GBB 2011-01-26 vs Mountlake Terrace

What a game!

If you weren't in the OHHS gym Tuesday night, you missed some exciting basketball! After holding the Hawks to just one point in the first 7 minutes of the game, the Wildcats hit a 3-pointer as time expired to win 46-43.

The first quarter was slow, with a 3-1 score halfway through the period and 14-3 at the first horn but MT closed the gap to 22-17 at halftime. The OH defense held Terrace to just 5 points in the 3rd period, but had some defensive breakdowns in the 4th and with just 11 seconds left, MLT held a 43-41 lead. The Wildcats inbounded the ball and Clarissa Abadesco drove in to tie the game with just 4 seconds left. Terrace started to bring the ball upcourt, but with just 1.1 seconds left were called for a travel in the OH end of the court. Coach Clayville called a timeout, the ball was given to freshman Annie Leete, who had already hit three 3-pointers in the game. Without even really taking a look at the basket, she heaved the ball from around midcourt and the ball dropped in - nothing but net - for a 46-43 Oak Harbor win.

After a poor start, the JV team played close and had a chance to win, but fell short. Terrace led 12-5 at th eend of the first a 21-14 at halftime, but the OH defense held the Hawks to just 3 points in the 3rd period and climbed to within 1 point, 23-24, and took a 29-26 lead with 5:42 left in the game on a pair of Morgan Young free throws, but the OH offense was silent for the final 2 minutes of the game and MLT won 36-30.

In the dome, the freshman team was down 20-10 at halftime and 28-18 at the end of the 3rd, but the offense started moving in the 4th and the defense held the Hawks to just a single field goal, but the gap was just too big and Terrace won 34-30.

Video highlights, including the final two scores in the varsity game are posted HERE.

Click HERE for 73 photos of Freshman, JV and Varsity action.

Girls Basketball 4/26 Spring League

The OHHS girls basketball team is winding down their spring league season and played 2 games last Monday against Lake Stevens. The first game was against the LS JV team and OH won convincingly, 19-8. Against JV teams Oak Harbor is 3-3 on the season.

Right after the JV game the same group of girls, who are all freshmen or sophomores (and one 8th grader) went up against the 6-1 Lake Stevens varsity team. The results in this game were reversed as the Vikings had their way with the Wildcats, winning 55-13

33 photos covering both games are posted HERE.

Girls basketball 2010-03-22 Spring League

The OHHS girls basketball team started their spring league season at Skagit Valley College in Mt. Vernon last Monday.

While there are two teams, a "JV" and a "Varsity", both teams are made up of the same girls, and all are current freshmen with the exception of 3 sophomores and one 8th grader.

The first game, in the JV bracket, was against South Langley in Canada. It was a close game and was tied several times late, but S. Langley was able to get one extra point to win 34-33.

The 2nd game, in the varsity bracket, was against Mt. Baker HS and the Wildcat girls just couldn't seem to get the ball in the basket. It was 17-1 at the half and wound up losing 31-4.

40 photos from the game are posted HERE.

Girls Basketball 2010-02-12 @ Shorewood

For the 2 time in 3 days the OH girls played uninspired basketball. At Shorewood for a one-game, winner-to-district-tournament game, the Wildcat girls let Shorewood run all over them for a 51-43 lead. Shorewood finished in 8th place in WESCO South with a 6-14 record, but due to the large number of 3A schools in the south, Shorewood was the #4 team in 4A.

The Wildcats should have run the Thunderbirds over and left them wondering what hit them.

Instead, Shorewood led 6-0 before OH could score a single point, and it wasn't until the 3:21 mark that OH scored a field goal. The 2nd quarter was similar with Mowbray hitting a field goal with 4:10 left in the half for the Wildcats' first score of the quarter. At halftime Shorewood led 23-18. Oak Harbor finally got some offense going when Nikki Mowbray got hot and the 'Cats started to close the gap. Late in the 4th the Wildcats tied the game at 42 but Shorewood finished the game with a 9-1 run for the win, ending the Wildcat season.

Mowbray finished the game with 24 points, and Jessica Denmon added 14. Clarissa Abadesco scored 4 to complete the Oak Harbor scoring.

A short video clip is posted HERE.

