STANWOOD — In the game’s opening minutes, a 12-0 scoring burst gave the Stanwood girls basketball team a big early lead against visiting Marysville Getchell.
Another 12-0 Stanwood run to start the second half broke the game wide open.
The young Spartans — six sophomores and a freshman played against the Chargers — were very good in other stretches, but those two scoring strings were the big difference in a 68-41 Wesco 3A North victory over Marysville Getchell on Wednesday night.
The outcome leaves both teams 3-1 in the 3A North, a game behind league-leading Arlington.
Sophomore forward Ashley Alter led the way for Stanwood, scoring 21 points on 10-for-15 shooting from the field with a 3-pointer. Indeed, it was Alter who jump-started the Spartan offense at the game’s outset, scoring her team’s first three baskets with layins to give Stanwood a lead it never lost.
Then, six seconds into the third period Alter dropped in her 3-pointer from the right baseline, sparking the team’s second 12-point flurry. In that burst the Spartans got two 3-pointers, an offensive putback and four free throws, all in less than 90 seconds, to turn a 29-15 halftime margin into a 41-15 lead. From there the final outcome was never in question.
“(Alter) is getting her little jump shot down,” said Stanwood coach Dennis Kloke. Against the Chargers, he went on, “(everyone) saw the scoring, but I saw the defense. She’d been getting beat repetitively on the baseline, be it (man-to-man defense) or be it zone, but not once tonight. And from a coaching standpoint that’s big because I know she can score.”
But if Alter had the scoring touch against the Chargers, it was forward Haley Strowbridge who gave the team a verbal lift. Strowbridge, one of two Spartan seniors, spoke up in the halftime locker room, urging her teammates not to let up in the second half.
“Honestly, coaches can motivate and inspire, but it actually takes a leader on the court to complete the whole thing,” Kloke said. “The kids really respect Haley. She is really a competitor and she can verbalize. When you can talk the walk it means a lot more, and that’s where Haley is.”
Wednesday’s game was the first for Stanwood since a 68-50 loss to Arlington on Friday night, and Kloke was curious to see how his players would respond. He had no need to worry, though, as Stanwood allowed the Chargers only one lead at 2-0. Alter finished the first period with eight points, Strowbridge had five and guard Kylie Wright scored with a jump shot at the buzzer as the Spartans seized an 18-5 lead.
Stanwood’s best period was the third with junior Ashley Bierer scoring six points, and the trio of Alter, Strowbridge and sophomore Jillian Heichel each scoring five points.
Marysville Getchell was led by the 13 points of junior guard Gabrielle Grandbois, with junior post Carley Wika chipping in 10 points.
At Stanwood H.S.
M. Getchell 5 10 16 10 —41
Stanwood 18 11 25 14 —68
Marysville Getchell—Jadyn Noriega 0, Maguire Rossnagle 4, Carley Wika 10, Gabrielle Grandbois 13, Mikail Montez 9, Kiarra Green 4, Oshinaye Taylor 1. Stanwood—Kayla Frazier 2, Kylie Wright 5, Espy Sanchez 0, Anna DePew 2, Jillian Heichel 9, Haley Strowbridge 10, Kaitlin Larson 9, Madison Chisman 4, Ashley Bierer 6, Ashley Alter 21. Records—Marysville Getchell 3-1 league, 9-5 overall. Stanwood 3-1, 9-4.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
