PORT TOWNSEND — The South Whidbey girls basketball team managed to win two of their three games at the “Crush in the Slush” tournament in Port Townsend over the weekend.
They had a tough start, though. The Falcons lost to the Sequim Wolves 47-44 on Thursday.
But the girls pulled things together the following two days and ended up with a 2-1 overall record.
Against Sequim, forward Lindsey Newman scored first and the Wolves had a tough time putting points on the board. In the first quarter their live breakaways, rebounds and steals were fun to watch but few points were scored.
Sequim coach Lisa Corbit, however, had a plan to get out of the hole and their names were Laine Briggs and Sarah Moores. The pair combined for most of the
24 points — and the one-point lead at the half.
“I didn’t think we were playing as tough at the start as we’re capable of,” Corbit said later.
“South Whidbey defended the key and we adjusted with different combinations of girls. It seemed to work for us.”
Sequim led 24-23 at halftime.
In the second half, the Falcons’ Reilly O’Sullivan demonstrated a nice touch at the free-throw line while Katie Holt and Cayla Calderwood contributed six points each. But in the end South Whidbey’s game devolved on Newman, who brought in a lopsided 28 points total.
Newman’s considerable fast break artistry kept the Falcons alive time and again, pulling South Whidbey even at 32-32 with 2:55 left in the third period.
Newman fought a scoring duel with Briggs and Moores but could have used some help from her teammates.
With seconds left, Newman dropped in a trey from the cheap seats to cut Sequim’s lead to 47-44. It wasn’t enough, though, and Sequim finished in front.
“We didn’t run the plays right and we relaxed too much,” Falcon guard Samantha Pope said.
Newman was plagued by missed catches all night.
“We need to be ready with our hands to catch the ball,” she said.
Falcon coach Henry Pope said the girls weren’t aggressive enough and didn’t shoot well, Newman excepted.
“They were playing a weak zone; we tried to collapse it and didn’t do it,” he explained.
“It’s another case, like Sultan and Coupeville, where the other team wanted to win more than we did,” Pope said.
Newman had 28 points against Sequim; Holt and Calderwood added six each.
With league play beginning in earnest Jan. 4 when Cedarcrest comes to Erikson Gym, the tournament is a good way to work out some kinks.
“I told them to flush the loss down the toilet and let it all go down the drain,” Pope said. “Think about tomorrow.”
That philosophy may have value — the next day at the tourney, the girls beat the Blaine Borderites 52-36 then overcame the Chimicum Cowboys 63-40 on Saturday.