Girls Basketball 2010-02-10 vs Monroe

The Wildcats honored their 5 departing seniors in a short ceremony before Wednesday night's game. Moving on at the end of the year are Molly DeLeon, Jessica Denmon, Jessica James, Nicole Mowbray and Shantae Young. All 5 started their final game, even injured Molly. She was on the court for the tip, but the clock was stopped immediately so she could be replaced.

Before all this, the Freshman team was in the dome having their way with the visiting Monroe Bearcats, at least in the 2nd half. The two team were tied at 14 at the end of the first, and Monroe scored two more than OH in the second to lead 29-27 at halftime. The Wildcats found their defense in the 2nd half, holding the Bearcats to just 6 points in the 3rd. Then, in the final quarter of the 2009-2010 season, the freshman offense got hot. Led by Ciera Wiser's 14 points, the team scored 23 points on their way to a 62-49 win. Wiser finished the game with 29 points, Jalani Bobo 16, Morgan Young 8, Marissa Lewis 6 and Joem Evangelista 3.

The JV team picked up a rare win, beating the visitors 46-40. It's wasn't an easy win as even though the Wildcats led 8-2 halfway through the first, Monroe dug in to take a 10-8 lead at the first horn. OH fought back behind 6 points by Tatiana Cumming to take a 21-20 lead into the locker room at the half. They got started just 7 seconds into the period with a nice pass from Naomi Walker to Kelsey Rankin for an easy layin. OH then got the lead with just 37 seconds left when Walker passed the ball from halfcourt to Cumming for the score. In the 3rd, Nikita Ford had the hot hand, scoring 8 points and increasing the OH lead to 10 points. Not willing to go away easily, Monroe stayed in the game but could only close the gap to 6 points as time expired. Cumming and Rankin both put up 12 points, Ford finished with 8, Walker 5, DJ 4, Kaileen Burleson 3 and Kate Rossman 2.

The varsity game was hard to watch. After a decent first period the girls had problems on both offense and defense. The combined OH offensive output in the 2nd and 3rd quarters was just 14 points while the defense allowed Monroe to score 32 points. In the end, Monroe just had too much for the Wildcats and won 53-36. Jessica Denmon was the OH scoring leader with just 14 points. Nikki Mowbray had 7, Clarissa Abadesco 6, Yoshi 4, Jessica James and Addy Royal 2 each and Shantae Young 1.

The game ended the regular season for the Wildcats and they finished 5th in the WESCO north, forcing a pigtail playoff game at Shorewood, the WESCO South #4, on Friday the 12th.

61 photos of the games and senior night activities are posted HERE.

Video highlights are HERE.

GBB 2-8-2010 vs Marysville

League-leading Marysville came to Oak Harbor Monday night and showed why they are the top team, beating the Wildcats 53-36 in varsity action. It was MP's only win of the night as both the Freshman and JV squads got wins.

The freshman game was back and for in the first half. Morgan Young and Ciera Wiser scored 5 each in the opening period which ended in a 14-14 tie. Jalani Bobo put in 8 of her 16 points in the 2nd but the Wildcats were down 29-27 at halftime. The Wildcat defense got tough in the 3rd, allowing just 6 points and letting OH take a 39-35 lead. MP recovered in the 4th to score 14 points, but that was matched by a single OH player - Ciera Wiser - as OH went on to win 62-49. Wiser finished with an impressive 29 points and Bobo 16. Morgan Young had 8, Marissa Lewis 6 and Joem Evangelista 3.

JV was also close in the first half. OH jumped to an early 8-2 lead but MP came back to tie and then took a 2-point lead at the end of the first period. OH tied it back up 10 seconds into the 2nd period with a nice pass from Naomi Walker to Kelsey Rankin for the layin. Another nice play ended the half. OH got the rebound from a MP shot, Walker brought the ball to midcourt, say Tatiana Cumming open in the paint and got it to her for an easy 2 points, giving OH a 21-19 halftime lead. OH stretched the lead to 10 points at the end of the 3rd as Nikita Ford, playing with a sprained wrist, scored 8 points on the way to a 38-28 lead. The Tomahawks closed the gap in the 4th, getting to within 6 at one point, but OH was able to play keep-away basketball for the last 1:30 of the game and won 46-40. Kelsey Rankin and Tatiana Cumming both finished with 12 points, Nikita Ford 8, Naomi Walker 5, DJ 4, Kaileen Burleson 3 and Kate Rossman 2.

