Edmonds-Woodway girls beat Auburn Riverside, punch ticket to Tacoma

Published 10:10 pm Friday, February 26, 2016

PUYALLUP — In every basketball game there is almost always a moment to look back on where momentum swung in favor of the victorious team.

Edmonds-Woodway’s Missy Peterson delivered that moment in Friday’s 3A state regional game against Auburn Riverside when she nailed a 30-footer at the end of the third quarter to give her team a four-point lead. The shot started a 10-2 run for the Warriors, who went on to win 58-48 and advance to next week’s state quarterfinals at the Tacoma Dome.

“In the first half I was a little off with my outside shots, but that happens to everyone,” Peterson said. “When I hit that three it was definitely a confidence booster. I was like, ‘OK, here it is. It’s coming back to you. You and your team finish this game.’”

Peterson scored 12 points in the second quarter, including a layup at the buzzer that gave the Warriors a 24-22 lead at halftime, and 11 points in the third quarter. She finished the game with a career-high 33 points.

“Missy, she’s put in a lot of effort these past few games,” senior guard Mady Burdett said. “I know I need to step up too to help her out. She can’t put the team on her back, but she’s been doing it and she’s been doing such a great job. I really love playing with her.”

Peterson, who stands 5-foot-10, is the second tallest player on the Edmonds-Woodway roster, but head coach Rebekah Wells moved her to point guard prior to the start of the season. Having the ball in her hands more has not only benefitted the junior, but also the Warriors.

“She knows we need her and she’s finding ways to do it even though we switched her position this year,” Wells said. “She’s getting it done.”

It was the Warriors’ fourth consecutive victory in a loser-out game. They won three straight games after losing to Lynnwood in the first round of the district tournament to advance to regionals. On Friday, they defeated an Auburn Riverside team that won its first 23 games of the season before losing two straight to end its season.

The Ravens’ 23-1 record never bothered the Warriors, who have played three games against the undefeated and No. 1-ranked Royals already this season.

“We don’t let that get to us,” Burdett said. “We know our game. We know what people label us. We like to call ourselves the underdogs. We kind of like it. We don’t settle, we just keep on pushing.”

Burdett added 15 points.

Just as important as the 48 points Peterson and Burdett combined for was the defensive effort of the Warriors. Edmonds-Woodway held the Ravens to just 22 first-half points. Junior guard McKenzi Williams, who averages more than 16 points per game, didn’t score at all in the first half. She finished with 11 points, but the Ravens were playing from behind most of the final two quarters.

Williams injured her hamstring in last Saturday’s loss to Lincoln and seemed bothered by the injury for much of the game.

Wells had identified Williams, along with junior guard Olivia Denton and junior post Faith Turner, as the players to focus on defensively.

The plan worked to perfection.

“I think we did a great job (defensively),” Wells said. “We made No. 4 (Autumn Lee) shoot and that’s what we wanted. She didn’t make her shots. Sometimes the game plan works and sometimes it doesn’t — it worked for us.”

With the Warriors leading by 10 in the final seconds, the Ravens elected not to foul and the Warriors started to celebrate.

There were plenty of smiles, but also some tears of joy for one very excited senior.

“This was the game I just didn’t want to lose,” Burdett said. “When it got to 12 seconds I looked at (Peterson) and I just knew. I literally got the chills.

“It was just very emotional.”

Aaron Lommers covers prep sports for The Herald. Follow him on Twitter at @aaronlommers and contact him at alommers@heraldnet.com.

At Puyallup H.S.

Ed.-Woodway 9 15 18 16 —58

A. Riverside 11 11 16 10 —48

Edmonds-Woodway—Ally Burdett 0, Mady Burdett 15, Marivel Ortega 4, Maddie Tudor 4, Adrienne Poling 0, Courtney Simpson 2, Missy Peterson 33. Auburn Riverside—Taylor Smith 7, Brooke Dye 0, Autumn Lee 3, Olivia Denton 11, Katelyn Brown 0, Iyana Galarza 3, McKenzi Williams 12, Jhordin Prescott 0, Kiana Drumheller 2, Olivia Bethea 0, Faith Turner 10. Records—Edmonds-Woodway 16-10. Auburn Riverside 23-2.