MOUNTLAKE TERRACE — The Monroe girls basketball team got a late Christmas present Saturday afternoon.
The Bearcats went up against Inglemoor, the No. 2 team in the latest Associated Press 4A poll, and knocked off the Vikings 52-43, handing Inglemoor its first loss of the season at the Mountlake Terrace Holiday Tournament.
Inglemoor was without Deja Strother, a University of Washington commit who averages over 20 points per game. Strother is in New York with her family for a holiday trip.
“It’s a huge win for our program, absolutely,” said Monroe head coach Matt Chalfant. “They didn’t have Deja today — and that’s too bad, we wanted to play against her — but at the same time Inglemoor is a fantastic team still. Even without her. A lot of props to what they do. They’re going to be just fine this season. They’re going to be fighting for a state berth.”
The Bearcats, who hope to fight for a state berth themselves, took their first lead of the game midway through the second quarter on a 3-pointer by Hannah Drivstuen to put Monroe up 18-16. Monroe outscored Inglemoor 14-6 in the period and took a 24-20 lead at halftime.
After a back-and-forth third quarter, Monroe opened the fourth with a 7-0 run, capped with a Jadynn Alexander basket and a free throw to give the Bearcats a 10-point lead.
“They came out with a lot of energy and I think we fought back well — we really worked as a team — and kept hustling,” Alexander said.
Inglemoor’s Jordana Price netted a 3-pointer with 1:52 remaining in the game to get the Vikings to within six, but that’s as close as they would get. Monroe scored 13 of its 19 fourth-quarter points from the free-throw line to close out the win.
“It was defensive stops and staying patient with our offense,” Chalfant said. “We didn’t panic offensively. We didn’t jack up quick shots. We ran through our sets, we got good looks and we capitalized on those looks.”
Alexander scored 14 points and grabbed eight steals for Monroe, which used tough defensive pressure to force Inglemoor turnovers.
“She was huge. She’s come so far in her defense,” Chalfant said of Alexander. “She’s probably one of our most athletic girls, but we’ve been trying to teach her team defense and I think it’s starting to click. She’s starting to see help-side defense. It’s like a light bulb went on and I think today that light bulb was just shining bright.”
Senior Kylee Ferreira added 14 points — 11 of which came from free throws and Drivstuen added eight for Monroe (6-3 overall).
Chalfant said the key to Monroe’s success may have started a day earlier in the Bearcats’ first game of the tournament — a 48-40 win over Garfield.
“I think it all started (Friday) with our Garfield win,” Chalfant said. “We were down by three with three minutes left and we were able to get stops and win by eight. I think for us, that just turned on a little ignition switch of confidence. Coming into today, the girls had confidence. You could see it in the pregame in the locker room.”
Monroe’s confidence may be even higher after a victory against the No. 2 4A team in the state.
“It was important. We wanted to go out there and play our hardest,” Alexander said. “It definitely helps with our confidence. Coming in and getting this win helps us know that we can beat these teams and know that in hard games we can come back and still get it.”
In Strother’s absence, senior Alex Hagen led Inglemoor (6-1). Hagen posted a double-double with a game-high 16 points and 14 rebounds.
“We had to dig in our heels,” Chalfant said. “I told them that they were going to come out strong, especially without Deja. … We can use this as a springboard. It’s a grind here in January. I think we still have 11 games in a month, but more than anything I think it’s just the confidence it gives the girls. Just to know, ‘Hey! We can play with one of the top teams in the state and we can get the job done.’”
At Mountlake Terrace H.S.
Inglemoor146815—43
Monroe1014919—52
Inglemoor—Mackenzie Gardner 6, Talea Culp 0, Alex Hagen 16, Sammi Williams 0, Jordana Price 5, Hannah McCausland 8, Melanie Schakohl 5, Kennedy Nicholas 6, Amanda Luckett 2. Monroe—Kylee Ferreira 14, Corrina Roppo 0, Jadynn Alexander 14, Emily Donnelly 6, Katie Piland 0, Hannah Drivstuen 8, Alex Alexander 5, Chelsea Santjer 0, Amber Van Brunt 4, Loryn Moore 1. 3-point goals—McCausland 2, Price 1, Ferreira 1, Donnelly 1, Drivstuen 2. Records—Inglemoor 6-1 overall. Monroe 6-3.
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