Except for the first period, the varsity game was all Marysville. The Wildcats played good defense and got points from Nikki Mowbray, Jessica James and Clarissa Abadesco and was down by just one point, 12-11 at the end of the first. For the rest of the game, OH had problems on offense. The MP defense held scoring leader Jessica Denmon in check, and when the Wildcats did get shots off they just weren't going in. MP finished the game with nine 3 - pointers and beat the 'Cats 53-36. Denmon scored 9 points in the 4th period to finish with 14. Mowbray had 7, Abadesco 6, Yoshi 4, Addy Royal and Jessica James 2 each and Shantae Young 1.

The girls finished the regular season tonight, Wednesday, with senior night, hosting 2nd place Monroe in the OHHS gym.

6 highlights from the JV and varsity game are HERE.

55 photos are posted HERE.

Girls Basketball 2-3-2010 vs Arlington

The Varsity girls basketball team took another step towards a playoff spot by beating Arlington 67-53 at OHHS Wednesday night. Unfortunately, it was the only win of the night.

The first period of the Freshman game ended with a very low 4-2 score in favor of the Eagles. Both teams warmed up in the 2nd as the Wildcats scored 13 points (10 by Jalani Bobo) to lead 15-13 at the half. It was rough for the Wildcats in the 2nd half as Arlington scored 15 to Oak Harbor's 7, and by the final buzzer Arlington built a 45-31 lead. Bobo finished on top of the Wildcats with 18 points, Morgan Young and Ciera Wiser had 4 each, Emily Saar and Joem Evangelista 2 each and Danielle Teasley 1.

In the main gym, although they lost, the JV squad had one of their better games of the year. OH scored 5 points in the first period, but hit for 12 in the 2nd and 3rd periods to keep the game withing reach. The 4th period started with the 'Cats down 39-29, and OH held Arlington just a single free throw in the 4th period. However, Arlington held OH to the same, so the final was 40-30 in favor of Arlington. 7 Wildcats put points on the board, led by DJ Jackson with 7. Erika Flores added 6 more, Lia Pantoleon 5, Nikita Ford 4, Tatiana Cumming and Kate Rossman 3 and Kaileen Burleson 2.

Arlington battled in the first half of the varsity game. The first quarter ended with OH down 13-12 and with 3 minutes left in the half OH led by just one point, 24-23. In those last 3 minutes Oak Harbor netted 9 more points while allowing 3 to take a 33-26 lead into the locker room. In the 3rd period, Jessica Denmon scored 11 of her 31 points as the Wildcats built a 51-36 lead. Arlington was never out of it, but the 'Cats were able to keep a lead of at least 8 points. One of the differences in the game was free throws. OH sank 20 of 31 attempts while the Eagles only 6 of 13. That difference of 14 points was the OH margin of victory 67-53. In addition to Denmon's 31 points, Nicole Mowbray and Janelle Yoshimoto were also in double figures. Nikki scored 17 and Yoshi 11. Also scoring were Clarissa Abadesco with 6 and Shantae Young with 2.

A video highlight clip is HERE.

Some photos are HERE.

Girls Basketball 2010-01-29 vs Lake Stevens

Unfortunately it was a triple loss Friday night for the Wildcat girls, but two of the three games were close, exciting games.

Taru Ahonen put up 5 points in the first quarter which the freshman team finished leading 8-7. Lake Stevens came back in the 2nd to take a 2-point, 20-18 lead at halftime. OH closed the game in the 3rd to tie the game at 28, holding Lake Stevens to just a single field goal. The other 6 points all came off of free throws. In the 4th, the OH defense stuttered, allowing 17 points by the Vikings. OH tried late to close the gap but came up short in a 45-39 loss. The freshman team continues to spread the ball around, with 7 players scoring points. Morgan Young led the team with 11, Ahonen finished with 9, Joem Evangelista and Ciera Wiser 6 each, Jalani Bobo 3, Emily Saar and Danielle Teasley 2 each.

