Girls- Lake Stevens spoils home court advantage for Newport, advances to Regional Round of 16

Girls- Lake Stevens spoils home court advantage for Newport,
advances to Regional Round of 16
By Colin Caruso 

To secure the final spot in the 16 team regional tournament, the Lake Stevens Vikings traveled to Newport to play the Newport Knights.  Lake Stevens’ band brought unbelievable noise, playing the likes of Led Zeppelin and Kansas to pump up the crowd for the win.  Unfortunately for Newport, it seemed to do the job and ignited Lake Stevens, whose offense responded early led by senior Brooke Pahukoa.  Pahukoa contributed twelve points and three steals in the first half for the Vikings.

The undersized Vikings did an excellent job of reading passing lanes, accounting for 13 steals in the first half.  Their defense was spacious at times in pursuing the steal, allowing easy layups for junior Casey Schoenlein, who filled the box score in the first half with four points, six rebounds, and five blocks.

The game remained within single digits the entire first half, with Lake Stevens carrying a six point lead into halftime.

Defense was the focal point for both teams coming out of the locker room.  Both teams stifling defense contributed to the lowest scoring quarter of the contest with only 17 total points scored in the third.  Lake Stevens took a seven point lead into the final quarter.

Newport began their comeback midway through the fourth, with back to back threes by Kaitlin Sahlinger and Laura Moretti to cut the Lake Stevens lead to just three with 5:24 remaining.  A layup by Anna Crabtree for the Knights three minutes later cut the lead to one with 2:21 remaining, the closest Newport had been since the second quarter.

But Brooke Pahukoa stepped up again for the Vikings, going 4-4 on free-throws in the final minute to secure a 48-43 win for Lake Stevens.  The Vikings now advance to state and face Davis on Friday in Wenatchee at 8PM.

Top Performers:
Lake Stevens
Brooke Pahukoa (22 points, 6 steals)
Brittney Pahukoa (9 points, 7 steals, 4 rebounds)

Newport
Casey Schoenlein (4 points, 10 rebounds, 8 blocks)
Marikah Wright (6 points, 7 rebounds)