The Ballard High School girls' basketball team's impressive defense was not enough to overcome a sputtering offense as the Beavers lost two in a row to start conference play.

Ballard head coach Derek Fulwiler said the defense played well enough to win both those games, but the struggling offense failed to convert some easy baskets.

"We're getting good shots," he said. "But for one reason or another they're not going down."

Ballard dropped to 1-3 overall, 0-2 in the conference, with last week's 43-34 loss to Inglemoor and 37-34 loss to Lake Washington. Its lone win was a 40-26 victory against Ingraham on Dec. 4.

Apart from allowing Kennedy High School to scorch them for 80 points in the Dec. 1 season opener, the Ballard defense has held its next three opponents to 35.3 points per game.

During that stretch the Beavers actually averaged 36 points per game, but the team has not been able to put the ball in the hoop when it counts.

Fulwiler said the it always takes the offense a little time to catch up with the defense, but Ballard struggled on offense more than usual last week.

To make things more difficult for Ballard they lost their leading scorer for the Dec. 12 match up against Lake Washington.

Senior point guard Brianna Green had 28 points for the Beavers in the first three games but sprained her ankle in practice prior to last Friday's game.

Fulwiler said some of the younger players stepped up in Green's absence, especially sophomore forward Elena DeWeese who led all scorers with 15 points. Unfortunately it wasn't enough to get the job done, he said.

One of Ballard's main troubles this season has been starting halves slow and putting itself in holes it can't dig out of.

Ballard has been outscored 50 to 22 in the first quarter and 55 to 34 in the third quarter this season. In comparison, the Beavers have outscored opponents 60 to 46 in the fourth quarter, including 14 to 11 against Inglemoor and 16 to 10 against Lake Washington last week.

Fulwiler said the team is working on its slow starts, and the offense is gradually improving.

The Beavers face Garfield and Woodinville this week.