4A STATE GIRLS NOTEBOOK: Early hour no problem for Lake Stevens

Published 11:48 pm Wednesday, March 3, 2010

TACOMA — Waking early is no problem for the Lake Stevens girls basketball team

It was successful in its 9 a.m. tournament-opening game two years ago (a 67-43 win over Mount Tahoma), so why should this year be any different?

The Vikings return four players (Stephanie Schumacher, Corrine Burke, Kayla Bostwick and Meghan Warbis) from that 2008 team. Even without leading-rebounder Warbis, a junior out with an ankle injury, the Vikings were able to fend off Rogers (Puyallup) in another 9 a.m. game this year.

“Half of our kids were in that game (in 2008) and so they know what it’s all about,” Lake Stevens head coach Randall Edens said. “We look at that (early game) as a positive because we’re not sitting around all day waiting for our game to come up, it’s — you get up and let’s go — and now it’s done and we get to enjoy the day. We can come back … watch the boys and give it a shot tomorrow, we’ll see what happens.”

Nerves? What nerves?

Brooke Pahukoa, a Lake Stevens freshman guard, made her first 4A state tournament appearance a memorable one with a team-high 12 points for the Vikings in a first-round win. The freshman said she wasn’t really nervous at all before the game against Rogers (Puyallup).

“It’s exciting,” Pahukoa said of her first Tacoma Dome experience. “I love all the chaos and all the screaming. All the girls get so excited on the (Lake Stevens) bench. We’re cheering them on constantly and our coach has to remind us to sit down so we don’t get a technical.”

Young team gains experience

Edmonds-Woodway’s girls team is making its first appearance at the state basketball tournament since the 1992-93 season. That is, before several players on this year’s team were born.

In addition to no state tourney experience, the Warriors are young with five juniors and one sophomore among the team’s top six players. Edmonds-Woodway has no seniors on its roster.

The Warriors drew a tough matchup in their opener — top-ranked and undefeated Auburn Riverside. Edmonds-Woodway gave the Ravens a run for one half, but in the second half Auburn Riverside pulled away for a 51-39 victory.

The loss drops the Warriors into the loser’s bracket, where they will face Federal Way in a loser-out game this morning.

Sometimes teams lose once at state and then give a dispirited effort in their second game, but Edmonds-Woodway coach Duane Hodges expects his players to give a good effort today.

We’ll be fine,” he said. “We have some real gamers.”