Eastlake Lady Wolves claim victory, 59-53, against the Monroe Bearcats
On Friday night at Eastlake High School, coming off a pair of losses against Woodinville and Lake Washington, the Lady Wolves were hungry for a win as they faced the Monroe Bearcats.
Controlling the tip-off and immediately dropping a 3-point shot from Megan Roberts, it appeared Eastlake was up for the fight. But the Bearcats were not going to make it easy as Mya Mercille and Halle Keller answered with 3-pointers for Monroe. The Lady Wolves, down 17-11 after the first quarter, would have to claw their way to a win.
Summing up the first quarter, Lady Wolves Coach Sarah Goldie said, “Even though we missed some early shots that came from perfectly executed plays, we stayed confident and kept trusting the process.”
Both teams found a rhythm of back and forth 2-point plays that kept the game fairly even in the second quarter. Haller and Aliyah Taylor stayed hot for the Bearcats while Roberts and Addison Baumgartner did the same for the Lady Wolves, concluding the first half with a 25-20 lead for Monroe.
After re-evaluating their strategy during the half-time break, the Lady Wolves returned to the court with a new game plan for the second half. Opening with a swift 3-point bucket followed by another 2-point shot, Brooke McCartney got the juices flowing for Eastlake. The game saw a tight battle when Hope Keller and Eastlake’s Baumgartner traded shots, bringing the score to a 27-27 tie.
Newly energized, the Lady Wolves were determined to take the lead. With a 2-point swish from Roberts as well as layups from McCartney, the quarter took a surprising turn with a game-changing 42-32 advantage for Eastlake as the Lady Wolves out-scored the Bearcats 17-12 in the third period.
Keeping the momentum going, Roberts opened the final quarter with a swift 2-point bucket for Eastlake. Monroe answered with an 8-point run to narrow the gap for a 47-42 Eastlake advantage. With time running out and frustration mounting for the Bearcats, Monroe fell into a pattern of fouls, giving the Lady Wolves a series of free throws that secured their win with a final score of 59-53.
Eastlake’s Maggie Bredeweg, 15, said “I think we just moved the ball really well and we just got to keep it going and play together.”
Coach Goldie added, “We were focused on ourselves and making sure that we executed correctly with patience. Once we could turn on the heat effort-wise, and working together, the ball started following.”
Following the winter break, the Eastlake Lady Wolves return to the court to face the Bothell Cougars on Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025, at 7:15 p.m. in Bothell.
