MILL CREEK — If the Jackson Timberwolves girls basketball team keeps up its Jekyll and Hyde ways of Wednesday night, it is likely to give head coach Jeannie Boyer a heart attack.
But make no mistake about it, Boyer will take the result. The only evidence needed to prove that was the rat
her large sigh of relief she let out when the final buzzer sounded after the Timberwolves’ 56-53 4A District 1 playoff win over Stanwood.
With the win the Timberwolves play Lake Stevens at 6 p.m. Saturday at Marysville-Pilchuck High School in a winner-to-regional semifinal. The Spartans host Cascade at 7:30 p.m. in a loser-out game.
This wasn’t just any ordinary game for the Timberwolves, it featured a comeback that — outside of the players and coaches on the Jackson bench — didn’t seem possible. Stanwood took an early lead and established an early physical presence that looked to be too overpowering for the Timberwolves to handle. The Timberwolves trailed 23-6 at the end of the first quarter and 35-19 at halftime. The prospect of a Timberwolves victory looked gloomy at best.
Nevertheless, 15 minutes and 18 seconds later, Timberwolves freshman point guard Kelli Kingma was sinking two free throws that sealed the victory.
The Timberwolves hadn’t led since the early moments of the first quarter, but the freshman’s confidence never wavered as she helped her team complete an amazing comeback.
“Some people’s knees shake,” Boyer said. “I don’t think the Kingmas are born with that gene.”
Kingma is the sister of University of Washington’s women’s basketball star Kristi Kingma and Jackson’s Brett Kingma, who is headed to the University of Oregon on a full athletic scholarship.
It was Jackson’s dynamic duo of freshman in the backcourt that led the offensive charge in the second half. Kingma finished with 11 points and Sierra Anderson led all scorers finishing with 17 points. She made three 3s.
“She’s got amazing basketball skill that I think we are going to have fun watching her the next few years as she really develops,” Boyer said of Anderson.
Kingma struggled with a rolled ankle early in the second half, but was able to finish the game and Boyer didn’t seem to think her injury would be a problem moving forward.
“She is a tough kid. When it comes to competing, she is going to do what she can to get ready for Saturday,” Boyer said.
The Timberwolves would not have been in the position to seal the game had it not been for the second-half transformation.
“We just knew we had to come out strong,” said Jackson junior Kristin Stoffel of the second half. “We just had the heart and we knew that we wanted this game so bad.”
Stoffel struggled with the Spartans physical play in the first half, but finished the game with 14 points.
“Kristin is the most steady player I have coached,” Boyer said. “You know you can count on her because she will be calm in pressure moments.”
Boyer said the comeback started with defense.
“They bought into the fact that they had to play the type of defense that we are capable of,” Boyer said.
Never was that defensive intensity more evident than the fourth quarter, when they held the Spartans to just four points.
It turned out that every one of those stops was crucial. Despite an increase in energy in the second half, the Timberwolves still trailed by 10 points going into the final quarter. Not only did Jackson need points, but it couldn’t let Stanwood get many more of its own. It accomplished both goals.
“I knew we could claw our way back, but we just had to have a couple of things go our way,” Boyer said.
Boyer said that the Timberwolves were in a similar situation against Stanwood earlier in the season, falling behind by 20 points, but coming back to cut the lead, before falling in the end.
“That experience really helped out in the second half,” she said.
At Jackson H.S.
Stanwood 23 12 14 4 — 53
Jackson 6 13 20 17 — 56
Stanwood—Duncan 0, Lucero 9, Bingham 8, Murphy 2, Borseth 6, Kelleigh 11, Swartz 4, Heckman 13. Jackson—Hicks 2, Gjertsen 8, Coacher 2, Kingma 11, Johnson 2, Anderson 17, Stoffel 14. 3-point goals—Anderson 3, Lucero 1, Kelleigh 1. Records—Stanwood 14-7 overall. Jackson 13-8.
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