The JV game was hard to watch. Tatiana Cumming hit a 3-pointer just over a minute into the game, giving OH a 3-2 lead, but it was the last points OH would score until the 6:45 mark in the 3rd period when Dominique Jackson grabbed a rebound and put it back for 2 points. The final was LS 72, OH 19. Cumming scored 7 of the 19 points, DJ finished with 4, Lia Pantoleon and Erika Flores 3 each and Kelsey Rankin 2.

Oak Harbor found themselves in an early 8-16 hole, but fought back. The Wildcats started the 2nd half with a 9-0 run, holding LS scoreless for half the period and building a 29-24 lead. Lake wasn't out yet, and came back to tie the game at 34 at the end of the 3rd. In the final period, the OH offense cooled off and Lake Stevens held Jessica Denmon scoreless. The Vikings helped their cause by sinking 6 free throws in the 4th while OH went 0-for-4. In the end, it was Lake Stevens 49, OH 42. Nikki Mowbray finished with 14, including going 5-for-6 from the line, Denmon had 13, Clarissa Abadesco 6, Janelle Yoshimoto 5 and Emilie Renninger 3.

Just 20 photos, mostly of freshman action, are posted HERE.

A video clip can be found HERE.

GBB 2010-01-27 at Everett

In Everett Wednesday night, the girls basketball team was in "The Pit", the Seagull's underground gym for their 2nd game of the season.

The freshmen got off to a slow start, ending the first period tied 7-7. They woke up in the 2nd, outscoring Everett 14-5 to take a 21-12 lead. The tough wildcat defense continued in the 3rd as the girls held Everett scoreless, increasing the lead to 34-12. In the final period, OH allowed 20 points, all by one girl. The Everett player hit five 3-pointers and added 5 free throws but it wasn't enough as OH scored 16 to win 50-32. Morgan Young scored 15 to lead the team, while Ciera Wiser and exchange student Bet Riba scored 10 each. Marissa Lewis and Jalani Bobo added 6 each and Taru Ahonen scored 3.

As exciting as the freshman game must have been, the JV game was deathly dull for the most part. OH was down early 6-2 but tied the game 6-6 at the end of the first. Everett took another 4-point lead but OH went on an 8-0 run as the half ended with a 14-10 OHHS lead. In the 3rd, Everett was held to just 5 points while OH scored 9, all by Tatiana Cumming. Things were reversed in the 4th period as Cumming sank a single free throw to account for ALL of the Wildcat scoring in the 4th. Everett scored nine, 7 off of free throws to send the game into OT tied at 24. Because the game was already running late, the clock was set at 2:00 for the extra period. Cumming scored just 12 seconds into OT and Lia Pantoleon sank a free throw with 8 seconds left as OH won a very low scoring game, 27-24.

The varsity game started out with OH building a 9-2 lead halfway through the first period behind 5 points by Janelle Yoshimoto. That score held until there was 1:13 left, when Everett scored 6 straight to close the score to 9-8 at the end of the first period. Everett built a small 21-19 lead at halftime. The 3rd period was a display of bad basketball - by both teams. Neither team scored until there was just 2:34 left in the 3rd, when Everett scored, then OH scored 10 seconds later. Everett played tough defense and was able increase their lead to 31-24 by the end of the period. OH played even with the Seagulls in the final period, but couldn't cut into the lead as Everett won 41-34. Nikki Mowbray led the team with 13 points. Clarissa Abadesco scored 9, Jessica Denmon was held to just 5 and Yoshi also finished with 5 points.

39 pics, mostly from between game, are posted HERE.

Video highlights are HERE.

Girls basketball 1-20-2010 vs Cascade

The second half of the season started yesterday in the OHHS gym as the girls basketball team hosted the Cascade Bruins.

Nine different Wildcats scored points in the dome as Oak Harbor demolished the Bruins in freshman action. The score was 19-2 at the first break, and the OH defense held Cascade to just 10 points total in the 52-10 win. Cascade shot only one free throw, which missed. OH shot a total of 28 free throws, but only 11 went in. Leading the scoring was Morgan Young with 19. Taru Ahonen scored 8, Jalani Bobo and Joem Evangelista 6 each, Ciera Wiser 5, Marissa Lewis 4, Paula Gass 2, and Bet Riba and Emily Saar 1 each.

