The Vashon girls basketball team won home games last week against Orting High School and Charles Wright Academy, which assured the relatively youthful Pirate team entry into the post-season playoffs.
The win over the Orting Cardinals on Tuesday, Feb. 1, did not come easily. Vashon tallied 21 turnovers for the game — 15 in the first half. The turnovers, in addition to below-par shooting by the Pirates, resulted in the Cardinals jumping out to a quick 9-2 lead before Vashon began to reel the visitors back, closing the gap to 14-12 by halftime.
The second half saw a resurgence of offense as Vashon regained the lead in the third quarter and pulled away in the fourth quarter, opening up as much as a 12-point lead on their way to a 43-37 win.
Charlotte Kehoe paced the Pirates with 21 points and 10 blocked shots. Anya Quig added 17 points. Taegan Lynch added two points on top of a team high of eight rebounds. Mariya Munsey (2) and Cat Amick (1) topped off the Pirate scoring.
The victory over Orting rendered the Friday night game against the Charles Wright Tarriers an important one for the Pirates. With a win, the Pirates could lock up sole possession of the District I third seed going into the tri-district playoffs.
The Tarriers started strong, and for a second straight evening the Pirates struggled to hit open shots. The first quarter ended with Vashon behind, 10-2.
A second quarter comeback tightened the difference on the scoreboard to a single point as the teams went into the half with the Pirates down, 15-14. The Tarriers pulled further ahead in the third, leading at one time by as many as five points. The final quarter began with Vashon down four.
A fierce defensive effort by the Pirates and more purposeful ball movement offensively allowed Vashon to grab the lead midway through the final quarter on their way to a 46-41 win.
One key for the Pirates in the fourth quarter was their shooting from the foul line. The Tarriers were forced to foul over the final two minutes in order to regain possession of the ball. To this end, Pirate point guard Mariya Munsey was purposely fouled three times in the final seconds and hit five of six as Charles Wright would never get to closer than three points.
“I asked the girls for one thing in this game effort,” said coach Henry Porter. “We played the entire game with great focus, from the bench all the way through the starters. Our effort and focus were keys to the win.”
Vashon’s point production was again led by Kehoe (12) and Quig (13), but the point distribution for the game was indicative of the team-wide effort as Amick (8), Munsey (7), Rachel Hoffman (4) and Jasmine Acosta (2) all made scoring contributions.
Vashon ended the regular season yesterday with a game against Chimacum. The Pirates will take on the fourth seed from District II at 7 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 12, in a playoff game at home.
