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Skyview comes ready for Evergreen

Defense, rebounds help Storm girls hold back Plainsmen

The Columbian
Published: January 16, 2010, 12:00am

The Skyview Storm acknowledged they were a little nervous going into Friday night’s Class 4A Greater St. Helens League girls basketball game against Evergreen.

Yes, nervous. Against Evergreen. In girls basketball.

“New players. New coach. Pretty much a different team,” Skyview sophomore Katie Swanson said after the Storm outlasted the upstart Plainsmen 49-36. “You pretty much have to go out and go hard.”

Nobody has been nervous going up against Evergreen in recent years. Now, opponents have to be prepared.

Evergreen, after winning one game the past three seasons, were 11-1 and 2-0 in league play heading into Friday’s matchup.

The Plainsmen started the game like they were on their way to 12-1, taking a 10-point lead early in the second quarter. But Skyview, the defending league champion, rallied to tie the game by halftime, then dominated with defense and rebounds in the fourth quarter to leave Evergreen High School with the 13-point victory.

“We were nervous to start the game, nervous and excited,” said Skyview senior Macy Mukensnabl, who led the Storm with 12 points. “We came out (in the second half) together, much more aggressive. We weren’t just going to hand it over to them.”

Instead, the Storm took all hope away from the Plainsmen with their defense.

Up three points going into the fourth, Skyview held Evergreen to four points on 2-of-18 shooting.

The Storm also outrebounded Evergreen by 15 in the game, with the biggest of boards coming in the second half.

Mukensnabl had an offensive rebound and putback to beat the third-quarter horn, giving Skyview a 35-32 lead. She then scored on the same scenario, from the same spot on the floor, to open the fourth quarter.

“I’m just crashing the boards,” she said. “I’m hoping the shots will go in, but if they don’t, I’m right there.”

Swanson’s offensive board led to a bucket by Brooke Bowen, then Swanson scored on an offensive rebound of her own for a 41-32 lead. Swanson is one of five players on the roster listed at 5-11 or taller.

“It’s good to have a lot of tall people,” Swanson said with a smile. “We have a height advantage over most teams. If one person isn’t on one night, the other four will have your back.”

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Tori Conley had a blocked shot and scored two field goals off the bench for Skyview. Larissa Hamilton had a three-point play in the middle of a 10-0 run for the Storm in the second quarter.

Meanwhile, one of the shortest players on the team, Maddie Van Liew at 5-foot-5, led the team with 10 rebounds.

Bowen finished with 11 points, and Swanson had 10, giving Skyview three players in double figures.

Audrey Frazier started hot for Evergreen, scoring eight of her team-high 11 points in the first half. Justine Joudrey ended up with 10 points. Evergreen’s defensive changes in the early going forced eight turnovers in the first quarter, leading to a 13-5 lead for the Plainsmen.

A shot from Frazier made it 16-6 early in the second quarter before Skyview righted itself.

“Tremendously happy with the effort,” Evergreen coach Jay Foreman said. “The kids really tried hard and did all the right things. When you have kids who have never played in these types of games, it’s hard to respond to certain things that are going on. I’m learning, too.”

The game also attracted a decent-sized crowd, another sign that things are changing at Evergreen.

“There’s a good buzz at the school right now,” Foreman said. “When you’re winning, it brings more people out. The student body is supporting us, the administrative staff is supporting us, and we’re doing good. We’re having fun.”

The Plainsmen also showed that their non-league success has not been a fluke. They took the defending champions to the fourth quarter.

“We didn’t know what to expect,” Mukensnabl said of the Plainsmen.

She knows now, and she knows what it will take to beat Evergreen the second time the two teams face each other.

“We’re going to have to work twice as hard,” she said.

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