The Auburn Riverside girls basketball team cleared one hurdle in its quest for the state 4A title on Wednesday, scraping by Edmonds-Woodway 51-39 in the first round of the tournament at the Tacoma Dome.
But it wasn’t pretty.
The Ravens (26-0) struggled out of the gate, scoring their first points more than six minutes into the game after six missed attempts.
Auburn Riverside shot just 24.2 percent from the floor in the first half, making just 6-of-33 shots. The Ravens were 2-of-10 from behind the three-point arc in the first half.
“It’s nice to play like that and still win,” said senior guard Mercedes Wetmore, who delivered 15 points, three assists, seven rebounds and a steal in the victory. “We have a lot of pressure on us right now, but it’s a lot of positive pressure. We were a little stagnant at first but we got the win, so we’re happy.”
The Ravens remained poised despite trailing 24-20 at the break.
“I don’t think it was nerves. These girls have been here before,” said Ravens coach Terry Johnson. “Give them (Edmonds-Woodway) a little credit defensively. We weren’t executing to get good shots. We were forcing shots, and we were not finishing strong like we need to. But once we settled down a little bit and started moving the ball, the shots fell.”
The Ravens picked up the pace in the third quarter, seizing the lead and holding the Warriors (22-3) to just five points in the frame.
“I just told them they needed to play,” Johnson said. “It wasn’t that we needed to make any adjustments. They didn’t do anything that we weren’t prepared for. We just needed to fight a little more. We just needed to play together. And they stuck together and once again found a way to win a game.”
Junior post Kat Cooper led the Ravens with 18 points, 11 rebounds and an assist.
Senior Kara Jenkins contributed eight points with seven rebounds, two assists and four steals.
“The one lift we got, especially when we were struggling earlier, was from Kara Jenkins,” Johnson said. “She typically takes the backseat when it comes to offense. But she’s more than capable, so it was nice to see her really step up when we needed some plays on offense.”
Auburn Riverside shot 26.2 percent in the game, making 11-of-42 shots. They were 4-of-21 from 3-point land.
“We’ve got to win, I don’t care how,” Johnson said. “I think all the teams that are here right now don’t care what it looks like, as long as they can get the win.”
Added Wetmore: “We’re definitely together as a team right now. We’ve been doing this a long time now, it’s become a tradition being in the state tournament and winning games. So we know what it takes. We’re just happy to come out and win the first round and make a statement like we did.”
The Ravens faced Chiawana (22-2) in a 5 p.m. quarterfinal Thursday. The outcome was unavailable at press time.
The title game will tip off at 9 p.m. Saturday at the Tacoma Dome.
