MOUNTLAKE TERRACE — Coach Jon Rasmussen doesn’t mask Edmonds-Woodway’s penchant for launching 3-pointers. With the long-range sharpshooters filling out the Warriors’ roster, there’s no reason to.
“I am pretty care free and let them go to a certain extent,” Rasmussen said. “We aren’t shy shooting the 3. We are almost averaging 33 3-point attempts a game.”
That’s a triple every minute of a 32-minute prep contest.
But, when shots are falling, Rasmussen would be foolish to call off the aerial barrage.
The Warriors a week ago hit 16 3s against Kamiak. Against Union, in what was the first of a tough five-game stretch, Edmonds-Woodway hit 10 and earned a 52-42 non-league win during the 2017 Holiday Girls Basketball Showcase on Wednesday night at Mountlake Terrace High School.
The win extended the Warriors’ win streak to eight games, and with the exception of an early-season loss to Juanita, Edmonds-Woodway (9-1, 2-0 Wesco 3A) was presented its biggest test of the season. All eight of its previous wins have been by a margin of 15 or more points.
“We kind of came out sluggish in the first half,” Rasmussen said. “We haven’t been challenged a lot in the first half, and I think we got anxious. Our shots weren’t falling, and we kind of live and die on 3-pointers.”
The Warriors trailed 20-15 at half. They hit three 3s and had one 2-point field goal. But eventually, Edmonds-Woodway’s 3-point persistence paid off.
Adrienne Poling scored 11 of her game-high 19 points during the second half and hit the second of two third-quarter triples to give the Warriors a 26-25 lead with 3:15 to play in the period.
Brooke Kearney and Mia Dickenson added third-quarter 3s and helped Edmonds-Woodway build a 36-29 lead entering the fourth quarter.
“We talked about it at half,” Rasmussen said. “I said, ‘Relax, the shots will come.’ We came out, played more relaxed, hit some early 3s and took the lead. I don’t think we ever gave it up.”
The Warriors’ Ingrid Fosberg added 11 points and Maddie McMahon chipped in seven while recording a team-high nine rebounds.
A triple by Poling followed by another 3 from Fosberg pushed Edmonds-Woodway’s lead to 42-31 with 7:05 to play in the fourth. Consecutive 3s from Union cut the deficit to 42-37 with 5:05 to go, but buckets from McMahon and Kearney put the Warriors on top 46-37 with 3:55 left. A 3-pointer from McMahon with 3:15 remaining gave Edmonds-Woodway a 49-39 lead and all but sealed the game.
Even more impressive about the Warriors’ 9-1 start is they’ve been able to quickly regroup after graduating star Missy Peterson, who now plays for the University of Washington.
“I think we are just playing so well as a team,” Rasmussen said. “Even when our shots aren’t falling, we are playing such good defense. We have no seniors. I think it’s just the teamwork. The team is working well together.”
The Warriors get a huge test after the new year when they host Stanwood next Wednesday.
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