Things weren't as pleasant for Wildcat fans in the main gym for the JV game. OH spotted Cascade an early 11-1 lead, and didn't score a field goal until the 1:45 mark when Rayan Russel nailed a 3-pointer. At that, it was only 11-7 at the end of the first quarter. Cascade's lead grew to 9 at halftime as OH hit only a single field goal and two free throws in the second. The Wildcats came back strong after halftime, scoring 11 points and closing the gap to just two points, 20-22, with 2:00 to go in the 3rd, but a series of OH turnovers allowed Cascade to open their lead to 29-22 at the start of the 4th. OH continued to have problems protecting the ball and Cascade went on to win 41-31. DJ Jackson lead the team with 10 points and Kelsey Rankin added 5 more - all free throws. Kate Rossman scored 4, Lia Pantoleon and Rayan Russell 3 each, and Tatiana Cumming, Erika Flores and Kaileen Burleson 2 each. This was the first game this year Coach B was able to play with a full roster, as the team had been hammered by injuries and losses to the varsity team.

The varsity game started out much like the JV game, with Cascade leading 11-2 halfway through the 1st period and continued to lead at halftime, 22-15. The Wildcats got fired up in the 3rd, outscoring Cascade 14-6. A nice shot by Clarissa Abadesco tied the game at 25 with 1:30 left in the 3rd and a pair of free throws 20 seconds later by Jessica Denmon gave OH their first lead of the game. Cascade was able to tie the game at 33 with 3:31 left in the game, but the Wildcats took back the lead with 3:10 remaining and prevented the Bruins from scoring again to secure a 37-33 win. Denmon led all scorers with 17 and Mowbray scored 12. Also scoring points were Abadesco with 6 and Jessica James with 2.

36 photos of the seniors and their friends, along with some of the band, are posted HERE.

A video clip with 6 highlights is posted HERE.

Next up for the girls is a trip to Snohomish on Friday and to Everett on Wednesday the 27th. They are next at home on Friday the 29th against Lake Stevens.

Girls basketball 1-11-2010 at Marysville

The girls had a rough time in Marysville Monday against the Tomahawks, losing two of the three games.

The Freshman team, playing at Cedarcrest Middle School had an easy time for most of the game. The girls opened a 8-2 first period lead behind 6 points by Jalani Bobo, and in the 2nd and 3rd periods exploded for 14 points in each, leading 36-13 to start the 4th. MP mounted a mini-comeback in the final period, outscoring the Wildcats 15-6, but it was too little, too late as the freshmen cruised to a 42-28 win. Leading the team was Ciera Wiser with 12 points. Bobo finished with 8, Taru Ahonen 7, Emily Saar and Marissa Lewis 4 each, Morgan Young 3 and Paula Gass 2.

JV, still missing some key players, played hard, but it wasn't enough. The Wildcats trailed 24-15 at the half and wound up losing 36-26. Lia Pantoleon led the team with 9 points, all on 3-pointers. Tatiana Cumming scored 6, Kelsey Rankin 4, Regina Carter 3, while Kate Rossman and Erika Flores had 2 each.

For 3 quarters the varsity game was exciting. Oak Harbor trailed by just 2 points, 18-16 at the end of the first and by 1 point, 28-27 at halftime. MP opened up a 6-point lead to end the 3rd after holding OH to just 7 points, and held the Cats to just 3 points in the 4th on the way to a 52-37 win. Only 3 Wildcats scored any points. Clarissa Abadesco sank a single free throw, Nicki Mowbray had 11 and Jessica Denmon scored a game-high 25.

No photos, but a video highlight clip is posted HERE.

GBB 2010-01-07 Stanwood

In their first home game of 2010 the OH girls basketball team took on the Stanwood Spartans.

Over in the dome, the freshman team had no problems handling their opponent. At the end of the 1^st it was all OH, literally, as the girls led 12-0. The onslaught continued as the Cats built a 25-9 halftime lead. Things slowed down a little in the 2^nd half but OH won both of the final two periods to win 42-18. Two players were in double figures – Ciera Wiser with 12 and Taru Ahonen with 10. Also scoring were Jalani Bobo with 7, Marissa Lewis 6, Joem Evangelista 4 and Morgan Young 3. The girls did have trouble at the free throw line, sinking only 8 shots of the 22 attempted.

