Juanita girls ride balanced offense for win over Lake Washington

Senior Tea Adams might have led the Rebels in scoring, but the Juanita High girls basketball team put in a balanced game in a 64-44 conference win over Lake Washington on Dec. 16 at the Juanita Fieldhouse.

Adams led all scorers with 19 points, but Brittany White added 12, Brandi White scored nine and Hannah Kleppe and Alexis Intong both scored eight.

“We have a lot more girls stepping up and helping in that regard,” Juanita coach Todd Brink said. “They’re helping in scoring and in a lot of different ways — rebounding, team defense and assists are up.”

Brink said the change is a product of more experience as a unit, and the team’s commitment to defense.

The Rebels (3-1 KingCo, 4-2) threw out a high press against Lake Washington (1-2, 1-5), and the tactic worked. The Kangs turned the ball over 31 times, compared to 11 Juanita turnovers, and the Rebels routinely pushed the ball up the floor.

The Rebels led 19-7 at the end of the first quarter, and extended the lead to 46-27 after three quarters.

The Kangs’ best moments came from beyond the arc, where senior Sydney Olson went 5-for-8 and Molly Behrends hit four of seven. Olson finished with 18 points and Behrends scored 14, but the team struggled from close range.

Lake Washington shot just 20 percent from inside the arc, hitting four of 20 attempts. Lake Washington is team with tons of athletic experience but not much basketball experience, and the faster pace seems to fit the Kangs.

“One of the biggest successes I saw was speeding up the game offensively,” Lake Washington coach Regi Raban said. “Being that we don’t have basketball players, they take time to think about things sometimes. If we play faster, they make better decisions.”

Another bright spot was the rebounding of senior Marissa Ewald, a first-year varsity player. Ewald started in place of banged-up senior Tori Bivens and finished with nine rebounds.

Lake Washington lost a nonconference game to Mt. Tahoma, 52-49, on Dec. 17 at home.

Next, Lake Washington is scheduled to participate in the Eastside Catholic Holiday Hoop-Fest, beginning with a game against Mark Morris at 1:30 p.m. on Dec. 20 in Sammamish.

The Rebels are set to play Mount Si at 7 p.m. on Dec. 21 at home before competing in the Kingston Battle of the Cove on Dec. 28 and 29.