On senior night, Juanita’s Olivia Marshall stepped up for 16 points to help the Rebels pick up a key, 65-63 win against Interlake.
The Feb. 9 win gave Juanita better playoff seeding.
Juanita (6-14 overall, 4-8 KingCo 3A/2A) played Mount Si (8-11, 7-4) in a loser-out playoff game last Tuesday night (results not available by deadline). Juanita’s full-court press gave Interlake issues and forced three turnovers by the Saints in the first two minutes.
“That was key to getting inside their head a little bit,” said Juanita coach Sam Lee. “I don’t think they were prepared for that because we didn’t show that much last time.”
Despite the close score, Juanita dominated much of the game. Interlake never led and only tied once (18-18). Juanita led by six at the half and Marshall added five points in the first 20 seconds of the third quarter to push the Rebels’ lead to 11.
Mandy Wilson also scored 16 for Juanita. Michelle Baba scored 12 and Taylor Paddock scored 11.
Interlake’s Sarah Anderegg led all game scorers with 31 points.
Juanita made 7 of 15 free throws in the final four minutes to allow Interlake to creep closer.
“That’s concentration,” Lee said. “It’s a mental deal at this point in the year.”
Interlake won the first meeting 60-47 on Jan. 16. Anderegg scored 30 points in that contest.
“The first game we were a little flat,” Lee said. “We got behind and couldn’t get our stuff together.”
Mount Si swept the regular season series between the teams, with a 52-39 win Jan. 31 and a 48-37 win Feb. 4. Those games were in a stretch where Juanita played five games against the KingCo’s top four teams in six days.