Eastlake girls lose KingCo 4A semifinals to top-seed Bothell
The Eastlake Wolves girls basketball team lost 49-41 to the Bothell Cougars in the KingCo 4A semifinals on Wednesday night, placing the Lady Wolves at third in the KingCo 4A tournament, and advancing to districts. Bothell’s shot volume was high throughout the game, but they were only able to convert most of them late in the game.
Eastlake scored straight off the tipoff with Brooke McCartney’s layup. The Lady Wolves prioritized their buildup in the first minutes of the game, playing out from the back and taking their attack slowly. Bothell tied the game with Sam Brooke’s layup, finding space in Eastlake’s defense during a counter attack. The Cougars found problems early on with their three person high press, leaving three Lady Wolves in their key to their two. However, they were able to take advantage of the drawbacks of Eastlake’s defense, where the Lady Wolves would stay back in a rigid X-shaped formation at times. Bothell used quick passes to shift defenders out of position and exploit space. After Brooke Sevigny converted her pair of free throws for Eastlake, the quarter ended 11-9 in their favor.
McCartney started Eastlake off in the second quarter with her layup. The Lady Wolves found issues as Bothell repeatedly attempted layups by driving past the Eastlake defenders, but the Cougars were often unable to convert their shots. Bothell had possession for the majority of the second quarter, but they were not able to make much out of it. They scored their first points since the start of the quarter through Charlotte Lipkin, breaking the deadlock. She then tied the game with her pair of free throws. By the end of the second quarter, Eastlake transitioned their defense into a man-coverage style, with defensive players marking each of the attackers. Charli Dolan’s layup after a fast break with 20 seconds left ended the quarter 19-17, Eastlake.
On the first play back from the break, Bothell attempted five shots in a row, but failed to sink any of them. They scored quickly after though, as Brooke went on a fast break. The Cougars took the lead as Lipkin’s three-pointer from left court sunk. Quickly after, Lila Stroup furthered Bothell’s lead through her own three-pointer. Eastlake lost control of the game when Bothell’s Kayleah Hawkins scored three points even though she was pushed by a defender. The Lady Wolves remained on the back foot for most of the quarter, with points scattered between Cougar offensive periods. The quarter ended 37-27, Bothell.
The Lady Wolves started the fourth quarter off as Peyton Riley stole the ball in the middle of the court and scored an easy layup. Bothell’s shooting improved drastically since the second quarter, as Brooke scored another three from left court. The Cougars’ offense moved past Eastlake’s defense easily with intricate passes around the key, forcing hard presses on one player and leaving gaps in the defense. Four pairs of free throws were awarded to Bothell and three pairs were awarded to Eastlake late in the game, ending the game 49-41 Bothell.
Eastlake will play Arlington in the districts tournament on Feb. 14 at home. Tipoff begins at 4:00 p.m.
