The Vashon girls basketball team played two games last week, defeating the Chimacum Cowboys at home on Tuesday, Jan. 29, before dropping a game at Eatonville on Saturday.
Playing an improved Chimacum squad that they beat earlier in the season, Vashon held a 1-point lead midway through the first half, but the Cowboys battled back, taking a 4-point advantage to halftime (22-18).
The Pirates closed the gap in the third quarter, knotting the score at 31 by the end. Leading by two points with 15 seconds remaining, the contest rested on one-and-one free throws from freshman Annika Hille.
Hille made the first shot to give the Pirates a 3-point lead, but missed the bonus. Taegan Lynch adroitly snagged the rebound off the miss and — moving quickly to her right — delivered the game’s final basket and the 5-point final margin of victory, 44-39.
Siena Jannetty led the Pirates with 15 points, while Lynch tossed in 11. Anya Quig and Hille each added 7. The remainder of the scoring came from Tiana Koenig and Kalie Heffernan, who each netted 2.
The Saturday evening visit to Eatonville saw the Pirates taking on the league’s second-place team. The Pirates kept the game within reach early, but a 6-0 run inside the last two minutes gave the Cruisers a 16-point advantage to end the half 28-12.
Vashon fought back to within 10 points in the third quarter, but the Cruisers managed to regain their margin as the quarter ended with the Pirates still down, 44-28. The Cruisers eventually wore the shorthanded Pirates down, with a 64-37 final score.
Lynch shined in this game, scoring a career high 13 points against the playoff-bound Cruisers. Quig followed closely with 11. Hille (7), Kate Atwell (4) and Heffernan (2) accounted for the rest of the Pirate scoring.
“This was a tough week emotionally for our players,” said coach Henry Porter, noting that Jannetty was unable to play much due to a tender ankle.
“The girls played really hard, and we are still developing the depth it takes to be competitive for four quarters when key starters are sidelined,” he added.
The Pirate’s final regular season game was Tuesday after press deadline against Charles Wright.
— Gary Means is the assistant coach of the Vashon girls basketball team.
