GBB 2012-01-31 at Glacier Peak and 2012-02-02 vs Getchell

The Oak Harbor girls basketball teams finished their season with games at Glacier Peak and then at home for Senior Night against Marysville-Getchell

In the Glacier Peak games, the Grizzlies showed why they were one of the top teams in WESCO 3a, beating all three OH teams easily. In the C team game, GP jumped to an early 14-5 leand then set it on cruise control to the 51-23 final. KC Winfield and Tierra White each scored 6 points for the Wildcats, Irene Gribble 5, and Jessica Hollins, Kenna Prosch and Kaitlyn Haley 2 each.

The final in the JV game was 55-24 for the Grizzlies. Individual OH scores were not available.

Things started well in the varsity games. Two long passes from Morgan Young to Dominique Jackson ended in 4 points for the Wildcats, then Annie Leete made it 6-5 for Oak Harbor. Glacier Peak woke up about that time and went on a 16-3 run to end the first period 21-9. The two teams went back and forth in the second, which ended with GP ahead 35-24, but in the 3rd extended the lead to 50-28 on the way toa 72-36 win.

Leete finished the game with 14 pints, DJ had 8, Kelsey Rankin 6, Jalani Bobo and Morgan Young 3 each and Ciera Wiser 2.

Glacier Peak video clips are here

GP photos are HERE

On Feb 2nd, the OH "C" team had their highest scoring game of the year, destroying the visiting Chargers 66-28. The Wildcats held their opponents to just 2 points in the first quarter then exploded for 22 points of their own in the final period to set the final score. Three Wildcats finished in double figures - Tierra White with 18, Angelica Brown with 12 and Jessica Hollins with 10. Kenna Prosch and KC Winfield each added 9 points and Irene Gribble 8.

Offense again proved the Achilles Heel of the JV squad as they scored only 26 points while allowing Getchell 35. Down by 5 at halftime, the Wildcats rallied and took an 18-17 lead with 3:35 left in the third, but Getchell scored 13 to Oak Harbor's 7 in the final period to win the game 35-26. Liz Lym scored 9 to lead the 'Cats, Brook Peplinski and Danielle Teasley 6 each, Melanie Callaway3 and Haley Lundstrom 2.

The varsity game started with Senior Night activities and the introduction of the 6 graduating seniors and their parents. Playing their last game in a Oak Harbor uniform were Erika Flores, Lia Pantoleon, Tatiana Cumming, Kaileen Burleson, Rayan Russell and Dominique Jackson (DJ). After the intros, Rayan Russell went up in the bleachers to get the microphone from announcer Jay Long and sang a stirring rendition of the National Anthem.

When the game got underway, the 'Cats grabbed an early 13-6 lead and extended it to 28-15 at halftime. Getchell hung with Oak Harbor in the third, which ended 34-23 in favor of OH, but the Wildcats went on to beat Getchell for the second time this year, by a 45-33 score. None of the Wildcats scored in double figures, but 10 players got on the board. Russell and junior Morgan Young each finished with 7 points, DJ had 5 and Lia Pantoleon 4. Scoring 2 points each were Jalani Bobo, Tatiana Cumming, Kaileen Burleson, Marissa Lewis, Kelsey Rankin and Ciera Wiser.

Click HERE for Getchell video highlights

HERE are photos from the Getchell game

GBB 2012-01-25 vs Meadowdale

It was another rough night for the OHHS girls basketball teams as they went up against the Meadowdale Mavericks.

On the "C" team, the Wildcats were down by 5 at the first horn and a manageable 7 at halftime, 21-14, then closed the gap to just 6 points at the end of the third, but the Mavs finished the game by holding OH to just 4 points in the final period, winning 36-14. Kenna Prosch was the lead scorer with 9 points. Irene Gribble finished with 6, KC Winfield and Tierra White 4 each and Kaitlyn Haley 1.

In the JV game, the Wildcats didn't score until the 4:48 mark in the first quarter when Danielle Teasley sank a pair of free throws. By game's end, the 'Cats had scored only 14 points against an aggressive Meadowdale press while the Mavericks finished with 59 points.

Teasley led the Wildcat scoring with 6 pints, Liz Lym scored 4 and Brook Peplinski and Cassidy Gurich 2 each.

Free throws kept the varsity team alive in the first half. Oak Harbor was 10-for-12 in the first half from the line and a buzzer-beating shot by Annie Leete made the score 21-18 in favor of Meadowdale at halftime.

Meadowdale came out of the locker room on fire and scored 18 points in third to Oak Harbor's 10 and finished the game with a 48-33 win.

Leete topped Oak Harbor with 12 points - three 3-pointers and three free throws. Ciera Wiser scored 7, and Dominique Jackson and Marissa Lewis had 3 each. Jalani Bobo, Lia Pantoleon, Rayan Russell and Morgan Young scored 2 each, all from 100% free throw shooting.


JV, Varsity and C team photos are posted HERE.

Video highlights are posted HERE.

