Mount Si’s girls basketball team last Friday night, January 21, had some special visitors watching them play. A camera crew from a local TV station was on hand filming their game against Lake Washington, so the Wildcats were looking to put their best foot forward. They did and helped their playoff chances in the process.
Mount Si used another spectacular effort from their top senior player, Hailey Eddings, and scored a 58-43 win over the Kangs which, combined with Liberty’s loss at Juanita, put the Wildcats in sole possession of second place in the league, two games behind the Rebels. Eddings scored 24 points in front of the cameras, which were there from KCPQ as part of their “Varsity on Q Game of the Week” series.
Wildcat coach Megan Botulinski said a couple things were key. “We’re mostly healthy so that makes a big difference,” she said, adding,”The girls were really focused. They knew we needed a win to secure second place in the league.” But the coach continued, “Obviously the season is not over yet, so we have to continue to win, but this was that first step.”
Lake Washington opened the game with a 5-0 run, but Mount Si, unlike their game last Wednesday against Interlake, a tight 48-44 win which wasn’t sealed until very late in the game after two rallies from behind, quickly responded, and grabbed the lead on a Stevie Riley three-pointer with 3:30 left in the opening quarter, then maintained and built on that lead as the game went on. The frustration was building for the Kangs as they tried to mount a comeback, but was not able to do so. It boiled over midway in the fourth quarter, as LW coach Cory Shepard was assessed a technical foul by officials for loudly protesting a timeout call by Mount Si when it appeared they had thrown the ball out of bounds. Luckily for the Wildcats, Botulinski was calling for time before Mount Si threw the ball out of bounds, so the correct call was made. From there, the Wildcats were able to close the game out, and now stand at 8-2 in league.
Mount Si senior Jori Braun, who had a solid game with nine points (including a buzzer-beater which ended the first quarter), six rebounds and five assists, didn’t believe having the TV cameras there changed the team’s approach. “It was really exciting going into it, but we couldn’t go into the game worrying about the cameras. We just went out and played like it was any other game,” Braun said. She also thinks the team is starting to play more as a unit. “Every game, more and more, Hailey is our main scorer, there’s no doubt about it, but more and more were playing more as a team,” Braun said.
Whitney Dunlap scored 11 to lead the Kangs. Mount Si heads to Juanita Wednesday, January 27, to play the Rebels at 7:30. Juanita looks to be a tough test. “Juanita, they’re very well rounded. They had a dynamite guard, they have dynamite posts and they’re well coached,” Botulinski said.
