Second quarter solidarity sent Seattle Christian storming past Charles Wright , 42-10, in Nisqually 1A/2A League girls basketball action last Friday at the Warrior campus in SeaTac.
Post player Katie Collier was under constant pressure with the Charles Wright 6-foot, 5-inch center and a roving guard collapsing on her during virtually every Warrior offensive set.
First quarter play was sluggish due to turnovers and ice cold shooting by both squads. Midway through the quarter, SCS led 6-2, before both teams went scoreless into the second quarter.
Moving the post outside created the necessary room for Collier to use her superior maneuverability. Turning her inside defenders every which way but in her path, Collier continually dribbled and faked her way to the hoop, scoring 12 of the Seattle Christian 14-0 scoring points run as the Warriors stormed to a 20-2 advantage with just less than two minutes remaining before halftime.
Collier scored 14 of her game high 18 points in the first half while closing out the game with six rebounds and five blocked shots.
"I need to score more inside as part of our adjustment on offense," observed the 6-2 Collier. "For tonight, especially, I had to step out from the block and go to the high post more, because they had their girl who was tall and big. I used my speed for moving around her. We have to really keep guarding tight on offense."
Following the 22-6 halftime lead, the SCS "Red Wave" engulfed the Tarriers from Tacoma with stifling defense for a 10-0 third quarter domination before substitutes skirmished extensively for both squads in the final quarter.
Eight out of nine suited players scored for SCS in a truly collective effort.
Melding together as a "new" team has been a steady process of restructuring.
"It was just really supporting each other," said Catie Shelton. "We have to use our talent more than we have before. On offense, we try to really watch each other so that we can know where everyone is on the court."
Since the year 2011 began, the Seattle Christian girls have adapted to the season-ending injuries to Lexi Petersen and Carissa Doyle and worked to an unbeaten January.
"We've used the last three weeks to redefine our strengths," said Warrior head coach Bob Kickner. " We're not as polished and have to grind it out. Point guard is by committee and our starting group had to step up. On offense, we've had to use a team press break philosophy because we don't have the speed to fast break every time. More teams will try to press us. (Kelly) Jansen has done good as the primary ball handler, but she has a lot of support. Our focus has been on defense. We're a tough team to score against."
On the next night, No. 6 ranked Class 1A Seattle Christian showed how far the team restructure has come by downing previously undefeated and No. 2 ranked Bellevue Christian 49-46 in overtime.
With BC players literally clinging to her in hordes, Warrior post player Katie Collier responded with a huge game for 29 points, including 17-for-20 from the free throw line.
Bellevue Christian opened up strongly, establishing a 12-3 lead after the first quarter en route to a 23-10 lead which became 23-13 at halftime.
SCS chipped into the margin to trail only 30-23 after three quarters. Behind Collier and with clutch free throw shooting, the Warriors took a brief lead near the end of regulation and settled for overtime.
Bellevue Christian scored the first basket of overtime before the Warriors finally pulled ahead for good and made free throws down the stretch. Shortly before the end of overtime, Collier fell hard on her tailbone, eliciting dead silence in the gym until she got up.
Draping players all over Collier resulted in four BC foul outs of starting players before the overtime ended. One of the key players fouling out for Bellevue Christian was Maren Maines, who provided some muscle at guard.
"Katie played like a Division I player tonight," said Kickner. "She was a warrior out there. It's a regular non-league game, but it was a good gauge of where we're going. The demise of Seattle Christian is not true. It was fantastic with the boys and everyone else watching us. Our fans were great. We'll enjoy this and get back to work on Monday. It gave the girls a confidence boost."
Maddie Harris (7), Jessica Johnson (6), Catie Shelton (5) and Alayna Gleason (2) were the other SCS scorers.
Bree Oldham (13), Kellie Taylor (13) and Alyna Valle (10) led Bellevue Christian.
Seattle Christian finished the week at 13-3 overall and 8-0 league. Bellevue Christian of the Emerald City Conference dropped to 15-1.