By Anastasia Stepankowsky

West Seattle got a taste of the thievery it had inflicted on opponents all season. The Wildcats couldn’t recover from a first half littered with turnovers and fell to the Lynnwood Royals 60-36 Thursday afternoon in girls state tournament action at the Tacoma Dome.

With point guard Gabby Sarver out with an injury, the Wildcats could not get the ball down the court. The Royals forced 17 turnovers before intermission, and West Seattle only attempted 13 shots before the half. Lynnwood led 29-17 at the break.

West Seattle head coach Sonya Elliott said the Wildcats couldn't handle the Royals’ pressure with Sarver out.

“They’re an aggressive, trapping defense. We knew exactly what they were going to do, and we practiced against it. We had guys come in and do the same defense. And so I think there is a time as a coach where you show them what they’re going to be up against and you practice it and then sometimes it doesn’t always come through in the game,” Elliott said.

The Royals held junior center Lydia Giomi, who averages almost 15 points per game, to four points in the first half and five overall. The only Wildcat to end with double digits was senior Charli Elliott, who netted 11 points.

West Seattle managed to protect the ball better in the second half and doubled its shot attempts. But the Wildcats couldn’t stop Lynnwood’s offense. Three Lynnwood players scored in double digits. Jordyn Edwards, Mikayla Pivec, and Kelsey Rogers had 18, 11, and 10 points, respectively. All three players also contributed to a defensive effort that held the Wildcats to a 28.6 percent field goal percentage.

Despite the lopsided outcome, “I’m proud of them because we’re here,” Elliot said. “I knew Lynnwood would be a tough opponent. I thought that we came out pretty strong but then we started to play fearful instead of playing our game. Part of that is it’s our first time at state. We just have to come back and take care of business tomorrow.”

The Wildcats play Prairie at 10:30 a.m. Saturday at the Dome. A victory would give them a chance to play for fourth place against the winner of the Wilson/Arlington game at 8:00 a.m. Saturday.

“Right now I think the number-one thing is to get these guys some rest and lots of liquids, and then the coaches and I will sit down and kind of get a game plan prepared,” Elliott said.