MUKILTEO — Before her final basketball season at Kamiak High School began, senior Kelsey Patrick had a magic number in her head: 20.
That’s how many points Patrick, a versatile Pepperdine University-bound guard, said she wanted to average each game. Her goal wasn’t unrealistic, considering the smooth-shooting 6-footer averaged nearly 17 points as a junior.
But when Kamiak lost its first two games (against solid foes Archbishop Murphy and Meadowdale) and was inconsistent en route to a 6-5 record by mid-January, it was clear something had to change.
“Everybody had high expectations for us when we started the season,” Kamiak head coach Jody Schauer said last week. “We got off to a little bit of a slow start and everyone was trying to find their role on the team. I think Kelsey was in that same mode — she was trying to find where she fit with the team too.”
Frequently Kamiak players deferred to Patrick and expected her to steer the team to victory, said Schauer. “For us to be successful we couldn’t play that way,” he said.
“I came into the season having goals for myself but obviously we were losing and it wasn’t working out,” Patrick said. “We had to figure out what would work.”
It all started to click when Patrick, a gifted passer who often gets double-teamed, learned to trust her teammates more. As the other Knights proved they could finish scoring opportunities, their confidence grew and Patrick realized she didn’t need to carry such a heavy scoring load.
“We need each other to do this,” said Patrick, “and winning is the best stat.”
From Jan. 19 through Feb. 10 Kamiak won eight consecutive games and reasserted itself as one of the best teams in the Western Conference South Division. The Knights (14-6 overall) are the South No. 3 seed in the Class 4A District 1 tournament. They play a first-round game at Arlington (14-6) 7:30 p.m. Wednesday. The top three teams in the eight-team tourney advance to the state championships.
The other first-round district pairings are Cascade (10-11) at Snohomish (18-2), Marysville-Pilchuck (14-6) at Edmonds-Woodway (16-4) and Oak Harbor (13-7) at Jackson (17-3). Jackson beat Kamiak last week in the teams’ last regular-season game, ending the Knight’s lengthy victory streak.
Kamiak has only been to state once (2002). The Knights have enough talent to go back, said Patrick, who averages 15.8 points, 8.6 rebounds and 2.8 assists.
“State, to me, is like the promised land,” she said. “I really want to go.”
For Kamiak to get there, Patrick certainly must play a central role. Her versatility makes it tough to defend her because she can post up smaller players or drive to the basket against bigger girls. Patrick’s long-range touch is stellar. She is Kamiak’s single-season and career record-holder in 3-point baskets.
Patrick’s defensive contributions are valuable too. She averages 3.6 steals, 1.2 blocks and four pass deflections per game.
“I love playing with Kelsey. On defense she always gets a lot of deflections and she’s a really good passer,” said senior Samantha Sovich, Kamiak’s energetic point guard.
Patrick and Sovich (7.1 points, 4.2 steals, 2.8 assists, 2.4 rebounds per game) are one of the area’s most effective duos. A relentless defender, Sovich owns program records for steals in a season (86) and a career (178).
“Kelsey is our best player, no doubt about it,” Schauer said, “but Sam makes the team go.”
Kamiak’s other key contributors include senior posts Michelle Lipscomb (8.7 points per game) and Georgia McClaskey (7.5).
Mike Cane: mcane@heraldnet.com. Check out the prep sports blog Double Team at www.heraldnet.com/doubleteam.
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