Edmonds-Woodway girls win in OT, head to T-Dome
Published 3:24 pm Saturday, February 26, 2011
MILL CREEK — It’s been a long but rewarding trek for the Warriors.
The determined Edmonds-Woodway Warriors have made a habit out of winning pressure-packed, loser-out games. Thanks to its latest triumph, E-W completed the long road back to the Tacoma Dome.
Sparked by point guard
Madeline Kasper’s scoring eruption late in regulation, including a layin that forced overtime, the Edmonds-Woodway High School girls basketball team outlasted the Kentwood Conquerors 53-48 in overtime on Saturday at Jackson High. By winning the loser-out contest, E-W (24-4) advanced to play Lewis & Clark at 9 p.m. Thursday in the 4A state quarterfinals at the Tacoma Dome.
Lewis & Clark beat Chiawana 55-53 on Friday in Richland.
Besides Kasper, who scored 15 points and didn’t commit a single turnover in 30 minutes of action, E-W’s double-digit scorers were senior forward Ashley Albertson (13 points, 12 rebounds, two blocks) and senior forward Sydney Donaldson (10 points, eight boards, three assists).
The Warriors, who led 36-27 early in the fourth quarter but fell behind 44-41, have won six straight loser-out playoff games since they suffered a defeat against Marysville-Pilchuck in a first-round District 1 tournament contest.
“We were a little worried because we had to win six more (to get to Tacoma) but we said we were going to take the scenic route to state, and it feels so much better,” said Kasper, a 5-foot-5 junior.
The loss versus M-P turned out to be a great motivator for the Warriors, ranked 4A No. 9 by the Tacoma News Tribune.
“It focused us,” E-W coach Duane Hodges said, “on working harder and not being complacent.”
Senior guard Kylie Huerta scored a game-high 18 points and tallied seven assists for Kentwood (19-8). Huerta, who made four 3s, scored 10th-ranked Kentwood’s final seven points of regulation, including a tough driving bank shot that put the Conquerors on top 46-44 with 7.6 seconds remaining.
After a timeout, with 7.4 seconds to go, Kasper took the inbounds pass and weaved her way to the opposite end of the court. She zipped toward the rim and banked in a left-handed shot just before the buzzer blared.
It forced overtime, during which E-W outscored Kentwood 7-2. Senior guard Alex Kenney scored five points — a 3-pointer and two free throws — in the game, all in OT.
Kasper’s clutch plays helped E-W get to that point. In the final 2 minutes, 31 seconds of the fourth quarter she swished two 3s and made the coast-to-coast runner that beat the buzzer and made it 46-46.
“For just a sweet-looking girl, she’s an incredibly tenacious competitor,” Hodges said.
Asked about her layin that forced OT, Kasper said coach Hodges “said I was going to go off a screen. He said, ‘Just create and try to get to the rim and force the refs to make a call or finish it,’ so I did. I just tried to get to the rim because there was not a lot of time left.”
After navigating the length of the court, the right-handed Kasper smoothly released the ball with her left hand. Her basket ignited Warriors’ fans, who exploded with loud cheers. Then they kept on cheering in OT as E-W completed yet another loser-out triumph.
At Jackson H.S.
Edmonds-Woodway 18 4 9 15 7 — 53
Kentwood 10 2 15 19 2 — 48
Edmonds-Woodway: Kasper 15, Eck 2, Nash, Kenney 5, Albertson 13, Donaldson 10, Woods 8. Kentwood: J. Johnson 2, Huerta 18, Wynne, Rankin 5, Ashley, C. Johnson 15, Mills 8. 3-point goals-Kasper 3, Kenney 1, Woods 1, Huerta 4, Rankin 1, C. Johnson 1. Records-Edmonds-Woodway 24-4. Kentwood 19-8.
Mike Cane: mcane@heraldnet.com. Check out the prep sports blog Double Team at cmg-northwest2.go-vip.net/heraldnet/doubleteam and follow Cane on Twitter at MikeCaneHerald.
