ARLINGTON — Raigan Reed and the Lake Stevens Vikings missed a lot of free throws on Friday. Chalk it up to first-game nerves, perhaps.
But fortunately, Reed and her teammates made the ones that really mattered.
Reed, a senior point guard for Lake Stevens, hit the game-tying basket at the rim with 17 seconds remaining, sunk a free throw after being fouled and sealed the game with a steal and two more foul shots to propel the visiting Vikings to a 57-54 win over the Arlington Eagles on Friday.
Reed, a Boise State signee, went just 1-of-6 from the foul line in the first three quarters before making 8-of-9 in the fourth quarter.
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Lake Stevens head coach Randy Edens said he went up to Reed and told her, “You have to be a senior for us.” Reed delivering in the waning stages of the game didn’t surprise Edens one bit.
“I think she wants those moments, there’s no question about that,” Edens said. “You want your leader that’s been a four-year player for us to be there in those moments.”
Reed scored 12 of her 24 points in the final quarter to guide the Vikings to victory after Lake Stevens trailed by as many as 10 points in the fourth.
A pair of free throws from sophomore post Camille Jentzsch with two minutes remaining cut Arlington’s lead to 52-47. Reed made two more free throws on the following possession, forced a steal, then fed the ball to Emma Lund, who was fouled and made 1-of-2 foul shots to cut the Eagles’ lead to two.
Reed knifed down the lane for another basket to tie the game at 52-52 with 47 seconds remaining.
The Eagles regained the lead on Jenna Villa’s layup with 25 seconds to go, but Reed took the in-bounds pass coast-to-coast for the three-point play that eventually put the Vikings over the top.
“I like being the person that people can count on and it makes me feel good when my coach puts me in and he knows I can make something happen, either for myself or the team,” Reed said. “It helps my confidence and it helps the team grow, too.”
The Vikings will go through some growing pains this year, with a quartet of sophomores joining Reed in the starting lineup. A win over Arlington, which is expected to be a top contender in Wesco 3A this season, is a great start.
“What a great win. Arlington is going to be a fantastic 3A team, not only league-wise but state-wise,” Edens said. “To get that one this one early under our belt, it’s pretty special.”
The Eagles entered halftime with a 26-24 lead after ripping off a 14-4 run to end the second quarter.
Arlington star junior Hailey Hiatt was a significant reason why the Eagles were able to pull ahead with 15 points scored at halftime.
The Eagles ramped up their full-court press in the third and forced a bevy of turnovers to extend their lead to 45-36 in the third quarter.
Even though his team entered the fourth quarter just 10-of-23 from the foul line, Edens said the game plan never wavered.
“We just needed to continue to attack,” Edens said. “We needed to continue to attack. We need to get to the free-throw line. The clock stopped and it gives our kids a chance to rest.”
Jentzsch added 12 points for the Vikings to go along with Reed’s 24.
Keira Marsh led the Eagles with 16 points. Hiatt finished with 15.
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