EDMONDS — The names might be different but Meadowdale is still Meadowdale.
Searching for a new identity after losing five seniors, including stars Quinn Brewe and Anne Martin, from last year’s Class 3A state championship team, the Mavericks showed off a swarm of talented new faces Dec. 10 against Edmonds-Woodway.
The biggest eruption came from Latrina Woods, a junior guard whose quick hands (five steals), aggressive board crashing (eight rebounds) and scoring pop (15 points) off the bench helped Meadowdale zoom to a 65-39 victory in a Western Conference South Division girls basketball game at Edmonds-Woodway High School.
Freshman guard Eryn Jones, who started and scored 10 points, also aided the new-look attack for Meadowdale (2-0 in the league and overall).
“They’re doing a great job right now, and we definitely need it,” said Meadowdale senior point guard Ashley Fenimore, who handed out a team-high seven assists.
Fenimore, the team’s only full-time starter from last season, made four 3-pointers that accounted for all but one of her 13 points. She said it’s been quite a challenge to fill the leadership role once held by Brewe.
“It’s so hard without Quinn,” Fenimore said. “She was a huge vocal leader for us.”
But with young players like Jones performing like veterans, the Mavs need not worry. Meadowdale coach Karen Blair first saw Jones play when she attended the school’s basketball camp as a first-grader.
“It’s been pretty cool to see her go through that and now come to our program,” Blair said. “She’s just very mentally tough and has great fundamentals.”
Jessica Takara scored a team-high 15 points for E-W (0-2, 0-2), which led 11-10 after one quarter and built a 21-16 lead in the second quarter on the strength of two Takara 3-pointers. She scored all 10 of her team’s points in the period, giving her a game-high 15 by halftime.
But after Takara’s 3-spree, Meadowdale pressed its way to a 17-0 half-closing run and a 33-21 lead. The Mavs forced four turnovers during the stretch, capitalizing with layins and solid free-throw shooting, including a 5-for-6 effort by junior forward Cambria Smith.
Overall, Meadowdale forced 28 turnovers and made 16 of 30 free-throw attempts, compared to E-W’s 6-for-14 effort from the line.
Lindsey Bordeaux, a junior forward, scored all six of E-W’s third-quarter points but Meadowdale continued to pull away. The Mavs led 46-27 after three periods and never let the Warriors get any closer.
Bordeaux finished with 14 points, including 12 in the second half, and a team-high eight rebounds.
E-W hung tough early but Meadowdale’s depth and defensive pressure eventually overwhelmed the largely inexperienced Warriors, who were missing senior Katie Trew. A first-team, all-league performer forward last year, Trew is recovering from a torn anterior cruciate ligament.
Edmonds-Woodway must get better at breaking the press and taking care of the ball, Takara said.
“There were a lot of positive things but there were a lot of things we have to work on. But we’ll come back on Monday and start over again.”
Mike Cane writes for The Herald in Everett.
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