STANWOOD — In a game of big plays by players of both teams, the player with the most big plays was Edmonds-Woodway’s Moni Jackson, a 5-foot-3 guard.
Jackson scored a game-high 25 points, including 12 in the pivotal fourth quarter, to lift the Warriors to a 71-65 victory over Stanwood on Friday night in a first-round game of the 3A District 1 girls basketball tournament.
Though smaller than almost everyone else on the court, Jackson was also the most productive. She scored inside with four layins and outside with five 3-pointers, with three of her 3s coming in the final period. She also had two free throws.
“Moni is a phenomenal player,” said E-W coach Rebekah Wells. “She’s a senior, a captain, and she’s going to hit the big shots.”
“My mindset was to do what I usually do,” Jackson said. “Driving to the hoop, that’s my usual advantage. I’m not really a (perimeter) shooter, even though tonight I got some 3s. But my advantage is just driving to the hole.”
The two teams traded leads through the first quarter, the Warriors led throughout the second quarter, and Stanwood was on top for much of the third quarter. But Edmonds-Woodway regained the lead late in the third period and led the rest of the way, aided by Jackson’s eight early fourth-quarter points that helped push the lead to 60-52.
The Spartans drew within 60-58 with three minutes to play, but the last run belonged to the Warriors. An 8-2 burst took the lead back to eight points inside the final minute, and they hung on despite missing four of their last five free throw attempts.
The outcome was a dramatic turnabout for Edmonds-Woodway after a 63-31 loss to Glacier Peak on Monday night.
Though initially unsure how her team would bounce back, “when I walked into practice on Tuesday I wasn’t concerned anymore,” Wells said. “Their attitude at our Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday practices was, ‘Hey, we’re still a good basketball team.’ They didn’t let their morale get down. And they knew they could play better.”
Against Stanwood, she added, “we started to play like Edmonds-Woodway again.”
The Spartans, meanwhile, played their best game of the season even in defeat, according to coach Dennis Kloke. “Unfortunately, in our 20-game schedule, we had four games that were tough,” he said, citing losses to Inglemoor, Bellevue and Arlington twice. “So we’re not as prepared for a game like this as you could be. And when you only have nine varsity players, it’s very difficult to simulate that situation (in practice). So I’m really proud of the girls.”
The Spartans, who were led by the 21 points of forward Tristan Murphy, will be home again on Tuesday night against Everett in a 7 p.m. loser-out game.
As for the Warriors, they can look forward to a 6 p.m. Tuesday rematch with Lynnwood, a team that has already defeated them twice this season. That game will be at Jackson High School, with the winner advancing to the district title game and the regional tournament.
In the two earlier games with Lynnwood, “the first game wasn’t pretty, though the second game was a little better,” Jackson said. “But we’ll be prepared this time and hopefully get a win out of it. And if not, hopefully we’ll still push through and try to get to state.”
At Stanwood H.S.
Edmonds-Wood. 21 17 12 21 —71
Stanwood 17 20 12 16 —65
Edmonds-Woodway—Kate Wooley 0, Allie Browning 0, Mady Burdett 15, Natalie Kasper 9, Kendra Cooper 4, Claire Fyfe 0, Moni Jackson 25, Lea Bakken 2, Missy Peterson 16.
Stanwood—Kayla Frazier 0, Julia Heichel 10, Jillian Heichel 0, Haley Strowbridge 7, Kaitlin Larson 10, Ashley Bierer 14, Ashley Alter 3, Tristan Murphy 21.
3-point goals—Mady Burdett 1, Natalie Kasper 1, Moni Jackson 5, Missy Peterson 1, Julia Heichel 2, Haley Strowbridge 1, Ashley Bierer 4, Ashley Alter 1.
Records—Edmonds-Woodway 17-4 overall. Stanwood 16-5.
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