Edmonds-Woodway wins

Published 10:51 pm Friday, January 14, 2011

EDMONDS — When everyone ganged up on Alex Kenney, she finally gave in. It was time, she reluctantly decided, to stop being so darn unselfish.

Usually more likely to set up a teammate’s shot than to attempt her own, Kenney has been more aggressive lately on offense. Her new mindset keeps paying off for the Edmonds-Woodway High School girls basketball team.

Kenney, a senior guard, scored 13 of her 15 points in the second half and helped E-W drill the Stanwood Spartans 66-44 on Friday in a Western Conference 4A crossover game.

For the second straight game, Kenney set a season high in points.

“I kind of think pass first, shoot second,” said Kenney, a fourth-year varsity team starter. “But (recently) my coaches, my teammates, my friends, my family — everyone ganged up on me. I was like, ‘Alright, alright! I’ll shoot a little bit more.’”

Kenney, who was averaging less than six points per game when the week began, scored seven in the third quarter on Friday. She helped South Division-leading E-W (9-0 in league, 13-3 overall) turn a 17-point halftime lead into a 48-22 advantage 5 minutes into the second half.

“For some reason, people don’t think they have to guard her, but what a huge mistake,” E-W coach Duane Hodges said of Kenney, who scored 14 and made four 3-point shots in the Warriors’ win over Arlington on Wednesday.

Kenney made only one 3 against Stanwood (6-3 Wesco 4A, 10-4), but two of her teammates — junior guard Madeline Kasper and senior forward Angela Woods — sunk three apiece. Kasper’s final 3 of the night was a swish from the middle, several feet behind the line.

It was huge because Stanwood, using aggressive full-court defense, had just scored nine straight points to start the fourth quarter and sliced the deficit to 50-38. Just when it seemed the Spartans of the North Division might make it interesting, Kasper’s long bomb helped E-W regain control.

The 5-foot-5 Kasper, who finished with nine points, is known for her outstanding outside shooting.

“She has tremendous range for a small girl,” Hodges said. “Most people that small can’t even get the ball close to the rim, but she can shoot effectively from about 26, 27 feet.”

Kasper was also a key piece of E-W’s defensive effort that constantly frustrated Stanwood and helped force more than 20 turnovers.

Woods (17 points) was E-W’s top scorer, while senior forward/center Sydney Donaldson tallied 10 points. Although she scored just three points — six below her average — senior forward/center Ashley Albertson contributed in other ways: seven rebounds, six assists, four steals.

“She’s an all-around amazing player,” said Kenney. “Even if she’s not getting her points that night, she’s going to do all the little things.”

Ranked No. 8 in 4A by the Tacoma News Tribune, E-W forced a fast tempo and focused on blocking out to negate Stanwood’s height advantage. Even so, 6-3 sophomore Rachel Swartz scored 17 points and blocked several shots for the Spartans.

“I expected (the score) to be a little closer,” said Hodges, “but we thought we had a pretty good game plan for them. They’re well-coached and they have good size.”

By the end of the first half, E-W had a 17-point lead. Woods drilled a 3-pointer — her second of the game — just before time ran out in the second quarter and gave the Warriors a 35-18 edge. She led all players with 10 points in the first half, including eight in the second quarter.

Woods’ buzzer-beating basket was set up by a nice assist from (who else) Kenney.

E-W, which has won six straight games, has a home league game against Snohomish on Wednesday. That same day, Stanwood, which saw its win streak end at six, has a home league game against Kamiak.

At Edmonds-Woodway H.S.

Stanwood 5 13 11 15 — 44

Edmonds-Woodway 13 22 15 16 — 66

Stanwood: Lucero 5, Bingham 2, Murphy 1, Kelleigh 7, Swartz 17, Heckman 5, Borseth 4, Titus 3, Palmer, Allison, Jacobs. Edmonds-Woodway: Kasper 9, Kenney 15, Albertson 3, Donaldson 10, Woods 17, Nash 2, Olajoyegbe 4, Eck 6, Tuuamalemalo, Marenah. 3-point goals-Lucero 1, Kelleigh 1, Swartz 1, Titus 1, Kasper 3, Woods 3, Kenney 1. Records-Stanwood 6-3 in league, 10-4 overall. Edmonds-Woodway 9-0, 13-3.