The Pirate girls basketball team travelled to Yakima to the SunDome Shootout, where they lost contests against the Connell High School Eagles and the Colville High School Indians on Wednesday and Thursday, Dec. 29 and 30.
“Both of our opponents entered the two-day tournament sporting unblemished records, so we knew we were going to be tested,” said Pirate coach Henry Porter.
In the first game against Connell, the Pirates were frustrated by the athletic backcourt play of the Eagles, who returned five seniors from a team that finished sixth at state in 2010.
Vashon only managed seven points in the game, frequently shooting from long range as the shot clock expired, and four times failing to get off a shot prior to the 30-second clock running down.
After dropping the first game of the shootout 51-7, the Pirates regrouped to take on Colville.
The girls appeared undaunted by the lopsided results of the previous day, ending the first quarter with a 10-4 lead paced by the shooting efforts of Taegan Lynch, who contributed six points in the quarter and finished the game with a season high of eight points. But backcourt gremlins again reared their heads as the Pirates surrendered 20 points in the second quarter, largely as a result of turnovers. They went into halftime trailing 24-17.
After the half, the Pirates consistently broke the Indian full court pressure, but Colville never relinquished its lead as the Indians held on to defeat Vashon 38-28.
Vashon was led offensively by Charlotte Kehoe, who had 14 points, 10 rebounds and seven blocked shots. Jasmine Acosta added four points and Rachel Hoffman had two to account for the remainder of the Pirate scoring.
Colville’s defensive pressure was one key as the Indians limited Vashon’s wings — Cat Amick and Anya Quig — to only one attempted shot apiece.
“We have a relatively youthful lineup with Charlotte being our only returning starter,” Porter said after the game. “We need games against teams like these so that the girls understand the critical importance of effectively implementing our press breaks and offenses, as well as the pace and energy with which we need to play to be consistently successful,” he added.
The Pirates now head into Nisqually league play with a home game against Cascade Christian on Tuesday, Jan. 4, and an away game against Orting High School on Friday, Jan. 7.
Porter is optimistic the girls will be ready.
“We get better every week,” he said. “Our aim is to keep getting better as the season progresses, and if we do that we should be competitive come time for the post-season playoffs.”
— Gary Means is the assistant coach of the Pirate girls basketball team
