PREP NOTES: Warriors Albertson ignores the pain to play
Published 12:01 am Tuesday, March 1, 2011
You know those over-the-top action movies where the hero endures a ridiculous barrage of physical abuse but somehow keeps fighting and ultimately prevails?
Ashley Albertson has a lot in common with those big-screen heroes, with one big exception: She is the real deal.
A tough senior fo
rward on the state-ranked Edmonds-Woodway High School girls basketball team, Albertson took an elbow to the face, absorbed a swinging forearm to the side of her head and crashed hard to the court on several other occasions during the Warriors loser-out, winner-to-Tacoma victory on Saturday. The resilient Albertson scored 13 points, grabbed 12 rebounds (10 on defense) and blocked two shots in E-Ws 53-48 overtime triumph against Kentwood.
Ive been coaching for about 35 years, E-W coach Duane Hodges said, and there are very few girls who have had more heart than Ashley Albertson.
Albertson also stepped up in E-Ws 52-34 loser-out win over defending Class 4A state champion Auburn Riverside on Friday. After missing a close-range shot in the first quarter, Albertson tried to avoid stepping on a defender and then fell hard and awkwardly onto the floor. She appeared to injure her left knee and subbed out of the game, but returned and finished with 11 points, eight rebounds, two assists and two steals in 29 minutes.
No matter if shes scoring or not, she always rebounds. She tries so hard on defense (and) offense, E-W point guard Madeline Kasper said. Shes always just the one that is on the ground getting everything. Shes the toughest one.
Kasper, Albertson and the rest of the Warriors (24-4) play the Lewis and Clark Tigers at 9 p.m. Thursday in the 4A state quarterfinals at the Tacoma Dome.
Kingma: Ill be 100 percent
Guard Brett Kingma hurt his left ankle while helping the Jackson High boys basketball team rally and beat the Auburn Trojans in a 4A winner-to-state-quarterfinal game on Friday. On Monday, Kingma practiced but sat out some full-speed drills and iced his sore ankle.
I dont want to run on it too much. Ill ice it (Monday night) and then probably practice a little more full-speed (Tuesday), said Kingma, estimating his ankle felt about 75 or 80 percent healthy.
Jackson (22-2), the 4A runnerup last year, plays A.C. Davis of Yakima at 9 a.m. Thursday in the state quarterfinals in Tacoma.
Ill be (100 percent) on Thursday, said Kingma, who averages 30 points per game. Its a little different in practice. When the adrenaline is flowing, especially at the Tacoma Dome in a state tournament game, I really dont think it will affect me at all. Theres no way Im not going to go 100 percent when its my senior season and I want to go out with a state championship.
Kentridges long bombs
Kentridge made an astounding 15 of 27 3-point shots in its loser-out 4A boys basketball win over the Arlington Eagles on Friday. A day later, Kentridge kept up its long-range barrage, sinking 13 of its 23 3-point tries in a loser-out, winner-to-Tacoma triumph over Auburn.
Neale 2nd at Brooks PR Invite
Glacier Peak High distance runner Amy-Eloise Neale finished second in the girls 1-mile run on Sunday during the Brooks PR Invitational at the University of Washingtons Dempsey Indoor. Neale, a sophomore, completed the race in 4 minutes, 49.58 seconds a tenth of a second slower than winner Ajee Wilson (4:49.48) of New Jersey, a junior and national leader in the 800 and mile. Read a recap of the Brooks PR Invite here. And watch a video of Neales race here.
Amid snow, wind and rain, spring sports are here
With plenty of snow still on the ground throughout Snohomish County, spring sports practices began on Monday. The spring-season high school sports are baseball, golf (boys and girls), boys soccer, softball, girls tennis, and track and field (boys and girls). Check The Herald later this month for various spring sports previews.
Mike Cane: mcane@heraldnet.com. Check out the prep sports blog Double Team at cmg-northwest2.go-vip.net/heraldnet/doubleteam and follow Cane on Twitter at MikeCaneHerald.
