MARYSVILLE — When the shots started falling for Snohomish, Edmonds-Woodway didn’t have an answer.
The Panthers closed the second quarter with a 10-1 run and then limited the Warriors to only five points in the third quarter, as Snohomish defeated Edmonds-Woodway 55-37 in a Northwest District 4A loser-out girls basketball game March 4 at Marysville-Pilchuck High School.
The Warriors had problems executing on offense in the third quarter and did not get a shot off on five trips down the floor due to turnovers.
“We were relying too much on ourselves as individuals rather than doing things together as whole unit,” said senior point guard Kelsey Hitchner. “We struggled with our offense and it just came down to us not doing the little things like setting a screen and sealing our man and things like that … I think that was where we struggled.”
Edmonds-Woodway battled Snohomish tough in the first half, rallying from a 14-7 deficit in the first quarter to tie the score twice in the second quarter before the Panthers went on their run.
“They’re a great team. They just aren’t going to roll over,” said Edmonds-Woodway coach Amy Branch. “This is the point in the season when good teams stick around and they’re very tough. That’s why they came in as a No. 1 seed in the North … they played great defense and they were resilient. They didn’t give up.”
Snohomish extended its 29-22 halftime lead to 40-27 at the end of the third quarter. Things then went from bad to worse for Edmonds-Woodway when the Panthers connected on three 3-pointers during a 12-4 run to start the fourth quarter that put the game out of reach.
Two of the 3-pointers were by sophomore Tara Angell, who led Snohomish with nine points. Daesha Henderson and Kristin Moore each had eight points.
Hitchner and junior Morgan Harter each scored 10 points for the Warriors, who finished the season 17-6 overall.
Sophomore Katie Trew, who was nursing a leg injury, did not start and was limited to three points. She picked up two quick fouls in the first quarter and had to retreat to the bench.
“The kids played hart,” Branch said. “This has been a long season for them. I respect Snohomish tremendously and what an honor to be at this point playing still tonight against a team like that. I think that shows more about this group of young women than anything else, just being here.”
Snohomish advanced to tonight’s winner-to-state/loser-out game against Monroe.
To advance to Tuesday night’s game, Edmonds-Woodway defeated Mountlake Terrace 44-37 in another loser-out game March 1.
The one-two combination of Harter and Trew was too much for the Hawks. Harter scored a game-high 17 points, while Trew added 14.
The two made key baskets late in the fourth quarter to preserve the Warriors’ third straight victory over their district rival.
After a basket by Mountlake Terrace’s Annie Everett cut the Edmonds-Woodway lead to 36-32 with 5:04 remaining, Harter responded with a basket and two free throws to help maintain a 40-34 advantage at the 2:47 mark of the fourth quarter.
Mountlake Terrace’s Ashley Grover then connected on a pair of free throws to trim the deficit to 40-36 but Trew knocked down a shot to boost the lead back to 42-36.
The end of the season doesn’t mark the end of the Edmonds-Woodway as a team, according to Hitchner.
“Tomorrow when I go to school, I can count on 11 of my teammates being my friends and still being supportive,” Hitchner said. “We are definitely a family. Just because we don’t have any more games left doesn’t stop us from still being this unit.”
Branch couldn’t agree more. The Warriors lose only three seniors but Branch wasn’t interested in speculating on next year’s team.
“I’m still looking at what’s going on with this group right here,” she said. “We’re not done just because our basketball games are over.”
NOTES
TEAM MASCOT: A new mascot appeared on the Edmonds-Woodway bench at the start of the Northwest District 4A playoffs.
“Giraffy,” a stuffed giraffe, made his first appearance during the Warriors’ first round game against Lake Stevens.
One of the stories Edmonds-Woodway coach Amy Branch shared with her team dealt with giraffes and the fact that their hearts are the size of a basketball.
The new mascot soon became a popular guy on the bench, giving high fives to the players and being a part of the team’s cheers.
“The whole point is that we would play with the size of a giraffe’s heart and that we would have that much heart,” Branch said.
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