Mount Si’s girls basketball team celebrated the accomplishments of their senior class last Thursday, Feb. 3, as they played their final home game of the regular season against the Liberty Patriots. With a lot on the line, including a first-round bye in the Kingco Tournament and an automatic berth to the SeaKing District Tournament, the Class of 2011 got the ball rolling and the Wildcats got the job done.
Mount Si started all five of their seniors – Haley Chase, Hailey Eddings, Kassidy Maddux, Jori Braun and Stevie Riley – and they proceeded to open the game on a 10-0 run. From there the Wildcats pretty much cruised and brought home a 59-42 win. Eddings finished with 27 points to lead Mount Si, who finished second in the conference, one game behind Juanita.
Mount Si coach Megan Botulinski was pleased with how things went. “Senior Night’s always a fun one. There’s a lot of excitement. It’s a huge accomplishment, especially with these girls,” Botulinski said. They’ve been together, playing together for so long and they’ve done so many wonderful things, especially this year.”
Rebounding was a key to Mount Si’s success, and two players anchored that attack: Chase and junior Shelby Peerboom, who each finished with 11 rebounds to lead the Wildcats on the boards. Eddings herself added eight rebounds to the cause. Mount Si as a team recorded 38 rebounds. Chase was happy with her effort. “Tonight we were all excited, because it was Senior Night and we just wanted to come out and give it everything,” she said. Botulinski felt the rebounding would be a big factor. “We really knew we had to clean things up from (last) Tuesday (a loss to Bellevue) and we knew that we were going against some very tall athletic girls and so the key was rebounding and defense,” she said.
After breaking out to that early 10-0 lead, the Wildcats maintained their advantage and went into halftime up 30-19. Mount Si built the lead up throughout the second half, extending that lead as high as 20 points three times during that half. Braun finished with eight points to pace the Wildcats. Freshman Sierra Carlson showed off her outside shooting for the Patriots, hitting four three-pointers during the contest giving her 12 points to lead Liberty.
For Chase, being part of this program has been special. “I’ve loved every minute of it and this team especially. We’re so close and I love everyone on the team and we just bond really well,” she said.
The league tournament is this week at Bellevue College. Riley has this message for fans. “Come and watch us at BCC,” she said. The Wildcats will play Thursday at the college, then possibly again on Saturday at a site to be determined in the opening game of the SeaKing District Tournament depending on the results of the Thursday game.
