Girls hoops: Issaquah ends Skyline’s post-season
The Skyline Spartans lost to the Issaquah Eagles 52-42 on Tuesday night, with Issaquah leveraging strong offensive coordination and lockdown defense.
Jumping right into the fray of defenders, Issaquah earned free throws from the second the game started, putting its first points on the board with two successful shots. The Eagles kept playing aggressively, with each player putting up a layup through quick passing and lane drives. Skyline did not fall silent, however, as they earned two free throws from a foul and two 3-pointers from Castellina Miller to quickly even the score at 8-8. Ultimately, a few quick layups from Issaquah’s Autumn Rydberg and Avani Akerkar boosted the score for Issaquah to 14-8 at the end of the first quarter.
Carrying that momentum into the second quarter, Issaquah remained energized while zipping through lanes to create openings. Clair Hornschemeier and Rhenna Hung hit a quick pick-and-roll that resulted in a layup and a free throw, and the Eagles recovered the rebound to make it 19-8 within the first two minutes. Hung didn not stop there, taking a foul from an aggressive drive into the paint to boost the score to 22-8. Skyline, determined to end that run, managed to steal the ball for a quick layup by Natalie Culver, which Kate Reinkensmeyer following with a quick three-pointer. Akerkar also contributed a midrange jumper to keep the Eagles ahead 22-15, but after a few physical defensive plays, the half ended 25-17 in favor of Issaquah.
Starting things up in the second half, both teams played lockdown defense, letting no points go for the first two minutes. But it was Issaquah that finally broke through when Hung took a layup and drew a foul on the next play. By earning both free throws, Hung boosted the lead to 28-17. Issaquah then brought out its bigger players, including Clara Gibbons, Abigail Witecki, and Ameera Asous, who took control inside the paint by constantly snagging rebounds. Skyline tried its best to score but only Reinkensmeyer’s three-point shot went in, making it 30-20 later in the quarter. Issaquah then switched tactics to play for the long ball, where Akerkar put up a three-pointer followed by a layup to stretch the lead to 35-20.
Entering the fourth quarter, the Spartans knew it was their last chance, but they could not stop the long-range shots from Issaquah’s Ciara Smith-Sletten and Akerkar, which led to a 41-26 score. Skyline did not let that stop them, however, putting extra effort into the paint to draw foul calls. Reinkensmeyer was the first to convert at the line, but Witecki hit a three-pointer to break the Spartans’ momentum. Issaquah maintained a wide zone defense to force long-range shots, but the Spartans were still able to find layups from Jane Simon and Miller to reach 46-32. Akerkar fired another three-pointer to keep Skyline at bay, and despite late three-pointers from Reinkensmeyer and Culver, Issaquah’s Smith-Sletten capitalized on one last shot from deep. Although Skyline desperately tried to catch up with late layups, Issaquah’s lockdown defense secured the 52-42 win, ending the Skyline girls’ basketball season.
