Warriors succumb to Scots

SHORELINE

Shorecrest and Edmonds-Woodway are girls basketball teams headed in opposite directions.

The Scots and Warriors entered their Jan. 19 contest with identical league and overall records, but after the game it was clear Shorecrest is on the upswing while Edmonds-Woodway’s season is slipping away.

Early in the first quarter, a pass in the backcourt from Edmonds-Woodway post Erin Lauber sailed out of the reach of point guard Jennifer Singh and into the Warriors bench.

That play was indicative of the night Edmonds-Woodway had as Shorecrest dominated the Warriors in every phase of the game in a 65-28 win.

Shorecrest is 5-2 since Christmas and has rebounded from an 0-6 start to improve to 5-8 overall and 4-5 in the Western Conference South Division.

“It’s a roller coaster ride and hopefully we’re on the way back up,” Shorecrest junior guard Jocelyn Riordan said.

Edmonds-Woodway, meanwhile, has lost five of its last six games and is 4-9 overall and 3-6 in the Wesco South. The Warriors are a game-and-a-half behind Shorewood (5-5 Wesco South) for the fourth and final 4A district playoff spot.

The Scots led by 13 at the half and outscored the Warriors 22-1 in the third quarter.

“We couldn’t do the little things,” said Edmonds-Woodway assistant Amber Shelley. “We got outrebounded, outhustled, flat-out outplayed.”

Shorecrest shot out to a 19-8 first quarter advantage and led the entire game.

The Shorecrest full-court press in the opening minutes created havoc as Edmonds-Woodway struggled to get the ball up court. Turnovers led to easy baskets for Shorecrest.

“We pressed and created a lot of our opportunities early,” Shorecrest coach Jon Rasmussen said.

Shorecrest led 34-21 at the half and then blew the game open in the third quarter. Edmonds-Woodway’s only points came on a free throw by Erin Lauber that cut the lead to 41-22. Shorecrest then proceeded to go on a 15-0 run capped by a 3-pointer by Ashley Hagood.

“I think tonight our team really clicked,” said Riordan, who scored a game-high 13 points and dished out seven assists. “Tonight all 11 players were out there playing hard.”

The mix of zone defenses employed by the Scots preyed on an out-of-sync Edmonds-Woodway offense.

Shorecrest also dominated the boards, outrebounding Edmonds-Woodway 48-20. Donna Reisinger led the Scots with nine rebounds, Nicole Dodson pulled down eight and Gina Adams added six. Senior post Molly Gibson scored 12 points and Adams added 11. Nine different Scots scored in the game.

No Edmonds-Woodway player scored in double figures. Forward Abby Butler and guard Andi Schultz each had six points.

The Warriors have been without head coach Shannon Akin who was put on administrative leave by the Edmonds School District on Jan. 5. Shelley has coached the team in her absence. District officials have not commented on any specific reasons why Akin was put on leave, but an investigation is being conducted by the district’s human resources department.