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Swan gets a trophy
Cougars' 56-46 win secures school hardware
YAKIMA HERALD-REPUBLIC
The White Swan High School girls basketball team
will revisit its history Saturday.
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White Swan
point guard Andrea Blodgett makes her way down the court
Friday pursued by Ilwaco's Ashley Kitzman. Blodgett scored
17 points in the Cougars' win.
SANDY
SUMMERS/Yakima Herald-Republic
View all photos for this story. |
The Cougars earned their second trophy in the
team’s history with a 56-46 victory against Ilwaco on Friday’. Whether
it’s the fifth- or eighth-place prize, which they won in 1992, will be
decided Saturday morning at 9 against former Cougars coach Greg Oldham
and his Coupeville squad.
Oldham’s Wolves ousted Zillah in the second morning
contest 45-41. The Leopards were trying for an encore to their 2004
trophy-round appearance in which they dropped their opener before
winning two straight to take eighth.
The Cougars (21-5) hope to improve on that path
with a third straight win Saturday after they opened the tournament with
a 35-32 loss to defending champ Colfax, a game in which they shot just
25 percent.
“All season long this team has responded to a loss;
it’s a team with a lot of pride,” said White Swan coach Adam Strom, who
Saturday can better the eight-place finish his dad, Ted, led the Cougars
to 13 years ago.
“They’re not coming off the loss as an individual
but they’re coming off the loss as a team.”
Now it’s two wins they’re coming off. And Friday’s
may have been the most impressive of the tournament, at least for SCAC
West Most Valuable Player Andrea Blodgett.
The junior was a combined 6-for-22 from the field
in the first two days but found her mark Friday, making 8 of 13 shots en
route to a team-high 17 points.
She also was the catalyst on defense coming up with
five of White Swan’s 11 steals and one good-sized lump on the back of
head when she slid into the media table in the third quarter.
“I’m still kind of dizzy,” said soft-spoken guard,
who returned the game at the start of the fourth quarter still appearing
a little dazed.
White Swan senior Nancy Donato and freshmen
Danielle Blodgett and Shelbi Strom each had eight.
Ilwaco senior Ashley Kitzman, the tournament’s top
scorer, tossed in a game-high 22 points, all of which she had to work
for.
“It’s nice to frustrate people,” Blodgett said of
the White Swan defense that wasn’t afraid to get physical.
Anna Kitzman added 15 points.
White Swan took a 33-19 lead into halftime and
didn’t let the Fishermen (13-14) get closer than nine.
Next up for the Cougars is an old friend. Oldham
coached White Swan for four years, his last the 1999-2000 season. He
took the team to three straight state tournaments.
“It’s really wonderful how this thing has come full
circle,” he said. “For four years I got to coach great kids who worked
hard and battled. I don’t even think of it as coaching against them, but
with them.”
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Ilwaco -- Parez 0-0 0-0 0, An. Kitzman 5-16 1-3 15, Hocking 1-5
0-0 3, Unruh 1-4 0-2 2, Brooks 0-0 0-0 0, As. Kitzman 7-15 8-10 22,
Barker 1-3 0-0 2, Kary 1-2 0-0 2. Totals 16-45 9-15 46. |
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White Pass -- Graybael 0-0 0-0 0, Rodriguez 0-4 0-0 0,
Lawrence 1-5 0-0 2, Shel. Strom 3-15 0-1 8, D. Blodgett 4-6 0-0 8,
A. Blodgett 8-13 1-1 17, Suppah 0-0 0-0 0, Aranda 3-6 0-0 6, Shee.
Strom 3-7 1-2 7, Plumlee 0-0 0-0 0, Donato 3-8 2-4 8. Totals 25-64
4-8 56. |
| Ilwaco |
11 |
8 |
9 |
18 |
-- |
46 |
| White Swan |
18 |
15 |
8 |
15 |
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56 |
3-point goals--I 5-14 (An. Kitzman 4-8, Hocking 1-4, As. Kitzman
0-1, Unruh 0-1), WS 2-14 (Shel. Strom 2-6, D. Blodgett 0-1, A.
Blodgett 0-1, Shee. Strom 0-1, Donato 0-1, Aranda 0-2, Rodriguez
0-2). Rebounds--I 37 (Barker 11, As. Kitzman 10), WS 36 (Shee. Strom
7, Shel. Strom 6). Assists
--I 4 (Unruh 2), WS 12 (A. Blodgett 4). Steals--I 6 (As. Kitzman 2,
Barker 2), WS 11 (A. Blodgett 5, Donato 4). Blocked shots--I 3 (As.
Kitzman 2), WS 2 (Shel. Strom 2). Fouled out --Donato.
Total fouls--I 13, WS 20. Technical fouls--None. Turnovers--I 21, WS
15. |
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