GBB 2012-01-23 vs Everett

It was not a good night for the OHHS girls basketball teams Monday night against the visiting Everett Seagulls.

The "C" team did not score any points in the first quarter while allowing 16 and never got on track offensively. In the end it was Everett 45, OH 22. Tierra White scored 8, Irene Gribble and KC Winfield 5 each and Jessica Hollins 4.

In the JV game, OH lead 8-6 at the first horn, but scored only a single free throw in the 2nd and only 4 points in the 3rd. Everett won 31-20. Liz Lym scored 8 for the 'Cats, Hayley Lundstrom 4, and Melanie Callaway, Brook Peplinski, Sierra Southwick and Danielle Teasley scored 2 each.

Annie Leete scored 11 of 17 Oak Harbor points in the first quarter and drained six 3-pointers in the game, but OH could not keep up with the Everett offense, falling 72-37. Leete finished with 22 points, Ciera Wiser 7, Dominique Jackson 3, Jalani Bobo and Marissa Lewis 2 each and Rayan Russell 1.

The girls are at home again Wednesday against Meadowdale, then hit the road Friday at Mountlake Terrace, then Saturday in a makeup game at Shorewood. Next week, on Feb 2nd, the girls have senior night against Marysville-Getchell.

Photos are posted HERE

Video clips are posted HERE.

GBB 2012-01-21 vs Lynnwood

After a long, unexpected layoff, the Wildcat girls basketball team returned to action on Saturday in a makeup game against Lynnwood.

The C game in the dome was a foulfest from beginning to end. Oak Harbor ended the game shooting 42 free throws and Lynnwood made 19 attempts. Both teams' FT shooting percentage was right around 25%. Oak Harbor led 10-4 at the first horn and held on to the 6-point lead into the half, 21-15. The second half belonged to the Wildcats as they bumped their lead to 36-20 in the third and won 46-24. Jessica Hollins and Tierra White were both in double figures in scoring, Hollins with 15 and White with 11. KC Winfield finished with 9, Carmen Riveiro-Moreno and Kenna Prosch both with 4 and Angelica Brown with 2.

A missed free throw with just 4 seconds left in overtime was the difference in the JV game. After taking nearly 3 minutes off the clock before either team scored, Oak Harbor led 9-8 at the end of the first period. The Lynnwood defense held OH scoreless in the second, but the Royals scored only 4 points of their own and led 12-9 at halftime. The Wildcats crawled back and were down 23-22 at the end of the 3rd, and a late score tied the game 30-30 at the end of regulation.

In the Overtime period, Oak Harbor scored early and led 35-33 late when a Royal player was fouled on a shot attempt. The Lynnwood player sank the first free throw but missed the second. The ball was rebouned by Hayley Lundstrom who was able to hold on until the buzzer sounded. The Wildcats scored 2 field goals and made one of two free throws in the extra session, while Lynnwood made 1 field goal and missed on 3 of 5 free throw attempts.

Lundstrom led the JV scoring with 13 points. Liz Lym scored 6, Brook Peplinski and Sierra Southwick 5 each, and Danielle Teasley, Melanie Callaway and Natalie Fiallos finished with 2 each.

The varsity game was all Lynnwood from the start. The Royals jumped to an early 14-4 lead and never looked back, winning 44-26. Ciera Wiser and Annie Leete both finished with 8 points, Kelsey Rankin 6, Rayan Russell and Marissa Lewis 2 each.

The girls play next Monday night at OHHS against 7-4 Everett.

Photos from all 3 games are posted HERE.

JV and varsity video highlights are posted HERE.

GBB 2012-01-04 vs Glacier Peak

The Glacier Peak Grizzlies came to Oak Harbor Wednesday night undefeated in league play - for all three teams. Their Freshman/C team, JV team and Varsity teams were all 6-0 in league play. They all ended the night 7-0 at the expense of the Wildcats.

In the dome, Tierra White led the Wildcats with 5 points and Irene Gribble added 4. Kenna Prosch, Jessica Hollins and KC Winfield scored 2 each in the 53-15 loss.

For a while, it looked like the JV team might keep up with GP. Morgan Young scored 6 in the first quarter which ended 15-6, but the floodgates opened in the second when the Grizzlies scored 24 to take a commanding 39-8 halftime lead and won 58-14. Young's 6 points led the team. Liz Lym scored 4 and Brook Peplinski and Sierra Southwick 2 each.

It was all Glacier Peak from start to finish. Although DJ scored the first points of the game, GP dominated, winning 61-20. Jackson finished with 8 points, scoring in each quarter. Jalani Bobo and Annie Leete scored 3 each and Tatiana Cumming, Kelsey Rankin and Ciera Wiser had 2 each.

The first half of the season ends Friday when the girls travel to Marysville-Getchell to take on the Chargers. The Getchell varsity and JV squads are winless in league play while the "C" team won a single game.

Photos of C, JV and varsity teams are posted HERE.

Video highlights are HERE.

GBB 2011-12-22 vs Mountlake Terrace

In a mostly empty gym Thursday evening, the Oak Harbor girls basketball team played against the Mountlake Terrace Hawks.

