PORT TOWNSEND — The Chimacum girls basketball team showed flashes of strong play but dropped the opening contest of the 2013 Crush in the Slush Tournament 47-37 to the Friday Harbor Wolverines.
Friday Harbor led 8-4 after the first quarter when they turned up the defensive pressure on the Cowboys, employing a full-court 1-2-2 press and dropping back into a 2-3 zone for its halfcourt defense for the rest of the game.
“[Friday Harbor putting on the press] kind of screwed us up at first because we didn’t set up our press break, realizing that you just move it up quarter-court and run it from there,” Chimacum coach Trevor Huntingford said after Friday’s game.
The Wolverines forced seven turnovers in the second quarter to take a 23-14 lead at halftime.
Chimacum sophomore Audrey Thacker knocked down two 3-point baskets and added another long jumper to tally eight points in the second period and keep Chimacum (0-6) in the game.
Thacker finished with 13 points, tied for game-high scoring honors with Friday Harbor sophomore Madi Kincaid.
Audrey’s older sister Lauren, added eight points for the Cowboys.
“Both [Thackers] are scorers for us, without a doubt,” Huntingford said.
A basket by Audrey Thacker trimmed the Wolverines lead to 24-20 with 5:20 remaining in the third quarter before Friday Harbor’s height advantage helped them clean up on the offensive glass and earn second-chance opportunities in the second half.
The Wolverines also were able to solve Chimacum’s own 2-2-1 press, frequently breaking the pressure by getting the ball to the middle of the floor and moving it down into the post.
Allie Galt, a six-foot sophomore post, and 5-foot-11 senior Tabatha Keane were especially active for the Wolverines (4-4). Galt had eight points, all in the second half, and Keane added nine points, with four of those coming in the final quarter.
“We have a very young team, a team that hasn’t played any organized basketball together outside of the regular season,” Huntingford said.
“We need to get into a spot where we feel comfortable with what we do.
“We are learning how to run our press consistently, to run it fast, know our coverups and rotations, and we had some breakdowns covering up the middle that hurt us today and gave them opportunities.”
Three quick buckets by Lauren Thacker in the fourth quarter helped Chimacum climb within 39-31 with four minutes to play, but Friday Harbor answered back with a 6-0 run for its biggest lead of the day at 45-31 with 2:30 left.
Friday Harbor 47, Chimacum 37
Friday Harbor 4 10 8 15— 37
Chimacum 8 15 8 16— 47
Individual scoring
Friday Harbor (4-4)
Kincaid 13, Keane 9, Galt 8, Guard 6, Wood 6, Turnbull 3, Scheffer 2.
Chimacum (0-6)
A. Thacker 13, L. Thacker 8, M. Nisbet 6, S. Nisbet 3, McKinlay 3, Nordberg 2, Snyder 2.
