SNOHOMISH
It’s certainly tough to win when you don’t score points.
The Edmonds-Woodway Warriors scored just two first quarter points – and just eight in the first half, while Snohomish’s Katie Benson had nine of her game-high 14 points in the opening quarter alone as the Panthers took the first-round 4A District 1 tournament game 44-25 Feb. 12 at Snohomish High School.
Edmonds-Woodway never really got on track, and was scheduled to face Oak Harbor in a loser-out contest 8 p.m., Feb. 14, the results of which were not available for this edition of the Enterprise. The Panthers advance to a winner-to-state game against Jackson at 8 p.m., Feb. 15 also at Marysville-Pilchuck High School. Snohomish is the only team to have beaten Jackson this season.
“I thought our energy just really carried us through the entire game,” Benson said afterward. “We just came out and we really wanted to do well and really wanted to win.”
With Edmonds-Woodway’s 6-foot-2 post Erin Lauber out with an ankle injury and 6-foot forward Abby Butler in foul trouble for most of the contest, the 6-foot-1 Benson was an offensive force inside for the Panthers.
Fellow Panther Shante Scott was there to clean up the misses off the glass, finishing with a game-high eight rebounds.
“We had a lot of mismatches and we took advantage of them,” Benson said. “(Butler) is an excellent player and that’s kind of your main goal (to shut her down) – we got that and got what we wanted and she was out for most of the game.”
The Warriors didn’t help themselves much, committing 11 first-half turnovers and finishing with 15 for the contest – a credit to the defensive effort turned in by the Panthers.
“I thought our kids executed great on defense,” Snohomish coach Ken Roberts said. “When you have time to prepare for people it helps out – seeing what (Edmonds-Woodway) runs and talking kids through what they need to do defensively.”
The strong defensive effort by Snohomish and the Warriors’ lack of an inside game to counter Benson and Scott proved to be the difference. Butler picked up two quick fouls in the first half and fouled out with 6:09 left in the fourth quarter while tallying just two points.
“Butler in foul trouble really hurt us,” E-W coach Wayne Edwards said. “We really need Abby and Erin Lauber to be part of this team and we didn’t have them tonight and that hurts.”
Snohomish never trailed and led 11-2 after one quarter. Edmonds-Woodway’s Alex Kenney hit a 3-pointer on the Warriors’ first possession of the second quarter, but the Panthers’ Molly Miller answered with a 3-pointer of her own on Snohomish’s ensuing possession.
After that exchange, the Panthers held the Warriors to just one field goal and one free throw to enter halftime with a 26-8 lead.
The lead swelled to 26 midway through the third quarter as the Warriors didn’t cut the deficit to fewer than 20 until Roberts pulled his starters midway through the fourth quarter.
Edmonds-Woodway, which has at times this year relied on its perimeter shooting, shot just 2-for-14 from beyond the arc.
Kenney had both of them, finishing with 10 to lead the Warriors.
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