Both Wildcat teams were short of players due to a number of reasons. On the JV team, three girls were called up from the "C" squad to make an 8-girl team. The JV girls had little luck on offense and lost 48-12. Leading the JV team was Danielle Teasley with 6 points. Brook Peplinski, Irene Gribble and Natalie Fiallos scored 2 each.

The varsity squad was short 3 starters but at least had a full bench. Starting the game were Tatiana Cumming, Rayan Russell, Morgan Young, Kelsey Rankin and Annie Lette.

In the first quarter the 'Cats stayed with the Hawks, ending down just 2 points, 9-11. In the second quarter, however, Oak Harbor could only muster 5 points, all on free throws and fell behind 31-14. The Oak Harbor defense stepped up after a halftime chat with the coach, holding the Hawks to just 5 points, but the offense again put up only 5 of their own. Both teams scored 12 in the final period as MLT won 48-31. Leading the Wildcats were Kelsey Ranking and Annie Leete, each with 10 points. Rayan Russell put up 7 points and Natalie Fiallos and Morgan Young had 2 points each.

The Wildcats host their annual Santa Slam tournament on the 29th and 30th of December. Pullman, Lewiston, ID and Bear Creek HS from Redmond are sending varsity teams. Anacortes is the only JV team attending this year, and in the dome, it will be OH Anacortes, South Whidbey and Lynnwood with "C" teams.

Anacortes and Lynnwood play at 2:20 in the dome while the OH and Anacortes JV squads go at it at the same time in the main gym. The OH varsity plays at 4pm in the main gym against Pullman.

On the 30th, the OH and Anacortes JV teams play again, starting at 9am and at the same time the two losers of the "C" games play each other. The two "C" winners play at 10:20am.

The OH varsity team plays at noon on December 30th in the final game of the tournament against Lewiston.

Video highlights are HERE.

Photos are posted HERE.

GBB 2011-12-14 vs Shorewood

Wednesday evening the Wildcats hosted the Shorewood Thunderbirds.

The "C" team game was bordering on dull. At the end of the first quarter the score was 5-2 in favor of the T-birds and 5-5 at halftime. Shorewood scored a 3-pointer early and followed it up with a field goal, then the Wildcats had a pair of field goals by Kaitlyn Haley and Kenna Prosch and a free throw by KC Winfield.

Things were more lively in the second half, with OH scoring 12 points (6 by Tierra White) in the 3rd period and Shorewood scoring 9, leaving OH on top 17-14. The Wildcats added another 9 points in the final period to win the game 26-20. White led the scoring with 8 points, Haley, Prosch and Irene Gribble scored 4 each, Winfield finished with 3, Jessica Hollins 2 and Carme Riveiro-Moreno 1.

In the main gym, the JV squads played neck-and neck for most of the 32 minutes of the game. Oak Harbor was down 8-7 at the end of the first and led 15-14 at halftime. The Wildcats then built a 21-18 lead to start the final quarter. Late in the game the score was tied 27-27, then Shorewood scored a bucket and the Wildcats didn't have enough time left to score one of their own and fell 29-27.

At the end of the first quarter of the varsity game, the Thunderbirds led by just one point, 12-11, and the Wildcats had led as recently at 2:50 with a Kelsey Rankin score. At halftime the lead had grown to 30-23, a concern to the Wildcat coaches, but manageable.

In the third period, however, Shorewood opened the floodgates, scoring 22 points to Oak Harbor's 4 and making their lead 52-27. With the big lead, Shorewood could slow things down for the 4th period, and although the Thunderbirds scored only 8 points, the Wildcats scored only 9, falling 60-36. Again, Annie Leete led the Wildcat scoring with 11 points. Rankin scored 9, Ciera Wiser 6, Marissa Lewis 4, and Tatiana Cumming, Kaileen Burleson and Rayan Russell had 2 each.

Next for the Wildcat women is a trip to "The Pit" at Everett High School on Friday. The Pit is always a tough place to play, as their fans are loud and spirited, and a bit personal at times.

Video highlights from the C, JV and Varsity teams are posted HERE.

98 photos covering all 3 teams are posted HERE.

GBB 2011-12-07 vs Shorecrest

There was no C/Freshman game Wednesday night at OHHS as the visiting Shorecrest Scots did not have a team. As a result, freshman Brook Peplinski was pulled up to fill the spot of an ill JV player.

Shorecrest is a strong, experienced team and the Wildcats just didn't have an answer for the Scots' full-court press. The JV team was down 15-3 at the end of the first quarter, and even though they outscored the Scots in the 2nd quarter, it wasn't enough as the JV girls fell 37-20. The scorebook shows Liz Lym leading the team with 5 points. Peplinski and Melanie Callaway had 4 each, Cassidy Gurich and KC Winfield had 3 each and Danielle Teasley scored 1. In reviewing the video, a field goal credited to Cassidy was actually made by Jamie Estrella.