Things didn’t go as well for the JV team. OH led 7-4 at the end of the 1^st period, but gave up the lead near the end of the 2^nd and Stanwood led 15-13 at halftime. In the 2^nd half the Stanwood offense took off, scoring 16 and 18 in the final two periods while OH just couldn’t find the basket. After leading by only 2 at halftime, the Spartans won the game by 19, 49-30. No Wildcat scored in double figures. Lia Pantoleon led the team with 8, Tatiana Cumming scored 6, Kelsey Rankin 5, Kate Rossmand and Rayan Russell 4 each and Erika Flores 3. The JV girls continue to struggle at the free throw line, going 5-11.

The varsity game was very close right up to the end. The Spartans led by 1 at the end of the first but the Wildcats went into the locker room at halftime leading by 2 points, 20-18. Jessica Denmon, who had been quiet in the first half, scored 6 of her 16 points in the 3^rd period as OH held a slim 31-30 lead to start the 4^th period. Denmon hit another 7 points and Nicki Mowbray scored 7 of her 15 in the final period as the Wildcats pulled away to win 49-41. Stanwood stayed in the game behind seven 3-point scores and a perfect 6-6 from the line.

OH dropped in three 3-pointers and was 12 of 19 from the line. Denmon led the scoring with Mowbray just 1 point behind with 15. Janelle Yoshimoto, back from a long injury recovery, scored 8, Jessica James and Emilie Renninger had 3 each and Clarissa Abadesco 2.

40 Photos of JV and Varsity action are HERE.

A 1:53 video clip from the game is posted HERE.

Girls Basketball 12-30 and 30, 2009 - Santa Slam Tournament

The Oak Harbor girls basketball teams hosted their 4th annual Santa Slam tournament at OHHS on December 30th and 31st. The tournament featured Anacortes, Eatonville, Kentridge and Archbishop Murphy in addition to OHHS.

On Dec 30th the freshman team took on a good Murphy team. ABM opened a 17-6 1st period lead, but OH fought hard, closing to within 3 points, 21-18 at halftime. Murphy took control in the 2nd half, adding 5 points to their lead to win 43-35. The girls spread the ball around, with 7 players getting points. Leading the Cats was Bet Riba with 8, followed by Taru Ahonen with 7. Ciera Wiser hit 6, Jalani Bobo 5, Joem Evangelista 4, Morgan young 3 and Marissa Lewis 2. Riba and Ahonen are both exchange students - Bet from Spain and Taru from Finland. It's the first home game that either of the girls were high scorers.

In JV action on the first day, the OH girls played Anacortes. The game started a bit slow, with OH holding a 6-2 lead midway through the first period and holding on to lead 8-4 at the first horn. The Anacortes defense got tough in the 2nd period, holding OH to just 3 points. Lia Pantoleon scored early and hit for one free throw with 1:47 left in the half. The OH defense did a good job, but Anacortes was able to take a 13-11 lead into the locker room at the half. The Wildcat offense had more trouble in the 3rd. They Kelsey Rankin scored less than 30 seconds into the 3rd period, but the Wildcats would not score again until the 3:22 mark. They scored 3 times late but still trailed by 1 at the horn. The game was tied 4 different times in the 4th, but a shot by Erika Flores with just 12 seconds left won the game for OH 29-27. Lia Pantoleon was the top scorer for the Wildcat JV with 11 points, Rankin scored 10, DJ Jackson 4, Flores 2 and Heavenly Cooper 2. The team is still struggling at the line, earning just 2 points on 11 attempts.

The varsity team opened the tournament against Eatonville, a Nisqually League 2A team with a strong girls basketball program. Oak Harbor started the game on a tear, holding Eatonville scoreless for almost half of the first period and led 15-2 at end of the first. OH opened the lead to 19-2 with just under 2 minutes into the second period, but that's when Eatonville woke up and started to play offensive basketball. They went on a 12-5 run to trail by 10, 24-14 at the half. In the 3rd, Eatonville continued to pick away at the OH lead and took it away with 3:24 left in the 3rd in the middle of a 16-2 run and led 40-35 at the end of the 3rd. Eatonville's lead was a big as 9 in the 4th but never lower than 4 as OH lost 58-47. Even though she fouled out with 3 minutes left in the game, Jessica Denmon was the high scorer with 16. Nicki Mowbray scored 13, Shantae Young 7, Emilie Renninger 5, Naomi Walker 4 and Clarissa Abadesco 2.

