EDMONDS — One down, two to go.
Before this week started Arlington head coach Joe Marsh geared his team up for a brutal stretch though the Wesco South, including Wednesday night’s game at Edmonds-Woodway. Behind strong play by Krista Showalter and Lindsay Brown, the Eagles got off to a great start, beating the Warriors 50-40 at Edmonds-Woodway H.S.
“I told them: This is what we’ve been working for and this is where we find out how good we are in this stretch going towards the end of the season,” said Marsh, who will guide his team against 4A South co-leaders Jackson Friday night and Lynnwood on Wednesday. “We’re looking forward to it. We’ve got a good challenge ahead of us and good teams to play but this is a nice win for us on the road.”
After Edmonds-Woodway roared back into the game with four 3-pointers to outscore Arlington 17-10 in the second quarter and take a four-point halftime lead, Arlington buckled down after halftime. Behind a ferocious defense and tenacious play inside, the Eagles scored the first 11 points of the second half and didn’t allow E-W to scored until midway through the third quarter.
“We talked about that at halftime, coming out in the second half with more intensity and more energy on the defensive end,” Marsh said. “We said the game was going to be won on the defensive end tonight and rebounding and we did a much better job in the second half of taking care of that.”
Brown was especially disruptive inside after halftime, grabbing seven rebounds and scoring four points in the third quarter to help Arlington build a lead they wouldn’t give up. Brown finished with 12 points and 15 rebounds despite fouling out with 2:17 left in the game.
“When (Lindsay) plays like that she’s one of the best players in the league,” Marsh said. “She’s one of the best rebounders I’ve ever coached. She has a knack for going and getting balls and she does it over and over and over again, and tonight she came to play.”
Showalter, who missed a pair of games last week due to illness, returned to fine form for Arlington. The senior guard scored 16 points, including nine in the first half, and ran the Eagles offense like a certain Seahawks quarterback.
“That’s the Krista Showalter that I rely on and this team relies on,” Marsh said. “She just manages the game and puts the ball in the right spots. When the ball is in her hands we relax and let her take care of business.”
Edmonds-Woodway was led by sophomore Natalie Kasper, who scored 18 points and scored 11 of her team’s 17 points in the second half to keep the Warriors in the game.
The game was stopped briefly in the second quarter when Edmonds-Woodway’s Moni Jackson hit her head on the floor after bring fouled on a drive to the hoop. After being attended to on the floor for a few minutes, Jackson got up and walked off on her own power. She didn’t return to the game.
At Edmonds-Woodway H.S.
Arlington9101516—50
Edmonds-Woodway617710—40
Arlington—Taylor Graham 10, Veronica Ladines 5, Lindsay Brown 12, Krista Showalter 16, Emma Janousek 3, Jessica Ludwig 1, Winter Brown 0, Jayla Russ 3. Edmonds-Woodway—Kate Wooley 5, Cassady Orstad, Mady Burdett 3, Sidney Eck 8, LaNisha Gomez, Natalie Kasper 18, Maddy Nealey 0, Claire Fyfe 3, Moni Jackson 0, Seyi Olajoyegbe 3, Lea Bakken 0. 3-point goals—Graham 2, Janousek, Wooley, Burdett, Kasper 2, Fyfe. Records—Arlington 8-0 league, 13-0 overall. Edmonds-Woodway 5-3, 8-5.
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