West Seattle Claims Sole Possession of Metro Lead, Tops Braves
By Steve Dion
| Wednesday- January 27th | 2016 | Girls | 3A | Metro | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Seattle High School | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | Final | |
| Bishop Blanchet | 6 | 8 | 6 | 10 | 30 | |
| West Seattle | 13 | 11 | 9 | 11 | 44 | |
West Seattle Wildcats
Wednesday night at West Seattle High School was the first sign that playoff hoops is quickly approaching. The host Wildcats and Bishop Blanchet Braves both carried 16-0 records into tonight’s game and this would determine the Metro League regular season champions in all likelihood.
The Wildcats rebounding advantage was evident early as Lexi Ioane pulled down several offensive boards and Lydia Giomi was a force on the defensive end of the glass. After the game, West Seattle head coach Darnell Taylor stated, “I noticed early on they were doubling Giomi…I sat Lexi down and told her it was your time to go at it and take over.” The two recorded 12 and 14 in the contest respectively. Taylor Chambers scored a quick five points for the Braves, but they were unable to get contributions elsewhere and fell behind. The Wildcats were able to avoid an extended defensive lapse throughout the first half and carried a double digit lead to the locker room.
The uphill battle continued early in the second half for Blanchet as the team’s leading scorer this season Jadyn Bush faced foul trouble that forced Coach Burns to sideline the junior wing. A dagger three pointer by Jenna McPhee solidified the Wildcats’ edge in tonight’s game. Blanchet briefly cut the lead to single digits in the waning minutes, but WSHS converted on scoring opportunities before the clock hit triple zeros. When asked about how his team responded to the extra pressure added to this game in terms of league standings, Coach Taylor replied,”I’m really excited the way they handled themselves through the week building up to this big game, they were really focused.” These teams will likely meet again in the near future with increasingly high stakes.
The Final Score
West Seattle 44, Bishop Blanchet 30.
Top Performers:
West Seattle
Lydia Giomi- 14 points
Lexi Ioane- 12 points
Bishop Blanchet
Taylor Chambers- 11 points