Girls Basketball vs Cascade 12-12-08

Entering league play with a 1-1 record, the varsity girls basketball ball team took on the Cascade Bruins at home last Friday, December 12th, coming away with a win.
The freshman game started out slow, with the teams only able to score 4 points each in the first period. The 2nd period went better, with Kaileen Burleson leading the way, scoring 4 of the teams’ 10 2nd-period points, and leading the Wildcat freshman to a 14-11 halftime lead. The 3rd period was very slow, with only DJ scoring any points for Oak Harbor, and she scored only one basket and Cascade scoring only 5 to tie the game at 16 each at the end of the 3rd. Neither team took control of the game during the final period, but the Bruins were able to score 10 points to the Wildcat’s 7 to win the game 26-23. One big difference in the game was the Wildcat free throw shooting. As a team they took 14 shots from the line, making only 1. Leading the Wildcats in scoring for the 2nd game in a row was Kaitlynn Rossman with 6, then Burleson and DJ each with 4. Lia Pantoleon had 3 while Heavenly Cooper, Rayan Russell and Kristen Winston 2 each.
Jessica James went 7-12 from the free throw line, scoring a total of 13 points as the JV team blasted the Bruins 47-30. The game started close, and Cascade led 5-0 at one point, and the Wildcats did not score until Molly DeLeon hit halfway through the first to make it 5-2. Right after that, Janelle Yoshimoto got a steal and went the distance to make it 5-4 Cascade. The ‘Cats then scored twice more in the last 2 minutes to make it 11-9 for Cascade at the end of 1. The 2nd was back and forth, with 5 tie scores and neither team getting more than a 2-point lead. Cascade scored at the last second (because the ref missed a travel call, confirmed by looking at the tape), to take a 23-22 lead into the locker room. The Oak Harbor defense took control of the third period, allowing only a single point, while counting baskets by James, DeLeon and freshman Gloria Lonsdale. The Wildcats kept up the defensive pressure and opened up the offense, winning the final period 16-6 and the game 47-30. The JV scoring was spread around, with every girl getting points. James led the way with her 13, followed closely by Yoshi with 12 (11 of them in the 1st half). DeLeon had 7, Shantae young 6, Tatiana Cumming and Gloria Lonsdale 4 each, and Mariah Ferguson hit a free throw.
It was all Wildcats in the varsity game. The girls sprinted out to a 12-2 lead midway through the first period and never looked back. Nikki Mowbray got things started with a short jumper, and then a pair by Jen Jansen made it 6-0 less than 1-1/2 minutes into the game. The Wildcats continued to dominate in the first period, scoring 23 points against just 7 for Cascade. The Bruins got into the game in the 2nd, scoring 13 points, but Jessica Denmon had 8 by herself as the Wildcats increased their lead to 39-20 at the half. Cascade tried to make a comeback in the 3rd, scoring 21 points to the Wildcats’ 10, but the ‘Cats held on to start the 4th with a 49-41 lead. At this point, everyone in the gym could see that the Cascade team was falling apart, and the Wildcats took advantage of that by stepping up the defensive pressure. While it was 49-41 at the start of the 4th, with just 6:42 left it was 55-41, due to a quick flurry by Mowbray – she scored all 6 points to open the 4th. Jen Jansen added a pair later while Tiffany Earnhart and Cheyenne Tubo also scored as the Wildcats romped 67-47. While the ‘Cats scored 67 points, the team only made one 3-pointer, and scored 16 points from the free throw line. Mowbray and Denmon share the scoring honors with 17 each, while Jen Jansen was also in double figures with 13. Earnhart went 7-for-8 from the line and added a field goal on her way to 9 points. Clarissa Abadesco and Cori Henricksen had 4 each, Tubo 2, and Kathryn Fisken got her first point of the year, a free throw in the 1st period.
The girls have three games this coming week. They are at home Saturday, December 20th, their last game of the year, and are on the road Wednesday the 17th at Snohomish and Friday the 19th at Everett. That’s right – 3 games in 4 days. It’s a good thing Christmas break is coming up!

Photos from the games can be found HERE.

A few video highlight clips are HERE.