Edmonds-Woodway falls to Kamiakin, 56-54
Published 10:39 pm Thursday, March 3, 2016
TACOMA — When the Edmonds-Woodway girls basketball team looks back on its 3A state quarterfinal game against Kamiakin, it will have fond memories of the way it played for the final three quarters.
The first quarter the Warriors would like to forget.
The Warriors gave up a 17-0 run and trailed 26-6 at the end of the opening period. They trailed by as many as 23 points in the second quarter before mounting a furious rally that ended with a 56-54 loss.
“It’s definitely a tough one because we so had it,” Edmonds-Woodway coach Rebekah Wells said after the game. “I think we just weren’t as focused as they were to start. You spot a team 19 or 20 points … and it’s really hard to come back and to keep that momentum.”
With Kamiakin up big, the game appeared to be a blowout.
“That’s one of the better starts we’ve had, so it was nice to have it happen at the state tournament because, as you saw, we needed every one of those early points to escape with the win,” Braves coach Lane Schumacher said.
The Braves were led by their three freshman starters, post Symone Brown, guard Alexa Hazel and guard Oumou Toure, who scored 34 of Kamiakin’s 56 points. Toure led the way with 22.
The Braves led 31-8 in the second quarter when the Warriors launched a comeback. E-W used two separate 7-0 runs to get to within 11 by halftime at 33-22.
The Warriors kept it going in the third quarter, outscoring the Braves 16-7 to trail 40-38 going into the final quarter.
“The comeback was great,” Wells said. “I think a lot of it was getting points from a lot of different girls and not just Missy (Peterson) or Mady (Burdett), which is huge. We had girls coming off the bench that scored plenty for us tonight.”
The Warriors tied the game on a driving layup by freshman guard Adrienne Poling with 54 seconds remaining in the third quarter. Poling was a catalyst in the Warriors’ comeback, finishing the game with a team-high 12 points.
Burdett, who shot just 3-for-12 in the game, also played a role in the Warriors’ rally. After shooting 0-for-6 in the first half, Burdett made her first bucket of the game with 5:09 to play in the third quarter on a driving layup. She was fouled on the play and converted the free throw to bring her team within seven.
“That’s frustrating when you’re the one singled out or they put their best defender on you,” Wells said. “She was able to make her own shot — I don’t know how many people could do that going around three different people. She just needs to make one. You get one and she’s on a roll.”
Moments after the three-point play, Burdett made her first 3-pointer of the game to pull the Warriors within four. Her only other 3-pointer in the game, which she made with 3:36 to play in the fourth quarter, gave the Warriors their first lead of the contest.
The Warriors had two chances to tie the game in the final seconds, but came up short both times.
In the end, the Warriors were left to wonder what might have been.
“They (the Warriors) were definitely frustrated just in terms of knowing it was so close and the things that we could have done sooner in the first quarter,” Wells said. “I think they were just reflecting on what didn’t happen and what could’ve happened, but ultimately we’ve got to move forward and move on.”
Kamiakin 56, Edmonds-Woodway 54
Ed.-Woodway 6 16 16 16 —54
Kamiakin 26 7 7 16 —56
Edmonds-Woodway—Ally Burdett 0, Mady Burdett 9, Marivel Ortega 7, Maddie Tudor 9, Missy Peterson 11, Ingrid Fosberg 2, Adrienne Poling 12, Courtney Simpson 4. Kamiakin—Symone Brown 6, Kiley Larsen 9, Kendyl Holle 3, Alexa Hazel 6, Oumou Toure 22, Rylie Clark 4, Chanceler Williams 2, Jayden Williams 4. Records—Edmonds-Woodway 16-11. Kamiakin 15-10.