In the varsity game, the Wildcats also faced a tough press and were down 20-3 at the end of the first quarter and 56-23 at the end of the game. Lia Pantoleon came off the bench to lead the Wildcats in scoring with 8 points. DJ Jackson scored 4, Marissa Lewis and Morgan Young 3 each, Kelsey Rankin and Annie Leete 2 each and Rayan Russell 1.

Next for the girls is a trip to Lynnwood on Monday and then at home vs Shorewood on Wednesday, Dec 14th.

Photos are posted HERE.

Video clips are HERE.

GBB 2011-12-05 vs Squalicum

All three girls teams broke into the win column Monday night against the Squalicum storm, but it wasn't easy.

The freshman teams played close in the first quarter, with OH behind 12-10 then took a 18-16 lead into the locker room at halftime. In the 3rd period, the defense played tough, shutting out the Storm while the offense scored 6, putting OH up 24-16. Defense was still the name of the OH game in the final quarter, but the offense wasn't quiet either. Oh scored 10 points while allowing only 4 to win going away, 34-20. Brook Peplinski and Angelica Brown tied for scoring honors with 10 points each. Kenna Prosch and Irene Gribble scored 5 each, Tierra White 3 and Jessica Hollins 1.

The JV game was also close early, with OH leading 7-6 at the first break. Slowly but surely our girls increased their lead and in the end won 26-17. Liz Lym led the team's scoring with 9 points, Natalie Fiallos added 5, Melanie Callaway 4, Jamie Estrella, Danielle Teasley and Cassidy Gurich 2 each and KC Winfield and Hayley Lundstrom 1 each.

For the varsity, most of the game was a struggle. Squalicum scored first on a 3-pointer, and led 8-2 halfway through the first period. with 3:29 left, Dominique Jackson, with the shot clock running down, launched the ball from outside the arc and swished it to make it 8-5, but Squalicum scored a pair of 3-pointers in the final minute and led 14-6. Early in the second quarter, OH found themselves down 21-6, but cut the gap to 10 points at halftime, 27-17.

The second half much better for the Wildcats. Halfway through the 3rd period they cut the lead to just 4 points, but the Storm was able to regain some and led 33-27 at the start of the 4th. Two points by Jackson made it a 1-point game, 34-35, then Ciera Wiser scored with 5:05 to give Oak Harbor their first lead of the game. With one minute left, Wiser scored again to regain the lead 40-38, but a Squalicum 3-pointer made it 40-41 for the Storm. With 5 seconds left, Coach Clayville called a timeout and drew up a play. The Wildcats inbounded the ball to sharp shooting Annie Leete to launched from behind the line. Her shot bounced off the rim, but Kelsey Rankin was right there, grabbed the rebound and put it up for a score with 2 seconds left. Squalicum wasn't able to score after than and OH won 42-41.

Leete led the OH scoring with 12 points, Dominique Jackson had 9, Ciera Wiser 8, Marissa Lewis 4, Rayan Russell and Rankin 3, Jalani Bobo 2 and Morgan Young 1.

The girls open league play tonight, Wednesday, at OHHS vs Shorecrest.

Video clips, including Kelsey Rankin's last-second putback and DJ Jackson's 3-pointer, are HERE.

Photos of the Freshmen, JV and Varsity squads are posted HERE.

GBB 2011-12-01 vs Arlington

All three girls basketball teams kicked off their 2011-2012 season last night vs the Arlington Eagles at OHHS.

This year there is no freshman team, but a "C" team, as not enough freshmen tried out to make a full team, so 3 sophomores were retained to complete the team. In that game the 'Cats were down by one at the end of the first quarter, 7-8, but came back to take a 2-point lead, 16-14 at halftime. The girls stumbled in the 3rd, scoring just 2 points which allowed Arlington to win 31-26. Irene Gribble led the OH scoring with 9 points, Brook Peplinski and Kenna Prosch both scored 6, Angelica Brown and Carmen Riveiro-Moreno had 2 each and Jessica Hollins had 1.

Things did not go well at all for the JV squad. Down 10-2 at the first buzzer, they were down 16-6 at halftime. They still could not find any answer for the Arlington defense in the second half, and lost the game 17-42. Jamie Estrella scored 5 for the Wildcats, Liz Lym 4, Natalie Fiallos 3, Cassidy Gurich 2 and Danielle Teasley 1.

The same tough Arlington defense also foiled any plans of a Wildcat win in the varsity game, as the Eagles held the Wildcats to just 2 points in the first and third quarters. The final in that game was 51-15 in favor of Arlington. Annie Leete scored 7, Dominique Jackson, Lia Pantoleon and Ciera Wiser 2 each and Tatiana Cummings 1.

The Wildcat girls play again on Monday against Squalicum HS in Bellingham then open league play Wednesday, December 7th against Shorecrest at home.

JV and varsity video clips are HERE.

117 photos of Freshman, JV and Varsity action are posted HERE.