On day 2 the freshman team took on Anacortes, handling them easily. The Wildcats led 8-3 at the first buzzer and 15-9 at the half. The defense held Anacortes to just 4 points in each of the final two periods and won 31-17 to take 3rd place. Ciera Wiser took scoring honors with 10, Marissa Lewis and Jalani Bobo scored 5 each, Morgan Young and Taru Ahonen 4 each and Joem Evangelista 3.

Since the varsity team was in the consolation bracket, they played before the JV team on day 2, taking on Kentridge from the South Puget Sound League. The girls were not about to make the same mistake they made against Eatonville. They opened up a 19-8 first period lead behind 15 points by Jessica Denmon and led 40-16 at the half. Both teams were a bit flat in the 3rd, but Oh was able to increase their lead to 16 points and cruised home in the 4th to win 57-26 and earn 3rd place. Denmon was dialed in for the game, scoring 37 points, just 3 points shy of the school records and placing her on the top 10 list for single game scoring. Nicki Mowbray scored 8, Jessica James and Naomi Walker 4 each, and Clarissa Abadesco and Shantae Young 2 each.

The JV championship game features the Wildcats against Eatonville. OH spotted Eatonville a 5-0 lead, but a 3-pointer by Erika Flores with a minute to go in the first gave OH a 9-8 lead. The 2nd period was slow with little scoring, ending in a 14-14 score. The 3rd was a little better, but OH still had problems getting well-shot balls to go through the hoop and trailed 21-19 to start the 4th. There was no scoring for the first two minutes, when Eatonville sank one to lead 23-19, and the next basket was another Eatonville shot with 3:48 left. OH didn't get any 4th-period points until Lia Pantoleon scored with 2:22 left. Lia hit for 3 just 30 seconds later then hit a free throw with 48 seconds left to cut the Eatonville lead to just two, 27-25. Eatonville scored with 10 seconds left then Heavenly Cooper scored with 1.2 seconds left, but it just wasn't enough time to steal the inbounds pass and score. 29-27 was the final with the JV girls taking home 2nd place in the tournament.

The girls jump back into league play with a trip to Arlington on January 5th and are at home on Thursday the 7th against Stanwood.

93 photos from the tournament are posted HERE. All of the action photos are of the freshman games, and there are team photos of each of the 3 teams and individual photos of most of the players. There were a few missing and they will be added as the season progresses.

A single, 3-minute clip of highlights from both days is posted HERE.

Girls Basketball 12-16-2009 vs Everett

For the second time this week the girls basketball teams were at home, this time facing Everett.

In the dome the freshman team got off to a great start, scoring 22 points while holding the Seagulls to just 8. They continued to pour it on in the 2nd, leading 35-12 at halftime. The defense held Everett to just two made free throws in the third, which was good as the Wildcats scored only 6 points of their own. Everett finally got on track in the final period, scoring 16 points to double their score, but OH played right with them, hitting 20 points and winning 61-30. Leading the 'Cats was Morgan Young with 18 points. Ciera Wiser and Emily Saar were both also in double figures, with 13 and 10 respectively. Marissa Lewis hit for 9 points, Jalani Bobo for 4, Bet Riba and Danielle Teasley for 2 and Paula Gass 1.

The JV team won, but didn't play their best game. Dominique Jackson put the team up 5-4 by hitting a pair of shots from inside, then Naomi Walker and Kate Rossman padded the 1st period lead to 11-4. The OH defense played strong in the 2nd, allowing only 3 points while boosting their lead to 21-7. After a decent first half, the Wildcat JV offense got quiet in the 2nd half. The two teams combined scored a total of 14 points the entire 2nd half, and OH won the game 29-13. Rossman was the top scorer with 9 points, Jackson had 7, Kelsey Rankin and Erika Flores 5 each, Walker 2 and Heavenly Cooper 1.

