EDMONDS
Senior forward Jane Fleck scored 10 of her game-high 14 points in the second half as the Shorewood girls basketball team dismantled an Edmonds-Woodway team in disarray 38-30 on Jan. 5.
The Thunderbirds (3-3 in the Western Conference South Division after a loss to Jackson Jan. 9 and 5-5 overall) are a game up on Edmonds-Woodway (2-4, 3-7) with the win.
“If we have to have a tiebreaker this will be a very important game we’ve won,” said Shorewood senior point guard Rachel Eckerlin, who scored nine points.
Shorewood played Meadowdale and Edmonds-Woodway played Jackson Jan. 11 after Enterprise deadlines.
The Warriors, who struggled throughout the game particularly on offense, played without coach Shannon Akin who the Edmonds School District put on administrative leave prior to the game. (See related story on Page 18.)
Shorewood took the lead early in the game and built a 16-point lead in the fourth quarter and hung on to win.
The Thunderbirds dominated on defense, packing in a 2-3 zone that stymied the Warriors two inside threats, 6-foot-2 Erin Lauber (three points) and 6-0 Abby Butler (6 points).
Shorewood built a 19-8 lead in the second quarter on a 3-pointer by Eckerlin and took a 19-12 advantage into the half.
Shorewood built the lead to 33-21 at the end of the third quarter and went up 37-21 in the fourth on a basket by sophomore Becky Farden who scored 11 points.
Edmonds-Woodway closed the game out on a 9-1 run, but time ran out on the Warriors.
The Thunderbirds’ shots fell short of their mark on many possessions but the T-birds managed to get offensive rebounds. They also used their press to get the ball back.
“I think everybody looked for their shot,” Eckerlin said. “Not everybody had it falling for them.”
Despite the T-birds leading nearly the whole game, Shorewood coach Jeff Bernhardt used his timeouts at times when Edmonds-Woodway appeared to be ready to make runs.
“The longer we kept them in the game it was an uneasy feeling for me,” Bernhardt said.
Edmonds-Woodway guards Jennifer Singh and Jennifer Quick led the Warriors with eight points apiece. Singh scored six of her points in the second half and helped lead the late rally.
“For some reason we were tired,” Singh said. “We had a late start to get there.”
Meanwhile, Shorewood’s 10-player rotation continued to be effective.
“We have a really deep bench,” Fleck said. “When they get to go in the game they do their job.”
Bernhardt said the games against Jackson and Meadowdale, teams ranked in the top 10 in the state, would test the Thunderbirds and prep them for what they hope will be a trip to the district playoffs.
“We’re going to learn from the intensity level and bank it,” he said.
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