Sumner's Wagar-Sanchez Goes On Scoring Spree In 64-47 victory against Clover Park

 Sumner's Angie Wagar-Sanchez had the game of her life.

The senior guard scored a career-high 27 points, grabbed 16 rebounds, recorded three steals, six assists and a block in the Spartan's 64-47 victory against Clover Park in a South Puget Sound League 2A contest in Lakewood on Tuesday night.

"They (Clover Park) beat the other team (Fife) more than we beat them," Wagar-Sanchez said. "It lit a fire under my butt. I didn't want to lose."

Wagar-Sanchez was a threat early on and throughout the game. She scored 16 of the team's 31 points in the first half, but Clover Park's Naomi Brown did her part in keeping the Warriors in the game. The 6-foot post scored six consecutive points in the second quarter and couldn't miss in the paint, finishing with a team-high 16 points.

Clover Park (3-6 overall, 2-3 SPSL 2A) rode Brown's performance in the paint and closed the gap, 22-16, with 3 minutes, 10 seconds remaining in the first half. But Sumner (10-1 overall, 5-0 league) — the No. 7 ranked team according to the Tacoma News Tribune — started double and sometimes triple-teaming Brown. Clover Park head coach Anthony Crawford said they couldn't make the necessary adjustments.

"We didn't rebound well," Crawford said. "When they get extra shots at the basket it's going to put your team in a situation when you get behind."

Clover Park opened the second half with a field goal, but Wagar-Sanchez matched it and her teammates backed her up. Nine Sumner players scored and Spartans left-handed guard Erika Olsen drained back-to-back 3s with 1:03 remaining in the third quarter for a comfortable 46-31 advantage.

"We have a really deep bench," Olsen said who scored nine points. "They didn't know who to go after."

Both teams came into the matchup with confidence. The Warriors won their previous two games — they hadn't so in four years — and the Spartans were undefeated in league play. Sumner head coach Rob Thayer said they are building confidence.

"Clover Park was really hot," Thayer said. "They brought a lot and we had to do everything we could to win.

Clover Park will go on the road to play Washington on Friday while Sumner will travel to Steilacoom. Both team's have huge games thereafter. The Warriors will host city rival Lakes at 5 p.m. on Saturday and Sumner will host White River to determine sole possession of first place in the SPSL 2A at 7 p.m. on Tuesday.

From my point of view

The Spartan's defense made it difficult for the Warriors' guards to penetrate and score. Clover Park senior point guard Monique Greene did a good job of breaking the press — often times single-handily — but when she got close to the hoop it was like hitting a brick wall.

Clover Park's defense played tough but were caught looking at the ball instead of running under the hoop during shots. If the Warriors do a better job of rebounding, this game would've been closer.

I liked the shooting range of Greene and Danielle Pritchard, who combined to sink four 3s. Clover Park junior Caitlyn Johnson also sank a three-pointer. Aside from Brown, senior post Synthia Martin did a pretty good job with seven points.

The Spartans have a deep bench and a relatively tall group. Since dropping to the SPSL 2A, they have a strong chance of advancing to the state tournament.

Box score

Sumner           11    20   15   18 — 64

Clover Park     5    15    15    12 — 47 (home)

Scoring summary

Sumner: Wagar-Sanchez 27, Olsen 9, Tyeanne Theden 9, Kendall Theden 6, Wright 4, King 3, Delaney 3, Long 2 and Allsop 2.

Clover Park: Brown 16, Pritchard 11, Martin 7, Johnson 6, Greene 6 and Robinson.