GBB 2011-02-02 vs Glacier Peak

The OH girls basketball team closed out the 2010-2011 season at home against Glacier Peak. After recognizing the 3 graduating seniors - Clarissa Abadesco, Adrianna Royal and Janelle Yoshimoto, the playoff-bound Grizzlies picked apart the Wildcat defense in a 56-23 win. Clarissa Abadesco led the OH scoring with 12 pints, Annie Leete scored 5, Ciera Wiser 4, Jalani Bobo and Addy Royal 1 each.

The JV team also had problems getting the ball through the hoop, dropping their game 53-20. Kelsey Rankin scored 10, Morgan Young and Marissa Lewis 4 each and Rayan Russell 2.

In the dome, the Freshman team just played flat. Starting the game by being shut out in the 1st 8 minutes, the girls scored only 10 points for the entire game. Sam Hawkins scored 5, Angelica Brown and Cassidy Gurich 2 each and Liz Lym 1.

137 photos, including photos from before and after the game, are posted HERE.

Video highlights are HERE.

GBB 2011-01-31 @ Shorecrest

The Oak Harbor girls basketball teams traveled to Shorecrest Monday for their final road game of the year. They all played some decent defense, but unfortunately, forgot to bring their offense along with them.

In the aux gym, the Freshman team scored 8 in the first quarter but only 14 for the rest of the game on the way to a 36-22 loss. KC Winfield scored 6 to lead the team. Jamie Estrella, Liz Lym and Ali Gordy had 4 each and Sam Hawkins and Cassidy Gurich scored 2 each.

The JV game was not fun to watch. The OH girls were down 24-8 at the half and scored only 2 points in the 4th period as they lost 41-15. What was hard about watching that game is that they can and have played better, against stronger teams. On the plus side, exchange student Shoko Yamaguchi scored twice. She and Lia Pantoleon both finished with 4 points, Morgan Young and 3 and Erika Flores and Marissa Lewis each had 2.

The varsity had problems on offense in the 1st 3 periods, scoring 18 points, but got things together a little in the 4th, adding 14 more, but the hole was too deep and they lost 47-32. Emilie Renninger was on top of the Wildcat scoreboard with 8 points. Yoshi had 6, Ciera Wiser and Annie Leete 5 each, with Jalani Bobo, Clarissa Abadesco, Tatiana Cumming and DJ scoring 2 each.

The girls finish their season with senior night on Wednesday, Feb 2nd in the OHHS gym. Come help say goodbye to Yoshi, Clarissa and Addy in their final game as an Oak Harbor Wildcat.

Click HERE for 80 photos from the 3 games.

Click HERE for video highlights.

GBB 2011-01-26 vs MLT - update

By special request, the video highlight clip has been modified. Added to the end of the original clip is a slo-mo replay of Annie Leete's buzzer-beating 3-pointer.

Enjoy

Here's a link to the updated clip.

GBB 2011-01-18 vs Shorewood

The Oak Harbor girls won 2 of the 3 games played Tuesday night at OHHS vs the Shorewood Thunderbirds.

In the freshman game, the OH girls leapt to a 16-3 1st period lead, but stumbled a bit in the 2nd, allowing 19 points - all by 2 by just one player - but held to lead 26-23 at halftime. The defense returned in the 3rd, holding the T-Birds to just two free throws while scoring 19 points to build a 39-25 lead. Defensive pressure continued in the 4th at the Wildcats went on to win 48-29. Coach Eric Collins was pleased with the play of the girls, especially the way the scoring was spread around - 8 different players scored points. KC Winfield was on top with 10 points, Melanie Callaway and Cassidy Gurich 8 each, Sam Hawkins, Ali Gordy and Jamie Estrella 6 each and Liz Lym and Yasmine Keiser 2 each.

After getting down 12-7 in the 1st quarter, the JV team recovered and went on a 13-4 run in the 2nd to lead 20-16 at the half and 39-25 in the 3rd. In the final period, the Wildcat girls had some problems getting the ball past the Shorewood press and Shorewood got their offense back in gear, but some hot shooting at the free throw line - 9 of 15 4th period points were off free throws - preserved the OH win 55-42. Overall the girls were 25-33 from the line. Lia Pantoleon was 6-6 and Kelsey Rankin 10-12. Lia was the top scorer with 16 pints, Kelsey next with 12 and Marissa Lewis 11. Kaileen Burleson finished with 5 points, Rayan Russell 4, Morgan Young 3 and Danielle Teasley and Shoko Jamaguchi 2 each. This was exchange student Jamaguchi's second score of the year.

There was a flurry of 3-pointers to start the varsity game. Just 2 minutes into the game the score was 9-3 for Shorewood with all the points coming from behind the arc. Two minutes later Oak Harbor tied the score at 9 and trailed by just 1 point, 15-14 at the end of the first period. There were some problems in the 2nd as Shorewood went on a 10-2 run and built a 29-18 lead with 2:45 to go in the half. OH recovered a bit, scoring 7 points in the final minutes to cut the T-Bird lead to 31-25 at halftime. Against in the 3rd Shorewood built a double-digit lead which was then cut to 6 at one point, but at the 3rd period buzzer Shorewood led 47-36. The two teams played even in the 4th, but that was it as the Wildcats couldn't cut into the lead and fell 62-51. Janelle Yoshimoto had a hot night, scoring 19 points, 12 off 3-pointers. Clarissa Abadesco added 8, Ciera Wiser 7, DJ, Jalani Bobo and Annie Leete 5 each and Tatiana Cumming 2.