It was back and forth all night in the varsity game, with Everett leading at the end of the 1st and 3rd periods and Oak Harbor leading at the end of the first, and most importantly, 4th period. During the game there were 12 changes in the lead and 9 times the game was tied, including late in the game with 3:41 remaining. The game was in doubt right to the end, as with just over a minute left to play, the Oak Harbor lead was just 4 points.

Everett took the lead halfway through the 1st period and held until halfway through the 2nd, when Nicki Mowbray hit for two to break an 18-18 tie. Jessica Denmon scored twice to build the OH lead to 26-22 at halftime. Everett took the lead bak with 1:39 left in the 3rd and led 42-39 at the buzzer. Three scores by Mowbray, Denmon and Naomi Walker in just over 30 seconds put OH up 45-42, but Everett played tough. The Wildcats got a big boost when the Seagulls top scoring player fouled out in the 4th period. Even so, Everett grabbed the lead 51-50 with 3:10 left in the game, but it lasted only 14 seconds until Mowbray scored from outside to give Oak Harbor the lead for good. At the final buzzer it was Oak Harbor 59, Everett 55.

The girls have still another game this week, traveling to Lake Stevens on Friday the 18th while the boys team will host the Vikings at OHHS, their 3rd game of the week as well.

6 video clips from the JV and varsity games are posted HERE.

46 photos from the JV and Varsity games are HERE. Included is a single photo from the freshman game.

Girls Basketball 12-3-09 at Bellingham

The varsity girls move to 2-0 on the season after another big win, 56-30, over Bellingham High School.

Defense was the name of the game in the JV and Freshman games, as the JV doubled up on the Red Raiders 31-14 while the Freshman team blew the competition away 56-18.

Next up for the girls is a trip to Cascade next Friday, the 11th, to open league play.

GBB 12-1-2009 vs Mountlake Terrace

The Oak Harbor girls basketball team opened the 2009-2010 season on December 1^st with a non-league game at home against the Mountlake Terrace Hawks.

Over in the field house, the Freshman team started strong, jumping to a 12-7 lead, but the Hawk offense came alive in the 2^nd period to cut the OH lead to just two points, 25-23, at halftime. Both teams played fairly even in the 3^rd, but MLT was able to score 4 more than the Wildcats at take a 45-43 lead into the final period. Taru Ahonen, a junior foreign exchange student kept the Cats in the game during the 4^th period, scoring 10 of her 25 points, but the Wildcats came up 3 points short, 61-58, at the buzzer. Ahonen was the top scorer, followed by Jalani Bobo with 17, Marissa Lewis with 9 and Morgan Young with 7.

In contrast with the Freshman game, the JV game was low-scoring. At the end of the 1^st period it was 10-4 for OH, with 7 of the points coming from Naomi Walker. Walker continued to be steady in her scoring and led the JV to an 18-11 halftime lead. Coach Burleson got his defense back in gear after halftime as the girls held MLT to just 4 points while scoring 9. In the end, the JV held on for the 10-point lead, 33-23. Walker was the lead scorer with 18, Lia Pantoleon scored 7, Kaitlynn Rossman and Emilie Renninger 3 each and Dominique Jackson scored 2.

In Varsity action, the Wildcats dominated from beginning to end. Using a smothering defense, the girls leaped to an 11-0 lead, preventing the Hawks from scoring until a stolen ball was put in the hoop halfway through the first quarter. It wasn’t until there was 2:30 left in the period that Mountlake Terrace scored their first points from an offensive play. That play sparked the Hawks, and they cut the OH lead to 14-9 at the first break. Oak Harbor went a little flat in the 2^nd period but still outscored MLT 11-9 to take a 25-18 lead into the locker room at the half. The defense was back in full action in the 2^nd half, holding Terrace to just 7 points for the half. When the dust settled it was Oak Harbor 52, Mountlake Terrace 25. Nicki Mowbray led all scorers with 20, followed by Jessica Denmon with 17. Molly DeLeon scored 7, all in the 2^nd half, and Addy Royal, Tatiana Cumming, Clarissa Abadesco and Emilie Renninger had two each.

Next up for the Wildcat women is a trip to Bellingham on Thursday. Their next home game is Monday, December 14^th against Snohomish.

42 photos, from the freshman, JV and varsity games can be found HERE.

5 highlight video clips are posted HERE.