Kennedy overwhelms Meadowdale in 3A girls semifinal
Published 11:11 pm Friday, March 13, 2009
TACOMA — After his team earned ragged victories in the first two rounds of the Class 3A state tournament, Meadowdale High School girls basketball coach Troy Parker said the Mavericks had not yet played to their potential.
Surely, Meadowdale needed a better performance Friday against Kennedy, the state’s top-ranked team.
It didn’t happen.
Meadowdale fell behind by double digits in the first half Friday and endured a humbling 63-31 semifinal loss against the unbeaten Kennedy Lancers. Speedy, relentless Kennedy (27-0) built a 30-point advantage early in the fourth quarter and blasted Meadowdale (21-6) in the 3A state championships at the Tacoma Dome.
“Nobody likes to take a whupping like that on a Friday night, but I am so proud of my kids and I wouldn’t trade them for the world,” Parker said.
Ranked No. 7 by the Tacoma News Tribune, Meadowdale plays Holy Names (23-5) at 3:30 p.m. today in the third/sixth-place game. Shadle Park throttled Holy Names 43-28 Friday in the other semifinal and will meet No. 1 Kennedy at 7 p.m. tonight in the championship.
Guards Yaz Fuller (19 points, three 3-point goals) and Daidra Brown (10 points, five steals) propelled Kennedy, which beat Hanford 57-44 in the first round and handled Lakeside 57-46 in the quarterfinals. The Lancers pressured Meadowdale into a staggering 33 turnovers (which directly led to 37 points) and eight-of-26 shooting from the field.
“They’re just very, very good,” Parker said, “and they make you pay for mistakes. In this game, making people pay is putting the ball in the hole.”
It was the first bump in the road this week for Meadowdale, which edged Auburn Mountainview 40-39 in the opening round and defeated Enumclaw 45-37 Thursday.
Before Friday, the last time Meadowdale played Kennedy was the 2007 state tourney. The Mavs won 55-40 in a first-round clash at KeyArena. Meadowdale also knocked off Kennedy in the 1997 state tournament, prevailing 51-38 in a quarterfinal at the Tacoma Dome.
This time though, Kennedy was superior in every way. The Lancers were ahead 25-11 by halftime. They jumped to a 12-6 lead after one quarter and outscored Meadowdale by eight in the second quarter.
Super-quick Kennedy (17 steals) forced 16 Meadowdale turnovers in the first half, resulting in 15 points. Just two players scored for Meadowdale: Julia Fjortoft (seven points) and Alexis Nugent (four points).
When it wasn’t turning over the ball, Meadowdale was missing shots. The Mavericks were two of nine from the field and 7-for-13 on free throws.
“We just couldn’t find a way to score,” Parker said, “and it’s been a problem for us all year. But not to that extent, and I think Kennedy had a lot to do with that.”
At the Tacoma Dome
Meadowdale651010—31
Kennedy12132414—63
Meadowdale—Zickefoose 0, Fjortoft 11, Barhoum 0, Landa 0, Molitor 3, Beyer 1, M.O’Neill 9, Horn 1, Nugent 5, Helber 0, Lillquist 0, C.O’Neill 0. Kennedy—Nuefeld 0, Lemon 6, Yellam 0, Lockart 4, Fuller 19, Brown 10, Goins 6, Madison 8, Williams 7, Trautmann 2, Farnam 0, McPhearson 1. 3-point goals—Fuller 3, Williams 1, M. O’Neill 1, Records—Meadowdale 21-6 overall. Kennedy 27-0.
Mike Cane: mcane@heraldnet.com. Check out the prep sports blog Double Team at cmg-northwest2.go-vip.net/heraldnet/doubleteam.
