By JOEL HILLE
For The Beachcomber
The Vashon High School girls’ basketball team played its first home game of the season on Tuesday, Dec. 9, against the Port Angeles Roughriders.
The game started slowly for both teams as the Roughriders led 6-5 with two minutes to go in the first quarter. The Pirates tied the game when Kai Li Scheer made a 3-pointer at the buzzer to end the first quarter 8-8.
The second quarter had an equally slow scoring pace for both teams, with a halftime lead of 19-14 for the Roughriders. More cold shooting during the third quarter resulted in just 2 points for the Pirates, and they were down 26-16 at the end of three.
Midway through the fourth quarter, the Pirates cut the lead to 8 points when Annika Hille got a steal and drove the floor for a lay-in and a free throw for a 3-point play. The Pirates went to a full court man-to-man defense to attempt a comeback, but the Roughriders were able to break the press on several possessions and converted easy lay-ins, which resulted in a final score of 38-23.
The Pirates were led in scoring with 13 points from Hille and 4 from Eva Anderson. Anderson also gave a ferocious effort on the boards, pulling down a game high of 11 rebounds, while Lilly Hennessey and Hille each grabbed 5.
The second home game was Thursday, Dec. 11, against the Meridian Trojans from Bellingham. The Trojans built a 16-9 lead after the first quarter, when the Pirates’ inside defense yielded several easy lay-ins. Both teams managed only 4 points in the second quarter, and the halftime score was 20-13.
During the third quarter, turnovers and cold shooting once again plagued the Pirates, and they were down 29-17 after three. Midway through the fourth quarter, the Pirates got within 8 points, but the Trojans made a short run of 5 points to extend their lead to 13. The Pirates went to their full court man-to-man defense in an attempt at a comeback, but the Trojans broke through the pressure several times for easy baskets to extend their lead to 19. The Pirates managed two 3-pointers near the end, one each from Hille and Siena Jannetty, but it wasn’t quite enough, and the final score was 43-35.
The Pirates were led in scoring by Hille with 9, Jannetty with 8, Anderson with 6, and Melanie Stoffer and Natalie VanDevanter each added 4. Hille also grabbed eight rebounds, while Hennessey had five and Anderson had four.
Despite the 0-5 start to the season, coach Rob Kearns says he likes the improvement he is seeing.
“Every week they are improving and getting better at various aspects of the game, like beating the full court press,” he said. “They have already matured as players and keep working hard during practice, and our focus is getting better every day.”
Kearns also noted that the team is somewhat young with no seniors, but he added, “The girls have a lot of energy and willingness to learn and make positive steps every day.”
— Joel Hille is a parent of a Pirate player.
