Kasper Saves the Day, as E-W Girls Move on to Tacoma

Unwilling to fold, Edmonds-Woodway won its sixth straight loser-out game 53-48 over Kentwood, and is headed back to the state 4A tournament thanks to some late game heroics from junior Madeline Kasper and senior Alex Kenney.

“Every game we’re like there’s really nothing to lose, because if we lose we’re out,” Kasper said. “We give it everything every game and we focus on defense.”

Kasper had a 102-degree temperature yesterday, but she was feeling fine Saturday as her buzzer-beating layup in regulation gave the Warriors new life in the regional round at the 4A state tournament at Jackson High School.

Kentwood’s Kylie Huerta seemed destined to drive Kentwood to the next round with a 3-pointer with 58 seconds left to give the Conquerors their first lead, but Kasper responded with a 3-pointer to tie it at 44. After Huerta drove and banked in a shot with 7.4 seconds to play, the Warriors needed to go the well one more time to stay alive.

E-W coach Duane Hodges called for the inbounds play to go to Kasper and she drove the length of the floor and laid the ball in from the left side and the Warriors bench mobbed her.

“He told me to get the ball and try to create,” Kasper said. “I was looking at the clock and I was like I have to take it in and try to get a foul or try to finish it.”

Said Hodges: “They did a good job making her dribble a long court… she had her head down and finished with her off hand which is really good.”

More work was needed in the overtime and Kenney stepped up with a 3-pointer to give E-W a lead they would not give up. Forward Ashley Albertson knocked down a pair of free throws to extend the lead to 51-46 with 2:28 left. Liz Mills scored for Kentwood to cut the lead to 51-48, but Kenney iced it with four seconds to go by nailing a pair of free throws.

Kasper finished with a team-high 15 points and Kenney had all five of her points in overtime.

Huerta finished with a game-high 18 points for Kentwood, 10 of them coming in the fourth quarter.

If there was pressure, the Warriors didn’t play like it taking a 7-0 lead to start the game, holding Kentwood scoreless for the first four minutes. E-W led 18-10 after the first quarter and after low-scoring physical second quarter led 22-12 at the half.

Albertson, who finished with 13 points, scored 11 in the first half scoring inside and drawing fouls.

“We didn’t really know what their post defense was and when we figured out it wasn’t as strong as we assumed we decided to pound it inside,” Albertson said. “The girl that was guarding me got into foul trouble so we continued to go with that.”

Forward Sydney Donaldson also had success inside, scoring all 10 of her points in the second half.

Kentwood shot only 17 percent from the field in the first half but shot 64 percent in the second half to get back in the game. Edmonds-Woodway shot 37 percent for the game, 39 percent in the first half, 37 percent in the second half and 25 percent in overtime. Kentwood cooled in overtime shooting 17 percent and 35 percent for the game.

The Warriors outrebounded the Conquerors 40-35.

The victory earns Edmonds-Woodway (24-4) a game with Lewis and Clark (17-6) of the Greater Spokane League at state in Tacoma March 3. The Warriors, who took fifth at state last year, beat Lewis and Clark a year ago in the tournament. Game time is 9 p.m. at the Tacoma Dome.

Hodges said Lewis and Clark lost only one starter off last year’s team.

“They’re a dynamite team,” said Hodges, who picked Lewis and Clark as the top team in the state in the preseason.