LYNNWOOD — Meadowdale’s Julia Fjortoft capped a busy Wednesday with a bit of an exclamation point.
The senior guard for the Mavericks girls basketball team signed an NCAA letter of intent to play soccer at Gonzaga in the morning and at night she bombed Shorecrest from long range on the hardwood, sparking Meadowdale to a 66-46 Wesco South victory.
Fjortoft had 13 points, all but one on 3-point baskets, to go with five rebounds and five steals. She played motivated because she missed the Mavs 53-46 loss to Shorecrest on Jan. 6 with a knee injury.
“It was really frustrating to watch from the sideline (in the first game),” Fjortoft said, “which was another reason why I really wanted to win this game.”
During the first half it looked like the Scots, who until last month hadn’t beaten the Mavs since the late 1980s, might be able to summon a repeat performance.
Shorecrest took a 28-27 lead with a minute to go in the half thanks to a Rachel Schrote layin, but they would never lead again.
The Mavs came out of the break leading 29-28, and proceeded to score their next six buckets in transition to take a 10-point lead that would never get closer than seven. Shorecrest coach Ed Wissing tried to stop the bleeding with timeouts but the Mavs ran away and hid in the fourth quarter.
“I gotta give them credit for the adjustments that they made (since the teams’ first meeting),” Wissing said. “Little wrinkles both in the way that they attacked our pressure and executed theirs frustrated us.”
The biggest beneficiary of the pressure for the Mavs was Margreet Barhoum. The Sophomore guard was cold from the floor initially but collected fast-break points in bunches. Her six transition baskets led to a game- and career–high 22 points.
“I knew my shots weren’t dropping,” Barhoum said. “We did a good job looking up the floor and we had so many fast breaks.”
Fjortoft was open from beyond the arc in part because of the transition opportunities. She connected on the game’s first field goal with a 3- pointer from the corner. The senior guard had three long-range connections in the first half, each coming when the Scots inched close.
“These past few games have been the most I’ve shot (3s) all season,” Fjortoft said. “Shooting the 3 definitely opens up for the drive for me.”
Meadowdale opened up a 6-1 lead before the Scots Janie Uppinghouse hit a 3 2:37 into the game. Uppinghouse led the Scots with 16 points. The Scots raced back to tie at the end of the first quarter and stayed even in the second before the wheels came off in the third.
“Their defense is a tough nut to crack there is no two ways about it,” Wissing said. “We really weren’t trying the things that we game planned and I think there is a lesson to be taken from that.”
The win means the Mavs (10-5 league, 11-6) still have a chance at the Wesco’s No. 1 3A seed heading into the playoffs, which, until last night, was owned by the Scots, who now have an identical record.
“Our coaches were just as excited maybe more excited than us to get them back,” Barhoum said. “We’ve been looking forward to this game for a long time. It was a shock to beat them by 20. They played good but we played our best.”
Meadowdale plays Jackson Friday night on senior night at home, while the Scots try to rebound against Mountlake Terrace.
At Meadowdale H.S.
Shorecrest1315117—46
Meadowdale15141819—66
Shorecrest—Axelson 5, Schrote 4, Jarvis 3, Schachle 4, Lasconia 2, Greenburg 2, Tulee 6, Uppinghouse 16, Matheson 4. Meadowdale—Hatch 0, J. Fjortoft 13, Barhoun 22, Landa 2, Rickel 0, Engstrom 0, Beyer 9, O’Neil 8, Horn 5, Roberts 2, S. Fjortoft 5. 3-point goals—J. Fjortoft 4, Uppinghouse 3, S. Fjortoft 1, Barhoun 1, Axleson 1. Records—Shorecrest 10-5 league, 11-6 overall. Meadowdale 10-5, 11-6.
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