Photo by John Larson
GAME PLAN. Coach Josh Narayan talks to his team during the Evergreen Lutheran game on Jan. 29.
With the poise and leadership of four seniors – forward Melanie Shank, center Jennifer Rea and guards Adrianna Burns and Kelsey Lyons – the Tacoma Baptist girls are having a stellar season. The Crusaders are 17-2 heading into their final regular-season game at Quilcene on Feb. 5.
The Crusaders edged Evergreen Lutheran twice, beating the Eagles 53-45 on the road on Jan. 23 followed by a 51-45 victory at home on Jan. 29. The Eagles have dominated the league in recent years, but the Crusaders are in position to knock them from their perch.
The Crusaders led the Eagles 15-9 after one period in their meeting in Tacoma. Shank sank a 3-pointer early in the second to increase the lead. Rea, the tallest player on the court at 5 foot 10, put her height to use in blocking a shot. A little later junior center Alyssa Wolf shot, missed, grabbed the rebound and made shot for two of her six points. TB took a 29-19 lead into the locker room.
The Crusaders held a lead of between four and six points throughout the second half. The Eagles utilized a full-court press in the fourth period. They fouled Shank several times, and she responded by making six free throws. After Evergreen pulled within three points, a battle for a loose ball ensued under the TB hoop. Shank got control of the ball and scored. Soon after a teammate fed her the ball and she responded with another basket.
Lyons was fouled and sank two free throws. Rea drove the lane for a lay-in that sealed the victory. The Eagles missed several 3-point attempts before Markelle Lance nailed one just before the buzzer.
Shank led TB with 23, followed by Lyons with 11.
Shank stayed cool at the charity stripe with the game on the line.
“I just blocked out the sounds and concentrated,” Shank said.
“It is something we work on a lot in practice,” Rea said about free-throw shooting.
“We knew it would be close,” Shank remarked. “They play really tough defense. We had to fight even harder in the second half.”
There were no seniors on the team last season, so the four during this campaign have gotten used to serving as leaders.
“Our senior leaders showed up tonight,” head coach Josh Narayan said. “That was very evident as they made clutch free throws.”
The Crusaders blasted Chief Leschi 61-8 on Jan. 30. Shank led TB with 12 points, while Wolf and Jordyn Wintersole each chipped in 10.
They beat Crosspoint 41-22 on Feb. 2.
The Sea-Tac League tournament takes place at Chief Leschi on Feb. 12-13.
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