Photo: Sequim senior Hannah Bates is three wins away from playing for a state title
By Oly Archibald
YAKIMA — The #8 seed Sequim Wolves girls basketball team is just 36 hours away in what could be the biggest game in school history. With two early upsets in their bracket #16 Sammamish upsetting #9 Sehome and a stunning #7 seed White River upset of #2 seed Lynden, the Wolves are in a position of playing two beatable teams on paper and playing Friday night at 9 pm in a semifinal match-up for a trip to the state championship game Saturday night.
Obviously easier said than done. This is a Sammamish team that Sequim beat 32-27 in last year’s district tournament and Sequim was without Taryn Johnson and Jelissa Julmist. Sammamish is 19-6 and lost to Renton twice by 16 and 5 points. Sammamish did beat Renton at home by 8. Renton beat Sequim in the District championship game 42 – 39. Sammamish also beat Olympic by 8 points 55-47. Sammamish strength is inside with 6’0″ senior Sarah Skaggs and 5’11” senior Katie Anderson. Anderson scores 12 points per game while Skaggs scores 10 points per game and pulls down 7 rebounds per game. In the district game last year against Sequim, Skaggs and Anderson scored 17 of their teams 27 points. However, Sophia Eastman is the star of this team. The 5’10” freshman scores 16 points per game and shoots 45% from the field. Both teams average 54 points per game while Sammamish gives up 29 points per game and Sequim gives up 38 points per game. However, Sammamish plays weaker league teams than Sequim does.
3 keys to the game for Sequim. The Wolves can cause turnovers and get lay ins off the press, but the Wolves must make those shots from point blank range they cannot afford to have those misses against Sammamish. The Wolves have to get point guard Hannah Bates attacking the paint where Bates can hit floaters, draw fouls or kick the ball off to Julmist and Jolene Vaara on the low blocks.
The Wolves must get the ball to Julmist down low where she can work in the paint and draw fouls from the Sammamish bigs. Free throw shooting could be huge in this game. The big three of Sammamish are all good free throw shooters. The Wolves must hit a high percentage from the charity stripe.
Which team handles the pressure of the big crowd and bright lights of the SunDome will also be decisive in a game that will be a major tear fest for both teams win or lose. Win and you play at least two more games with a legitimate shot of a State Semifinal game. You lose and it’s fast pitch season.
You can hear the game live on KONP with the Les Schwab Tires pre-game show starting at 8:45 pm and the tip off set for 9 pm. Oly Archibald has the play by play.