TACOMA — During its two games in the Tacoma Dome this week, the Edmonds-Woodway girls basketball team relied heavily on its five starters (Madeline Kasper, Alex Kenney, Ashley Albertson, Sydney Donaldson and Angela Woods). In the quarterfinals versus Lewis and Clark, E-W’s starters combined to play
144 minutes, an average of 28.8 minutes per player in a 32-minute game.
On Friday in their one-point loser-out defeat against Bellarmine Prep, the Warriors’ starters combined to play slightly less — 139 minutes, an average of 27.8 apiece — but all the action certainly took its toll.
“We were exhausted,” Woods said after the loser-out game. “We didn’t really play a lot of our bench so our top six players (including senior sub Amia Nash) played pretty much the whole game. I think you could see us hardly getting up the court at the end.”
Shooting in T-Dome can be a nightmare
With its cavernous atmosphere, unusual backdrops behind the hoops and pressure-packed vibe, the Tacoma Dome can be a rough venue for shooters. Here’s what Edmonds-Woodway High senior Angela Woods said on Friday, after her team’s loser-out consolation bracket loss against Bellarmine Prep.
“It’s really hard to get into a groove at state,” said Woods. “It’s really, really loud and the lights are just beaming on you. Everyone’s watching. You have better luck taking it to the hoop.”
Against Bellarmine Prep, Woods had plenty of success from inside and outside. She scored 16 points, shot 7-for-14 from the field and was 2-for-4 from 3-point range.
It was a big improvement over her shooting numbers in E-W’s quarterfinal defeat versus Lewis and Clark on Thursday. In that contest, Woods was 3-for-14 from the field (including 1-for-7 on 3s) and missed four of her six free-throw attempts.
Albertson interested in sports journalism
Edmonds-Woodway senior forward Ashley Albertson said she would like to play hoops in college, but she’s more focused on academics. That doesn’t mean she’ll turn away from athletics though: Albertson aspires to become a sports journalist. She already has some experience conducting interviews and is considering going to Bellevue College.
Woods’ college plans
Angela Woods, the Edmonds-Woodway girls basketball team’s season leading scorer and The Herald’s All-Area Player of the Year a year ago, said she wants to play in college but so far she hasn’t made a decision.
“Nothing’s official,” Woods, a senior forward, said after playing for the final time in a Warriors uniform. “Hopefully I’ll get back out there (on the court).”
Can’t watch the boys
The Glacier Peak boys basketball team has been the highlight of the tournament for Wesco fans. Unfortunately, due to scheduling conflicts their biggest fans — the Glacier Peak girls team — didn’t get to watch the boys opening-round victory over North Central Thursday.
After playing the 9 a.m. game on the girl’s side of the Tacoma Dome, it was too much to ask of the tired girls to stay up for the boys game, which didn’t tip until after 9 p.m. especially with the 6:30 a.m. wake up call looming the next day.
“They (wanted to) but after the day progressed they were exhausted,” girls coach Brian Hill said.
On the other side of the coin, the early tip for the girls consolation game against Kennedy didn’t keep the boys from supporting the girls Friday.
“I was glad to see the boys here this morning that was really great,” Hill said.
The lone upside to the girls’ loss to Kennedy was the fact that they were able to attend the boys semifinal against Bellevue, though once again it came at the end of a long day.
Lessons after the first trip
The Glacier Peak girls made their first trip to the Tacoma Dome in school history and although they went two and out, plenty of lessons were learned which should benefit the Grizzlies in the future.
“We learned a ton and the girls learned a ton,” coach Brian Hill said. “There’s so many high nerves the first time you step on the floor … Once you settle in, it’s just basketball, though the stage is definitely higher.”
Junior point guard Katie Hawkins admitted it was tough to adjust at first but she and the rest of the underclassmen will take the lesson learned and apply it to next year.
“I will remember it for the rest of my life,” Hawkins said. “Just playing there with the lights … it’s the most unbelievable feeling.”
Senior Becca Smith, who played her final game Friday, believes that the experience is going to lift next year’s Glacier Peak squad to similar heights.
“They’ll be good.” Smith said. “They only lose the two seniors, so they’ll be a team to watch out for still.”
Big rebounds
The Lake Stevens girls lose six seniors from a very experienced squad, but one player that coach Randy Edens is sure to be happy to see come back next season is Abby Molstre. The junior forward had a game-high 10 rebounds in a first-round game against Chiawana, then pulled down seven in the Vikings’ win over Mt. Rainier. Senior forward Megan Warbis was second on the team with 14 boards during the two games.
Pink Flag
Glacier Peak point guard Katie Hawkins suffered a minor bicep injury Thursday. Hawkins said it started to hurt about an hour after the loss to Kamiakin and that it likely happened when she fell backwards and strained her right arm.
As a result of the injury the Grizzlies training staff decided to tape her shoulder and upper bicep with strips of athletic muscle supporting tape. It was similar to the kind that USA beach volleyball player Kerri Walsh made famous during the 2008 Olympics.
There one major difference?
Hawkins’ tape was pink.
As the junior played the tape came unstuck from time to time and flapped in the breeze created by her drives to the basket.
“I don’t think it did anything,” Hawkins laughed.
Anything other than create a flying pink flag that followed her around the court.
Power of positive thinking
Prior to Friday’s game, reserve guard Mahea Puha wasn’t asked to score much for Lake Stevens. Trailing 8-2 in the early going, the Vikings needed someone to step up and Puha decided from the sideline that it would be her.
It didn’t matter that the team didn’t count on her this season for much more than some energy off the bench, ball handling and an occasional 3-pointer.
“I’m going to be in this game and I’m going to make a difference in it and I’m going to help my team,” Puha remembered thinking.
Four baskets later, Lake Stevens had tied the score at 11-11 and it would have been 12-11 if a few of her toes hadn’t crept over the 3-point line on one of her makes.
“I just went on the court and decided to play as hard as I could,” she said. “I just really didn’t want to go home.”
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