Girls basketball

Lady Hawks win thriller at Tolt

The Chief Kanim eighth-grade girls basketball team pulled off

an upset victory over Tolt on Wednesday, Dec. 1, prevailing by a score of

36-33.

Both teams pressed the entire game and it was a see-saw battle

the entire way. The first quarter resulted in an 8-8 tie, with Tolt pulling

ahead at the half, 23-20. The final quarter was a wild one; with three minutes

left in play, the Lady T-Birds went up by three, but the Lady Hawks

fought back. Chief Kanim’s Rachel Perrel took the ball to the basket and

then scored the game-winner on foul shots.

Perrell (15 points, 8 steals) and Linda Pastrana (7 points, 4

assists) were selected offensive players of the game. Crystal Hunter (6 points, 5

jump balls) and Christie Leatiota (6 points, 12 rebounds, 4 blocked shots)

were selected top defensive players. Rose Sypher was selected “best off

the bench.”

“This was an exciting win for us,” said coach Dick Kirby. “With

Erin Hart injured, Martina Lynch in foul trouble the first half, and

Crystal Hunter fouling out at the end of the game, other players had to adjust

on the press and offense and pick up the slack.

“Rose Sypher was a key player, giving us solid defense at many

positions.”

Tolt 8th-graders split with Valley rivals

The Tolt Thunderbird girls got a nice victory over the

Snoqualmie Eagles on Friday, Dec. 3, after dropping an exciting nail-biter to

Chief Kanim last Wednesday.

Against the hawks, the T-Birds built an early lead but costly

turnovers resulted in a 14-4 run by Chief Kanim. Fueled by a furious full-court

press, Tolt rallied to tie the game in the fourth quarter. The Hawks showed

character as well, as their big center sank nine of her game high 18 points in

the fourth to hold back the charging Tolt girls. Chief Kanim held on to win

36-33.

Sofie Foster controlled the glass with 10 rebounds. Jenny

Hamilton scored 16 points and had seven steals. Heather Ekstrom and Marcie

McCoy helped trigger the exciting comeback with some great defense and

rebounding, while Missy Adams added four points to the cause.

Tolt regrouped after the emotional loss and came back two nights later

to defeat the always competitive Snoqualmie Eagles. The Hawks

built a seven-point halftime lead but Snoqualmie played tough

throughout the third quarter. Halfway through the final quarter, Tolt stretched the lead

to 14 and then held on to seal the 40-35 victory.

Starting center Jayme Gusser _ who had missed the Chief Kanim

contest _ was a welcome returnee to the lineup. She scored 10 points

and pulled in eight boards. Hamilton had another solid game with eight

points, six rebounds and five steals. Katy Dern showed her touch with six points

and also a game high 11 rebounds.

Kaitlin Worden dropped in four points on a couple of nice jump

shots and played some solid “D” as well. Tricia Neilson, Tolt’s point guard,

did an outstanding job running the offense despite continuing to be hampered

by a sprained ankle. Her value to the team showed in the impressive 40

percent shooting for the Tolt girls against Snoqualmie.

The Lady Hawks will shortly be in the middle of a grueling stretch

of five games in 10 days. Based on their showing so far, effort and

determination will be the strength of this group, win or lose.

Lady Eagles soar over Beaver Lake

The Snoqualmie Middle School 7th-grade varsity girls basketball

team got off to a flying start on Wednesday, Dec. 1, downing Beaver Lake

26-18 in their first game of the season. The lead changed hands several times

in the first half as both teams played tough defense. The Eagles’

Kaycee Crossan spearheaded her team’s defensive effort.

In the second stanza the Eagles pulled away. The scoring tandem

of Rachel Travis and Whitney Beyerlin _ who scored 12 and 10 points

respectively _ did the most damage.