Next for the girls is a trip to Everett on Thursday then a home game Jan 26th, Wednesday, vs Mountlake Terrace.

80 photos are posted HERE.

Video highlights are HERE.

GBB 2011-01-07 vs Shorecrest

Shorecrest was the visitor at OHHS Friday night against the freshman, JV and Varsity girls basketball teams and left with 3 wins.

Both the freshman and JV games were low-scoring but close games.

In the dome, the freshmen held a 13-8 1st quarter lead using a variety of scoring threats. 6 different girls scored in that 1st period. The two teams tied the 2nd quarter 10-10 leaving OH with a 23-18 halftime lead. The Scots turned up their defense in the 3rd, holding the Wildcats to just 4 points while scoring 9 of their own to tie the game at 27. In the final period, Oak Harbor went cold, with Sam Hawkins scoring the only basket of the period. Shorecrest's offense wasn't much better, but was good enough to knock off the 'Cats. Final score OH 29, Shorecrest 35. Sam Hawkins scored 10, Kyla Bernardo (back after a long absence) 6, Ali Gordy 5, Jamie Estrella 3, Melanie Callaway and KC Winfield 2 each and Cassidy Gurich 1.

Oak Harbor started the JV game by building a 4-0 lead, but the 1st quarter ended in a 6-6 tie. Shorecrest then build a small lead, but OH stayed in the game. A bucket by Morgan Young and the made free throw pulled OH to within 1 point, 18-19, and the two teams would stay within a point or two until late in the 3rd when Shorecrest pulled away 27-22. Oak Harbor again closed to within 1 point with 2 minutes left in the game when Rayan Russell scored on a breakaway layin, but with just 37 seconds left, Shorecrest nailed a 3-pointer and won the game 28-33. Morgan Young scored 8 pints, Erika Flores 7, Lia Pantoleon 5, Marissa Lewis 4, and Rayan Russell and Kelsey Rankin 2 each.

Shorecrest struggled early but dominated the 4th period to win 59-41. OH was down 32-19 at halftime but came back to within 8 points early in the 4th, but could not find away to grab rebounds away from the Scots' two 6-footers. The final in the varsity game was 59-41 in favor of Shorecrest. Clarissa Abadesco score 10, Annie Leete 8, Ciera Wiser 7, Janelle Yoshimoto 5 along with Emilie Renninger and Jalani Bobo 2.

The girls are away this week with games at Glacier Peak and Lynnwood. Their next home game is Tuesday, Jan 18th vs Shorewood.

A total of 80 photos covering all 3 teams are posted HERE.

Video clips are HERE.

GBB 2011-01-05 vs Meadowdale

Wednesday, Jan 5th the OH girls opened play in 2011 with a visit from the 2nd place Meadowdale Mavericks.

Over in the dome, it was a close game early, with Oak Harbor holding the edge at the end of the 1st period 15-12 then went on an 11-5 run in the second to lead at halftime 16-17. The 'Cats went cold in the 3rd period, sinking only a single free throw while allowing 11 Meadowdale points, and went into the final period down by a point, 17-28. In the 4th, the Wildcats got back on track and scored 8 points, but allowed 10 to end the game losing 35-38. Sam Hawkins scored a team-high 17 points before she fouled out and KC Winfield had a good game with 9 points. Liz Lym and Natalie Fiallos scored 3 each, Melanie Callaway 2 and Cassidy Gurich 1.

In the JV game, things got ugly early. Meadowdale sprinted to a 12-0 lead before Oak Harbor was able to score with 3:10 to go in the first and didn't score again until less than a minute to go. The first period ended with Meadowdale on top 16-6. The Mavericks increased their lead to 33-18 at halftime. At halftime, Coach Burleson must have had the speech of a lifetime as the girls came out on fire in the 3rd, especially on defense. They allowed only 5 points while scoring 11 to close the score to 38-29, and in the 4th turned it up more. With 4:15 left Meadowdale led 42-34, then with 1:23 left a 3-point bomb by Lia Pantoleon cut the lead to just 1 point, 41-42. For the next minute the two teams went back and forth until with just 17 seconds left, Kelsey Rankin drove into the key and put the ball in to put OH in the lead 43-42. After a scramble at the Meadowdale end of the court, the ball went out of bounds with 3 seconds left and the ref pointed in the Wildcats' direction, and the girls held on to the ball to win 43-42. Morgan Young led the scoring with 12 points, Lia Pantoleon added 11 and Kelsey Rankin finished with 10. Marissa Lewis and Rayan Russell scored 4 each and Erika Flores 2.

