In a game it never led, Seattle Christian dropped a 48-27 Class 1A Nisqually League girls basketball decision to visiting Eatonville on Tuesday, Dec. 4, in the first half of a girls-boys doubleheader.
SCS turned the ball over 29 times against the Eatonville turnover total of 15 as the decisive factor. The Warriors held a slight edge in shooting percentage from the filed (33.3 versus 32.2), but the Cruisers fired 59 shots while the Warriors only ignited 33 as a direct result of turnovers.
"We're still working on it," declared Warrior head coach Dave Jansen. "We were glad to hang with them as long as we could. Eatonville is a good team and the girls had the chance to see where we need to get. They played hard and stayed together."
Early action became very competitive after SCS trailed 6-0 midway through the first quarter. A 48-second sequence featuring Aly Kaler quickly brought the Warriors within 8-7. Kaler began with a long 3-pointer and then stole the ball en route to a 3/4 of the court drive and lay up.
Following a Cruiser basket, Kaler came up strong on a put back basket.
Mariah May powered into the post for a basket with 2:33 left in the first quarter and the score was tied at 9-9.
Eatonville regained the lead and claimed a 13-9 edge after one quarter.
Stretching their lead to 20-11, the Eatonville Cruisers encountered a Seattle Christian Warriors comeback in the second quarter. Kaler struck with a 3-point missile ahead of Ashley Schroder's breakaway lay up.
After Alayna Gleason dished off to Madelyne Weber for a basket, the Warriors had closed in to a 20-18 deficit with 3:37 remaining until halftime. Weber scored from the baseline to keep SCS within two, 22-20, at the 3:21 mark.
From this juncture, the Cruisers drove for a 5-0 scoring burst to lead 27-20 at the half. Kaler's 10 points kept SCS in the battle.
Both teams displayed some questionable decision making in the third quarter, but in the rugged and ragged action Eatonville scored all the points to widen its margin to 34-20 on the way to victory.
"They're really good at the trapping defense and it really threw us off," said Kaler, who earned 15 game points on 6-for-11 shooting from the field. "I just tried to get open and call for the ball."
May captured eight caroms to go along with her four points. Weber claimed seven rebounds with her four points.
Kayley Bass paced Eatonville with 15 points as part of a spread around scoring contribution.
The Seattle Christain girls will join the boys for doubleheaders at Vashon Island on Dec. 7 and at Bellevue Christian on Dec. 11 before returning home for games against Cedar Park Christian (Dec. 14) and Life Christian (Dec. 21). On Dec. 22, SCS will face Sumner in a 10 a.m. encounter at the Showare Center.
