E-W tops Lake Stevens
Published 10:45 pm Tuesday, January 4, 2011
LAKE STEVENS — On a night when the Edmonds-Woodway girls basketball team had trouble making layins and free throws, the Warriors were looking for some way to jump-start their offense.
And they found it at the 3-point line, dropping in eight long-range shots for the game, and five in a pivotal second-quarter barrage, on the way to a 72-62 victory over Lake Stevens in a clash of two Western Conference contenders.
Edmonds-Woodway trailed 17-13 after one period, but quickly took the game in hand over the next eight minutes. The Warriors surged to a 35-26 halftime lead, with 15 of their 22 points in the quarter coming from the 3-point stripe.
The visitors continued padding their margin early in the second half, leading by 14 points through three quarters and 17 points three minutes into the fourth period. The Vikings rallied in the late minutes, drawing within eight with 1½ minutes left in the game, but could come no closer.
“Lake Stevens won district last year and we didn’t,” pointed out Edmonds-Woodway coach Duane Hodges, “and we were playing on their home court after a two-week layoff. So we knew this was going to be a tough game. And I knew it was going to be really, really important for us.”
The Warriors spread their scoring between six players, with five scoring in double figures. Center Sydney Donaldson, a 6-foot-1 senior, led the way with 20 points, while forward Angela Woods added 15, forward Ashley Albertson had 12, guard Alex Kenney had 11 and guard Madeline Kasper had 10.
“We’ve played against these girls (from Lake Stevens) forever in AAU and in school ball, and we kind of have a rivalry with them,” Donaldson said. “So we were really looking forward to this game and we’re happy to get the win.”
Kenney led the perimeter barrage with three 3-pointers. Woods and Donaldson had two apiece and Kasper added one.
“With this particular group of girls, if they play loose they play well,” Hodges said. “But if I start talking to them about their shot selection, they tend to tighten up and then I’ve done a crappy job as a coach.”
As good as the Warriors were from outside, they struggled inside at times and from the free throw line most of the night. Edmonds-Woodway’s total of missed layins was well into double digits, and the Warriors were just 6-for-17 from the free throw line, including 1-for-11 until the game’s final 68 seconds.
“This year we haven’t shot a lot of free throws in practice, but I need to change my ways,” Hodges said with a chuckle.
Lake Stevens coach Randall Edens was pleased with his team’s effort, but disappointed with occasional mental lapses. Among them, leaving Edmonds-Woodway’s top shooters unguarded at times on the perimeter.
“To be honest, (defending at the 3-point line) was our No. 1 focus point because that’s what they do (well),” Edens said. “Our thought was to be aggressive and to know there are certain players that you can’t leave.
“I thought we did a decent job. But against really good teams, and Edmonds-Woodway is a really good team, you can’t have those little mistakes.”
Lake Stevens got 16 points from guard Brooke Pahukoa and 15 from guard Katie Goddard.
At Lake Stevens H.S.
E-W 13 22 20 17 — 72
Lake Stevens 17 9 15 21 — 62
Lake Stevens 17 9 15 21 _ 62
Edmonds-Woodway — Kasper 10, Nash 4, Kenney 11, Olajoyegbe 0, Albertson 12, Donaldson 20, Woods 15. Lake Stevens — Goddard 15, Puha 4, Ziskovsky 2, Warbis 10, Wilson 4, Burke 3, Molstre 7, Brittney Pahukoa 1, Brooke Pahukoa 16. 3-point goals — Kasper 1, Kenney 3, Donaldson 2, Woods 2, Goddard 3. Records — Edmonds-Woodway is 5-0 in conference, 9-3 overall. Lake Stevens is 4-2, 9-2.
