In an early-season test of two rebuilding girls programs, it was the Sehome youngsters who held their composure down the stretch to defeat the Ferndale youngsters, 49-39, on Tuesday, Dec. 3.
It was the season opener for Sehome, which has no seniors and only two players with minimal varsity playing time. It was only the second game for the Golden Eagles (1-1), who only return three players with varsity experience.
“I told the girls … there’d be new roles and growing pains,” said Sehome coach Kim Stensgar. “But if we can continue to play like we did tonight…”
If the Mariners can play like they did at Ferndale, they’ll be a force in the Northwest Conference. Despite early jitters by both teams, Sehome jumped out to a 8-1 lead and held off every Ferndale rally through three quarters.
But when the Golden Eagles finally took a 35-34 lead on Abbey White’s 3-pointer less than a minute into the fourth period, it appeared the Mariners might fold. Instead, their youngsters took over.
Freshman point guard Taylor Turrell, who played the entire game, sank two clutch free throw to give Sehome the lead back; sophomore May Madera hit a 3-pointer; Turrell made a layup; and junior Keira Reeves put in a fastbreak layup to complete a 9-0 Sehome run.
Freshman Ari Gilday’s layup brought Ferndale back within six with three minutes to go, but sophomore Kaitlyn Schroeder scored three buckets inside to give the Mariners’ the double-digit margin.
“We knew they could make a run,” said Stensgar. “We had to find a way to weather the storm.”
The Mariners did it by holding Ferndale to only seven points in the fourth quarter and by spreading the offense around. Turrell had a sensational high school debut with a game-high 15 points, 10 rebounds, and 3 steals; Madera and junior Aspen Barge had 8 points each with Barge also collecting 7 rebounds and a pair of blocks; and Schroeder and Reeves had 7 points each.
“We did a good job of keeping our heads up (after Ferndale’s comeback),” said Barge, one of Sehome’s few varsity veterans. When asked if the team’s poise was a surprise, she said simply, “I think we’ll be a surprise to other people.”
For Ferndale, it was a familiar scenario. With only one starter taller than 5-foot-6 and often playing with four guards on the floor, the Golden Eagles were at a disadvantage against the taller Mariners, who started two 6-footers, a 5-9 forward, and a 5-8 guard.
That meant once again relying on pressure defense and outside shooting. Unfortunately for the Golden Eagles, only four of their 25 3-pointers connected — and going 5 of 15 from the free throw line didn’t help.
Still, Ferndale coach Terri Yost found positives even in defeat.
“We focused, we hustled, and we played well together as a team,” she said. “We’re not tall, so we talk about heart and desire.”
The Golden Eagles were led by their three junior returnees. Jilly Fox, who at 5-10 was Ferndale’s lone inside threat, finished with 11 points and 9 rebounds; White hit three 3-pointers and had 10 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 steals; and Kayla Washington added 7 points.
“Our goal is to rebuild Ferndale basketball,” said White, who had 25 points in the Golden Eagles’ season-opening win Saturday. “We’ll have our ups and downs … but it was really exciting to see the team come together.”
The contest at Ferndale was a non-league affair. The two will square off again at Sehome on Jan. 21 in a NWC counter.
Sehome 49, Ferndale 39
Sehome 17 9 8 15—49
Ferndale 8 10 14 7—39
Sehome: Hartford, Gustafson, Schroeder 7, Turrell 15, Barge 8, Panagos 4, Madera 8, Ke. Reeves 7.
Ferndale: Larrabee 4, Gilday 2, Fox 11, Washington 7, Dawson, Vargas, White 10, Lee 5.
