ARLINGTON — The logjam at the top of the Western Conference North Division has cleared up, but only until Friday.
The Arlington girls basketball team made several clutch shots in the waning minutes of the fourth quarter to pull away for a 48-39 conference victory over Oak Harbor on Wednesday night at Arlington High School.
Alisha Murrin hit a left-handed layup in the lane and senior leader Kyra Prause nailed a mid-range runner with 1:32 left in the fourth period to give the Eagles a 42-38 lead. Both shots fell with one second remaining on the shot clock.
Prior to Murrin and Prause’s shots, Arlington’s 5-foot-11 junior post Ginny Wilson tied the score at 38-38 with a smooth turnaround jumper. Wilson finished with four points and eight rebounds, including four big rebounds in the last two minutes of the game.
The Eagles’ offense woke up in the last few minutes of the fourth, but it was their defense that kept the game close throughout.
“I think defensively we played outstanding,” Arlington head coach Nathan Davis said.
A tight man-to-man defense stifled Oak Harbor shooters, including Jessica Denmon and Nicole Mowbray. Denmon finished with six points and Mowbray with five.
“(Kyra) Prause did a great job on Denmon,” Davis said.
Kandace Evans, a 5-foot-5 junior guard, came off the bench to replace Eagles’ starter Sheryl Scheppele, who got in early foul trouble. Evans hit a big 3-pointer with 2:35 remaining in the third quarter to swing the momentum in Arlington’s favor — the Eagles trailed 29-26 at that point.
“Evans came off the bench and did a great job defending Cheyenne Tubo,” Evans said. “We needed someone small and quick … that 3-pointer was a huge momentum shift.”
With Denmon and Mowbray struggling, Tubo stepped into the lead role. Tubo hit some high-arching 3-pointers and pushed the ball for the Wildcats.
“She (Tubo) knew that she had to step up and be a leader,” Oak Harbor acting head coach Fred Burleson said.
Tubo scored a game-high 14 points and dished out a couple flashy assists in the key.
Both teams are still in the hunt for second place in the Wesco North division. Snohomish has all but locked up first place and Arlington, Oak Harbor and Monroe are battling for the final three seeds.
“Second place is still a reality for us,” Burleson said.
Arlington has sole possession of second place for the time being.
“Its one at a time, we’ve said that from the get go,” Davis said. “We still have a tough road. You’re second until you play again.”
Arlington’s Prause finished with a team-high 13 points and Quinn Kesselring had a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds.
The game featured 10 lead changes and a number of ties which could very well turn out to be indicative of the remainder of the girls Wesco North season.
At Arlington HS
Oak Harbor81410 7—39
Arlington9111216—48
Oak Harbor — Tubo 14, Mowbray 6, Henricksen 0, Denmon 5, Abadesco 2, Fisken 2, Jansen 10, Earnhardt 0. Arlington — Prause 13, Scheppele 3, Evans 7, Kesselring 12, Murrin 7, Weber 0, Daggett 0, Schmuck 0, Wilson 4, Ferro 2. 3-pointers — Scheppele 1, Prause 1, Evans 1, Tubo 3, Denmon 1. Records — Oak Harbor 8-5 league, 11-6 overall. Arlington 9-4, 12-5.
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