Juanita girls prepare for second half of season
The winter break did not start well for the Juanita High School girls basketball team as they lost their first two games. But the team would recover to go 2-2 during the break, as they prepare for the second half of the in-league season in third place in 3A KingCo.
The Rebels traveled to Puyallup to take on Rogers High School on Dec. 23, and came home with a 50-43 loss. Juanita began the game with a lot of fire, building an 18-11 lead. But single digit output on offense during the second and fourth quarters sank the Rebels chances for a victory.
Taylor Paddock was the only Juanita player to reach double digits in scoring with 10 points.
The Rebel’s second loss came at Stanwood, 58-47 on Dec. 28. The home team built a 36-20 half time team but the Rebels refused to go quietly. Juanita came out of the locker room ready to play, outscoring their opponents 19-12 to cut the defect nearly in half. But Standwood would recover during the fourth quarter, keep pace with Juanita to secure the victory. The Rebels were led by Kate Cryderman with 16 points and Paddock with 12.
The Rebels had a quick turnaround with a game the very next night at Bothell High School. Senior point guard Kimberly Baba led Juanita to a 56-35 win, by scoring 17 points and grabbing eight rebounds. Juanita’s defense forced 47 turnovers during the game and held the Cats to just three first-quarter points. Juanita exploded during the fourth quarter for 25 points of their own to cap the victory.
Three games in three nights only slowed the Rebels for a quarter, as they hosted and defeated Graham-Kapowsin, 52-42, in a rare day game Dec. 30.
The first quarter was one of the Rebels’ worst of the year as they were outscored 14-4. But the team bounced back to outscore Graham-Kapowsin 32-15 during the second and third quarters. Cryderman led the team with 16 points, while Kimberly Baba had 15 points.
Juantia will return to action at 6 p.m. Friday at home against Mount Si.
Cunnigan scores 64 points during four games
The Rebels boys were blown out by Glacier Peak, 74-52, to start the break. Juanita held a three-point lead heading into the second quarter. But the eight minutes before half time were a nightmare for the Rebels as they scored just six points. Glacier Peak took advantage of the Rebels anemic offense by scoring 21 points. Peak extended the lead by ten before the final buzzer. Ryon Cunnigan continued to lead Juanita on offense with 20 points but no other Rebel scored in double figures.
Juanita had a short turnaround and took their frustrations out on Rogers High School of Puyallup with a 54-48 victory Dec. 23. Cunnigan scored 24 points to pace Juanita and teammate Kellen Gildersleeve contributed 11. Rogers took a four-point lead into half time but the Rebels ran away with a 21-14 fourth quarter to secure the victory.
The Juanita boys turned their momentum into another victory, 44-41, on Dec. 29 as they hosted Snohomish. The Panthers took a slim two-point lead into half time before the Rebels tuned up the defense, outscoring the visitors 17-5 during the third. The Panthers made a charge during the fourth quarter by outscoring Juanita by seven points but it wasn’t enough. Cunnigan added to his winter break point total by leading Juanita with 10.
The Rebels finished winter break with a 2-2 record thanks to a 58-47 loss to Stanwood on Dec. 30. Juanita struggled during the first quarter, scoring just three points. The team recovered to keep pace with the 4A squad but never gained enough momentum to cut very far into their opponent’s lead. Cunningan and teammate Kris Otterholt led the Rebels with 10 points each.
The Juanita boys will look for their first in-league win at 7:30 p.m. Friday, as they take on Mount Si to start the second half of the season.
