Meadowdale a win from state

Published 11:27 pm Saturday, February 23, 2008

ARLINGTON — On a historic night for Eryn Jones, the Meadowdale High School senior was just trying to make sure her team’s chances of a district title weren’t history.

Jones and the Mavericks overcame three quarters of solid play from upset-minded Mount Vernon before pulling away in the final period for a 56-41 win in a 3A district semifinal game. Jones scored seven of her 16 points in the fourth quarter on her way to becoming the school’s all-time leading scorer.

“People always get so excited about records and personal achievements, but honestly, I’d rather have no records and a state championship,” Jones said.

After Saturday night’s win, that’s still a very real possibility for the Mavericks (20-3).

“It’s awesome,” said Jones, whose team faces Ferndale in a winner-to-state district championship game at 8 p.m. Thursday night at Arlington High.

For most of Saturday night, it looked like the evening might be remembered for a different reason. Mount Vernon (10-11) matched the Mavericks for most of the game, taking a 31-30 lead midway through the third period and heading into the final quarter within two points.

But Jones and her Meadowdale teammates put an end to the upset by scoring 18 of the first 20 points in the fourth. Jones had an assist, a steal and a traditional three-point play in the first 1:41 of the final period, helping Meadowdale go on a seven-point run to pull ahead 44-35. After Mount Vernon’s Cheyenne Walker scored her 23rd and final point on a putback, the Mavericks rattled off another 11-point run to put the game away.

“Our girls are usually good finishers, so I knew they would finish at the end,” Meadowdale coach Dan Taylor said. “The girls really bonded together.

“Coaches can say all they want about having a cold shooting night (the Mavericks were 18 of 53 from the field), but, honestly, (Mount Vernon) had a great defense. It’s the best we’ve seen. That will be good for us.”

On Jones’ record-setting night — she broke Kellie O’Neill’s season mark by scoring 519 points in 2007-08 and sister Kristen O’Neill’s career record by scoring 1,418 in four years as a starter — Jones was among the players who struggled to hit shots. She was just three of 12 from the field while facing a Mount Vernon box-and-one defense that was designed to stop her.

Teammate Alli Streit helped the cause by scoring 15 points, including a pair of key 3-pointers in the second half. Hanna Fjortoft (nine) and Anna Molitor (eight) also chipped in.

“I told them at halftime that some of the other girls had to step up,” Taylor said. “And they did.”

Meadowdale’s press forced seven first-quarter turnovers en route to a 15-7 lead. But before the Mavericks could start making plans for next Thursday’s winner-to-state game, Mount Vernon closed the gap with a strong second quarter. The Bulldogs got nine points from Walker during that period and scored the final nine points of the half to close to within 23-21 at the break.

Mount Vernon refused to go away in the third quarter, eventually taking its first lead at 29-28 with 4:50 remaining in that period. The Bulldogs were ahead 31-30 when Walker hit a pair of free throws with 4:21 remaining in the third, but they never led again.

Walker’s 23 led all scorers. No other Mount Vernon player scored more than five.

Meadowdale’s Jones added four assists, three rebounds and eight steals to lead a Mavericks defense that forced 23 turnovers.

It turns out that breaking scoring records isn’t the only thing Jones can do.

“Coming into this program and having her as a leader and sophomore captain, it helped me groom the program into what I wanted it to be,” said Taylor, who replaced longtime coach Karen Blair in 2005. “She’s a coach on the floor and the glue of our team. My nickname for her is element because she brings team chemistry.”

Ferndale 60, Everett 24: A familiar surname helped knock the Seagulls out of contention for a district title.

Ferndale’s Alyssa Locker, the younger sister of University of Washington quarterback Jake Locker, hit back-to-back 3-pointers early in the second quarter to help the Lady Eagles pull away. Ferndale led by as many as 19 points during a second quarter that saw Everett go almost four-and-a-half minutes before scoring its first points. The Seagulls’ Ashley Hope scored a pair of layups off steals late in the first half, but Everett still trailed 29-12 at the break.

Sister Lauren Hope tried to rally Everett with three consecutive 3-pointers and 11 points in the third quarter, but a scoreless fourth quarter doomed the Seagulls.

Undersized Everett had no answer for 6-foot Ferndale junior Ashley Honeycutt, who scored a game-high 24 points. Locker, who has a younger sister and two cousins on the Ferndale roster, added 10 points for the Lady Eagles.

Lauren Hope’s 13 led Everett.

The Seagulls play Shorecrest in a loser-out game at 6 p.m. Tuesday at Arlington.

Meadowdale 56, Mt. Vernon 41

Mt. Vernon 714146—41

Meadowdale1581419—56

MV — Walker 23, Squires 2, Ridenhour 5, Bohn 4, Kutz 5, Fine 2. Meadowdale — Coronacion 1, J.Fjortoft 6, Jones 16, H.Fjortoft 9, Streit 15, Molitor 8, Carlow 1. 3-point goals — MV: Kutz, Ridenhour. Mead: Streit 2, H.Fjortoft. Records — Mount Vernon 10-11 overall. Meadowdale 20-3.

Ferndale 60, Everett 24

Everett 66120—24

Ferndale12172011—60

Everett — A.Hope 6, MacCormac 3, L.Hope 13, Antojo 1, Bell 1. Ferndale — Cicchitti 7, A.Locker 10, Newman 5, Honeycutt 24, Lindsay 2, Marks 2, Hart 2, E.Locker 5, Flores 3. 3-point goals — L.Hope 3, A.Locker 3, Cicchitti 1. Records — Everett 6-16 overall. Ferndale 14-8.