The varsity game was close early, with Meadowdale leading just 13-10 at the first horn behind 7 Emilie Renninger points, but the Mavericks then showed their experience by doubling up on the Wildcats in both the 2nd and 3rd quarters to take a 41-24 lead into the 4th and won 58-33. Renninger finished with 10 points to lead the 'Cats, Clarissa Abadesco added 8, Ciera Wiser 5, Janelle Yoshimoto 3, and Jalani Bobo, Annie Leete and Dominique Jackson scored 2. Tatiana Cumming scored 1 point.

85 photos of the 3 teams are posted HERE. Included are group and individual photos of the JV girls.

Video highlights are HERE.

Next for the girls is a Friday matchup against 1-4 Shorewood (2-9 overall) at OHHS.

GBB 2010-12-29 and 30 - Santa Slam

As has been the tradition for the past few years, the Oak Harbor girls basketball team has hosted a holiday Santa Slam tournament at OHHS. This year the participants were Oak Harbor, Eatonville, Anacortes and North Thurston in the varsity division, Oak Harbor, N. Thurston and Anacortes in JV and Oak Harbor, S. Whidbey, Monroe and Anacortes in the Freshman bracket.

The JV bracket was turned into a round robin due to team numbers issues with Eatonville, so the OH JV team wound up playing 2 games on the first day of the tournament. They started against North Thurston and played the game close, but lost 31-24. Lia Pantoleon and Morgan Young led the team with 5 points each, Kaileen Burleson, Marissa Lewis and Kelsey Rankin 4 each and Erika Flores 2. The second game was against Anacortes and although the OH girls were down most of the game, they pulled out a 33-31 win. Morgan Young was hot in that game, scoring a team-high 13 points. Rayan Russell hit for 4, Natalie Fiallos, Flores and Pantoleon 3 each, Burleson, Lewis and exchange student Shoko Jamaguchi 2 each.

South Whidbey was the first opponent for the freshman team, and they beat them soundly, 29-16. Sorry, but individual scores aren't available. In the championship game against Monroe, the frosh girls struggled against a very good Bearcat team. Our girls found themselves down 18-6 at the end of the 1st period and it didn't get any better. Jamie Estrella finished with 8 points, Cassidy Gurich and Kaitlyn Haley 3 each, Sam Hawkins, Olivia Hunt, Melanie Callaway and KC Winfield 2 each. The freshman team finished in 2nd place in the tournament.

Wednesday the Wildcat varsity squad faced Eatonville. The game was close for the first 3 quarters, with the 3rd ending in a 40-40 tie, but in the 4th, Eatonville outscored the Wildcats 18-9 to win 58-49 and advance to the winner's bracket. Oak Harbor had 3 players in double figures in that first game. Clarissa Abadesco scored 19 points, Emilie Renninger 13 and Janelle Yoshimoto 10. Addy Royal added 4, Dominique Jackson 2 and Annie Leete 1.

Still searching for their first win of the season, the Wildcats took on North Thurston on Thursday. Things didn't start well for our girls as NT led 12-7 at the first buzzer and increased their lead to 20-12 early in the 2nd period. Oak Harbor then started to chip away at the Ram lead, and with 1:21 to go in the half, Ciera Wiser hit a pair of free throws to tie the game at 23, then just 9 seconds later, an Annie Leete jumper gave OH a 25-23 lead. North Thurston would score once more before the horn as the teams went to the locker room tied at 25. The early part of the 3rd period went back and forth, but 8 points by Royal put the Wildcats ahead 38-32 at the end of the 3rd. North Thurston closed the gap and the last minute of the game was a nail biter with the team separated by just a point. In the end, though, the Oak Harbor girls did what they needed to do and got the 51-49 victory. Scoring in the game was spread evenly, with 8 girls getting points. Yoshi was at the top of the leaderboard with 10 points, Royal scored 9, DJ 8, Leete 7, Tatiana Cumming 5 and 4 each by Abadesco, Renninger and Ciera Wiser.

Next for the girls are home games Jan 5th against Meadowdale and Jan 7th vs Shorewood.

Day 1 photos are posted HERE. These include some off-court photos.

Day 2 photos are posted HERE. Group and individual images of the freshman and varsity girls are included.

Day 1 video clips are HERE. Highlights from the Freshman and Varsity games.

Day 2 video clips are HERE. Varsity highlights only.

It was a tough night at Mountlake Terrace for the girls basketball teams.

Over in the Aux gym, the Freshman team, minus two key players, was having problems on offense, scoring only 4 points in the 1st period and 11 by halftime while allowing 34 by the Hawks. In the 27-57 loss, Sam Hawkins was a bright spot with 14 points. Gordy and Lyn scored 4 each, Hunt and Gurich 2 each and Estrella 1 point.

JV was down by 2 at the end of the first but led 21-18 at half and 34-26 at the end of the 3rd. They held off a late charge by MLT to win 41-37. Lia Pantoleon scored 12 for the team, Morgan Young and Marisa Lewis had 8 each and Kelsey Rankin 5. Erika Flores and Rayan Russell scored 4 each.

