EDMONDS — So maddening is the Edmonds-Woodway offense, that a Jackson student exclaimed, “I just fell asleep” during one of the Warriors’ many keep-away demonstrations in a 58-45 victory Jan. 30.
After his team beat Jackson in Edmonds-Woodway’s gym for the Warriors’ 10th Western Conference South Division victory, E-W coach Rob McMains smiled widely when he learned of the Jackson fan’s boredom.
“The kids know what kind of shots we want,” said McMains, whose team leads all Class 4A teams in the division. “So they were going to work the offense until we got that shot.
“This is a special group of kids. They want to have fun and win. They will do whatever is asked of them.”
Though it might not be easy to spice together a highlight reel, the Warriors have played stall-ball well enough to be one of the division’s biggest surprises.
“We work it to perfection,” said junior guard Mackenzie Thoms, who scored a game-high 21 points.
Victories in two of the Warriors last six regular-season games would assure them of no worse than a tie for the fourth and final Northwest District playoff berth. It would be Edmonds-Woodway’s first postseason entry, McMains said, since the 1998-99 season.
Without starting point guard Josh Griffin (sprained ankle) and with leading scorer Jason Hopkins in foul trouble for much of the game, McMains asked his players to milk the clock even more than usual.
Before a 20-point explosion in the fourth quarter when they beat Jackson trying to use pressure defense, E-W pretty much gave fans a chance to grab a cup of coffee at the concession stand without missing a shot. For the Warriors, there is nothing boring about winning.
“Our coaches teach us discipline and to take shots at the right time within the offense,” said junior forward Andrew Donaldson, who contributed 12 points and five rebounds. “It’s worked out so far. … We just work it around, and eventually we’ll get an open shot.”
The Warriors showed early on that they were in no hurry. Edmonds-Woodway passed the ball around for the first 1:17 of the game before they turned the ball over on a three-seconds-in-the-key call.
They crawled to an 8-0 lead, holding Jackson scoreless before Drew Eisinger’s basket 51/2 minutes into the game.
Jackson forward Johnie Kirton, who contributed team highs of 14 points and nine rebounds, capped a 7-0 Jackson run with a free throw and a put-back to tie the score at 13 with 4:30 remaining in the half. The score was tied three more times in the half before Edmonds-Woodway closed it out with a Kyle Baeder 3 and a Donaldson layup for a 24-19 halftime edge.
Thoms scored 13 of his team’s 17 points during the first nine minutes of the second half as E-W pulled out to a commanding 41-30 advantage. Hopkins made sure the lead stayed in place when he got back on the floor with 6:30 remaining. He blocked a pair of shots, made two free throws and put back a teammate’s miss before fouling out with 1:33 remaining.
Aaron Coe writes for The Herald in Everett.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
