Warriors KO state champs

Published 7:41 pm Friday, February 25, 2011

MILL CREEK — Jitters can be expected in the opening game of the Class 4A state girls basketball tournament.

They can also be costly.

Through the early minutes of Friday’s game against Auburn Riverside, Edmonds-Woodway looked like it might fumble and stumble its way to an early to

urney exit. In a first quarter that was hide-your-eyes awful, the Warriors committed eight turnovers and missed four shots before scoring a point as Auburn Riverside jumped to a large early lead.

But Edmonds-Woodway was much better in the next three quarters, and particularly in a decisive third period, on the way to a 52-34 victory at Jackson High School.

It was the fifth straight win for the Warriors in a loser-out game since a defeat against Marysville-Pilchuck in the district tournament opener on Feb. 9.

The victory moves Edmonds-Woodway to a 1 p.m. game today against Kentwood. The winner of today’s game advances to the three-day state finals at the Tacoma Dome next weekend, while the loser is eliminated.

Friday’s game between Auburn Riverside and Edmonds-Woodway was the third between the teams in the last 12 months. They met at state a year ago (the Ravens won 51-39) and had a rematch at a holiday tournament in Beaverton, Ore., earlier this season (Auburn Riverside won again, 61-54 in overtime).

And in the early minutes Friday, it looked like Auburn Riverside might make it 3-for-3 against Edmonds-Woodway.

But the Warriors finally got untracked in the second quarter, led by center Sydney Donaldson, who scored the team’s first field goal in the late seconds of the opening period and added three more in the second quarter as the Warriors started creeping back.

“We were a little overly excited (at the beginning),” said Edmonds-Woodway guard Alex Kenney. “It was probably one of the biggest games I’ve ever played in. If you lose you go home and we were playing the defending state champs. So at least for me, I was a little too hyped up.”

“They beat us at state last year and then earlier this year, so maybe the pressure was making us frazzled,” Donaldson said. “But, honestly, our team is kind of like that sometimes. We get real jittery in the first quarter, so I wasn’t too nervous. And we were able to pull together.”

In the third quarter the Warriors showed their true colors. Sharing the ball well, they kept chipping away and finally went in front on two free throws by guard Madeline Kasper, 21-20. The Ravens briefly regained the lead, but the Warriors moved in front to stay moments later on a Donaldson layin, 23-22.

Edmonds-Woodway then closed the quarter with a 3-point barrage that left Auburn Riverside reeling. Kasper, who played with a lingering fever after a temperature of 100 degrees on Thursday, dropped in a shot from the perimeter with three minutes left. And in the last minute of the period, forward Angela Woods, Kenney and Kasper all sank 3s from the left wing for a 37-26 Warriors lead.

Edmonds-Woodway continued to pull away in the final quarter, with the final 18-point margin being its biggest of the game.

“We were too hyped up (early),” Warriors coach Duane Hodges said. “And there are two things you can do as a coach. You can laugh it off, which I tried to do. Because if I’d started screaming and pounding the floor, it’d only make it worse.

“And I knew it was going to be OK if we could just keep them close,” he said.

Donaldson was outstanding in the middle for the Warriors, finishing with a game-high 20 points on 8-for-12 shooting from the field and 4-for-4 from the free throw line to go with 12 rebounds, two assists and a steal.

“She played amazing,” Kenney said. “She was a beast. She was the one who started getting us rolling.”

At Jackson H.S.

Auburn Riverside 10 6 10 8 — 34

Edmonds-Woodway 4 9 24 15 — 52

Auburn Riverside—Amis 2, Bang 0, Melick 2, Clark 2, Hinkens 7, Gee 0, Crump 5, Snyder 0, Foster 4, Cooper 12. Edmonds-Woodway—Kasper 8, Eck 0, Nash 0, Kenney 5, Albertson 11, Donaldson 20, Woods 8. 3-point goals _ Hinkens 2, Crump 1, Kasper 2, Kenney 1, Woods 1. Records _ Auburn Riverside is 21-5. Edmonds-Woodway is 23-4.