The Friday Harbor girls basketball team put a scare into a highly-touted Nooksack Valley squad before running out of steam Saturday in a 48-29 loss in Turnbull Gym.
Energized on the defensive end, the Wolverines stayed within striking distance in the first half and went into the locker trailing 29-20 at the break. Senior guard Brooke Jangard tossed in 13 points before the break to pace the offense.
Though scoreless in the second half, Jangard’s 13 points topped all scorers in the game.
The Wolverines tallied the first six points after the break to draw within four, but the Pioneers ended the period on a 9-0 run and never looked back.
Senior Erika Ramstead, who fouled out with just under two minutes remaining in the game, scored 11 points to lead Nooksack Valley. Freshman Allison Johnson added 10 points and junior Austen Beard had eight for the Pioneers, who knocked down 14-of-19 free-throw attempts, 75 percent, in the game.
With the win, Nooksack Valley improved to 5-1, its only loss coming at the hands of Lynden Christian, the Division 1A state champ from a year ago. The Wolverines fell to 0-5.
Despite the loss, Head Coach Eric Jangard said that the overall performance, the first half in particular, is something the team can rally around and build on. The Wolverines played with more confidence than they had so far this season, he said.
“After the game in the locker room we said, ‘So this is what it’s like to play together, with one heartbeat,” Jangard said. “It’s really a mindset. You could see the girls playing with confidence and how well that work out, especially in that first half. I think they feel pretty good about going into league play after that.”
Sophomore Kelsey Barnes added six points to the Friday Harbor total and Megan Anderson and Kelsey O’Day each had four. Senior Meaghan McCormick suffered several minor injuries and played limited minutes as a result.
Jan. 2
Coupeville 38
Friday Harbor 23
Coupeville rode the hot hand of junior Megan Smith for a 38-23 victory over the Wolverines Friday in Turnbull Gym.
The Wolves’ talented guard tallied six points before the break and another 15 in the second half for a game-high 21 points. She scored two points fewer than the Friday Harbor team managed over four quarters of play.
Down by seven at the half, the Wolverines couldn’t buy a bucket after break and fell further behind in the final two periods. The Wolves led by double-digits after three and coasted to the win in the final period of play.
The Wolverines fell 0-4 with the loss. Senior guard Brooke Jangard scored 16 points to lead Friday Harbor, and sophomore Megan Anderson tossed in four. Sophomore Kelsey Barnes and freshman Mandy Turnbull each had three.
Next: Friday Harbor is on the road Friday at Orcas for an inter-island grudge match and league contest against the Vikings; tipoff is 6 p.m.
The Wolverines travel to Meridian on Saturday for a 3 p.m. non-league clash against the Trojans.