At the end of the 1st quarter, the varsity team was up 17-15, but poor shooting in the 2nd let the Hawks take a 10-point 35-25 lead into the locker room at halftime. The teams played almost even in the 3rd, but another offensive letdown in the 4th gave Terrace the 61-44 win. Yoshi scored 13 for the 'Cats and Ciera Wiser had a season-high 12 points. Annie Leete added 8, Addy Royala 5 and DJ 2.

Video clips are HERE.

Photos are HERE. Sorry for the low quality and quantity, but lighting conditions in that gym were horrible.

GBB 2010-12-17 vs Everett

The Varsity girls basketball team had their best offensive game of the year, scoring 55 points but they allowed 68 points for the visiting Everett Seagulls.

The game started out great for Oak Harbor as they led 10-6 halfway through the 1st period and 15-10 after DJ scored from outside with 2:44 left in the 1st. Everett chipped away at the lead, taking it back late in the period. Tatiana Cumming scored with 8 seconds left to give OH a 1-point lead but Everett hit with 3 seconds left to lead 18-17 at the end of the 1st period.

The 2nd period was almost all Everett at they went on a 23-9 run to tak a 41-26 lead into the locker room at halftime. The two teams played nearly evenly the rest of the game, but the Wildcats were not able to chip away much at the Seagull lead.

Even with the loss, there were several highlights from the game. First, the girls were 12 of 16 from the free throw line, and they made nine 3-point goals.

Yoshi finished the game leading all scorers with 22 points and Annie Leete was also in double figures with 12. Emilie Renninger, who missed much of the game as she was getting stitches in a cut in her lip, returned and finished with 8 points. Clarissa Abadesco scored 5, DJ 4 and Addy Royal and Tatiana Cumming 2 each.

In the JV game, the girls found themselves down through the entire game but were never out. Beginning the 4th period, Everett held a 32-23 lead but the Wildcats, behind some sharp outside shooting cut the lead to 40-35 with 1:37 left, but Everett held on to win 43-35. Lia Pantoleon scored 15 points and Morgan Young 11. Marisa Lewis had 6, Kelsey Rankin 2 and Kaileen Burleson 1. Fifteen of the Wildcats' 43 points came off of 5-point shots, 4 by Pantoleon.

The freshmean team, after a string of double-digit wins, struggled against Everett, losing 37-31. Hawkins scored 16 points, Estralla and Callaway 4 each, Gurich 3, and Hunt and Lym scored 2 each.

Next up for the girls is a trip next Wednesday to Mountlake Terrace, the the annual Santa Slam tournament on December 29th and 30th.

Video highlights are HERE.

77 photos of Freshman, JV and Varsity action are HERE.

GBB 2010-12-10 vs Lynnwood

Last Friday the Wildcat girls opened their league season with a matchup against the #8 ranked Lynnwood Royal.

For the 1st half of the opening period, the Wildcats played right with the Royals, down by only 4 points, 12-8. However, the Wildcats would not score a field goal again until the 5:04 point in the 2nd period, when Dominique Jackson (DJ) scored to make it 31-11 in favor of Lynnwood and by halftime the Royals had opened a 41-16 lead. In the 2nd half the Wildcats upped their offensive output, scoring 10 in the 3rd and 11 in the 4th, but Lynnwood was just too much for the young Wildcat team and won 67-37. Even with the lopsided score, coach Clayville though the girls played their best game of the year and were missing Clarissa Abadesco and Addy Royal, leaving Janelle Yoshimoto (Yoshi) as the only senior on the court for the Wildcats. Sophomore Emilie Renninger was tops in scoring for the Wildcats with 9 points, followed by Yoshi with 8. Annie Leete put in 6 points, Tatiana Cumming and DJ 4 each and Rayan Russell and Jalani Bobo 3 each.

After a lackluster performance in the 1st half which ended in an 18-18 tie, the JV squad kicked both their offense and defense into high gear in the 2nd half. They held the Royal JV team to just 4 points, none in the 4th period and poured in 28 points, led by Lia Pantoleon who scored all of her 19 points in the 2nd half. In the end it was Oak Harbor 42, Lynnwood 22. Others scoring were Morgan Young with 9 points, Erika Flores with 5, Russell and Kaileen Burlseon 4 each, Natalie Fiallos and exchange student Shoko Jamaguchi 2 each and Danielle Teasley 1.

The freshman team also played strong, holding Lynnwood to just 2 points in the 1st period and only 6 points in the 1st half while scoring 21 points of their own. The final in that game was Oak Harbor 44, Lynnwood 20. Sam Hawkins had a great game with 18 points. Jamie Estrella scored 8, Cassidy Gurich 5, Yasmine Keiser and Angelica Brown 4 each, KC Winfield 3 and Melanie Callaway 2.

The girls travel to 0-3 Shorewood next Wednesday to find their first win of the season, then play 3-1 Everett at home next Friday.

Video highlights from the JV and varsity games are HERE.

68 photos covering the Freshman, JV and Varsity games are HERE.