Pilchuck offense, negating a 6-0 Ferndale run in the period and giving the Tomahawks a five-point advantage at halftime.
In the second half Ferndale overtook the Tomahawks, despite six 3-pointers from Klep — most of which came from at least 25 feet away from the basket.
“At the end of practice the last few weeks we’ve just had some fun and shot some halfcourt shots,” Martin said. “It actually has gotten better and helped our shooting. (Klep’s) just a clutch player. She has the heart of a champion for sure. I’m just astounded at how well she did tonight with those threes.”
The Golden Eagles made their first nine shots of the third quarter, but Marysville Pilchuck kept the score close. The Tomahawks cut Ferndale’s lead to three in the early fourth quarter with a 3-pointer before a 10-0 run helped the Golden Eagles begin to pull away.
Each team had four players score points in the contest. Ferndale (19-5 overall) got a team-high 20 points from Taryn Knutson. Hannah Carlson scored 18 points and Linsey Honeycutt added a double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds. Brooke Benson added the other three points for the Golden Eagles, who advance to the regional round of the state tournament.
Along with Klep, Marysville Pilchuck (10-14) was led by fellow seniors Jordan Bengen (13 points), Charlee Pilon (seven points) and Jenika Anglim (five points).
“I always had a lot of faith in these girls. They just had to believe in themselves, that they could do it,” Martin said. “These last few games they’ve believed and it’s been obvious out there on the court. I can’t say enough. They’re leaps and bounds to the beginning of the season, as to how far they’ve come.”
At Lynnwood H.S.
Marysville Pilchuck7141313–47
Ferndale4122418–58
Marysville Pilchuck–Charlee Pilon 7, Amanda Klep 22, Megan Owens 0, Halie Romo 0, Jenika Anglim 5, Jordan Bengen 13, Marley Reynolds 0, Binta Bojang 0. Ferndale–Carly Bannerman 0, Shelby Slaughter 0, Abby Reid 0, Darrien Camarillo 0, Dasia Washington 0, Taryn Knutson 20, Hannah Carlson 18, Brooke Benson 3, Linsey Honeycutt 17. 3-point goals–Pilon 1, Klep 6, Anglim 1, Bengen 1, Knutson 2. Records–Marysville Pilchuck 10-14 overall. Ferndale 19-5.
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