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If their matchup with the 6-1 Cedar Park Christian (Bothell) Eagles represented a mid-season test, it’s safe to say the Edmonds-Woodway Warriors passed this mid-term with high marks.
The Warriors sprinted out to a 17-0 advantage then held a 40-14 lead at halftime, finishing with a 67-31 victory over the Eagles in the non-league game played Tuesday at Cedar Park Christian School in Bothell.
CPC had entered the game averaging nearly 56 points per game in their six wins this year, but the outcome of Tuesday’s contest was never in doubt after E-W held the Eagles to just one field goal in the first quarter — a Riley Perrigoue inside jumper in the final half-minute of the period.
Leading the defensive effort against the Eagles was E-W senior Finley Wichers, who was tasked to shadow All-Emerald Sound League player and CPC leading scorer Eliza Nance. “She a great player,” Wichers said of Nance.
Nance was held to just four points in the first half and 12 in the game as Wichers, with help from teammate Audrey Rothmier, handcuffed the Eagles’ junior.
Being pushed to work hard on the defensive end of the floor is nothing new for Wichers. In fact, the senior welcomes the role.
“Since my freshman year when we lost Halle (Waram, 2023 E-W graduate), who was one of our best defensive players for a post player, I’ve kind of been assigned that role,” Wichers said. “And I like it.”
The defensive work by Wichers and the Warriors’ squad was substantial. Along with Nance’s 12 points, CPC’s Taylor Lynch scored 11 while four other Eagles combined for just eight points in the game.
Edmonds-Woodway freshman Amelia Faber led all scorers in the game with 15 points. E-W’s four starting freshmen combined for more than half of the team’s total points in the contest. It’s a scoring trend that has been occurring much of the season for the Warriors and is greatly appreciated by Wichers, who is called upon to put out so much effort on the defensive end of the court each game.
“I will say, sometimes it can affect my offense,” Wichers said of matching up against an opposing team’s best player. “Playing someone so difficult on defense can tire you out. But this team is amazing and I have a lot of faith in them. So when I’m not playing my best, I trust that they’ll do great.”
On Tuesday, it wasn’t just Faber and fellow freshmen Sloane Franks (12 points), Zaniyah Jones (10 points) and Annika Beckstrom (eight points) that brought the offensive punch; 12 of the 15 Warriors that saw gametime against the Eagles scored in the victory.
Cedar Park Christian (Bothell) fell to 6-2 overall (3-0 in the Emerald Sound Chinook Conference) with Tuesday’s loss.
The win was the ninth this season for the Warriors (1-1 in 2A/3A Wesco League South Conference, 9-1 overall), matching the team’s win total for all of last season. It’s the best first-half mark for an E-W squad since the 2017-18 team that finished the year 20-4. And while this year’s team is turning heads, Wichers thinks that improvement can still be had considering there are five freshmen on the roster.
“It’s hard to gel because they (Faber, Franks, Jones, Leckie and Madeline Kost) are such a close group and they know how to work with each other,” Wichers explained. “(But) I think we’re starting to get in that rhythm.”
“After our loss to Archbishop Murphy, it kind of put us into (a new) perspective of how we need to work as a team and not as individuals,” Wichers continued. “And I think we started to show that on the court.”
Since the 72-40 defeat to Archbishop Murphy Dec. 16, the Warriors have rattled off three straight victories by an average scoring differential of 34 points.
The second half of the E-W regular season begins on Friday, Jan. 2, when the team faces Mountlake Terrace on the road. All 10 games remaining on the Warriors’ slate are Wesco League South Conference matchups and include tough league contests against Meadowdale (twice), Shorecrest (twice) and a rematch against Archbishop Murphy on Jan. 20.
Prep Girls Basketball: Edmonds-Woodway at Cedar Park Christian (Bothell), Dec. 30
Edmonds-Woodway 17 23 19 8 – 67
Cedar Park Christian 2 12 9 8 – 31
Edmonds-Woodway individual scoring: Amelia Faber 15, Sloane Franks 12, Zaniyah Jones 10, Annika Beckstrom 8, Audrey Rothmier 5, Amara Leckie 4, Janie Hanson 4, Finley Wichers 2, Madeline Kost 2, Darcy Brennan 2, Alyssa Rincon 2, Jasmine Gill 1, Amelia Miller, Avigail Johnson, Lilly Wartelle
Cedar Park Christian individual scoring: Eliza Nance 12, Taylor Lynch 11, Angelica Zayshlyy 3, Katie Charlton 2, Riley Perrigoue 2, Liz Byeman 1, Lauren Hericks, Julia Robinson, Ava Bolles
Records: Edmonds-Woodway 1-1 in 2A/3A Wesco League South Conference, 9-1 overall; Cedar Park Christian 3-0 in 1A Emerald Sound Chinook Conference, 6-2 overall
Edmonds-Woodway next game: versus Mountlake Terrace; Friday, Jan. 2; 6:30 p.m. at Mountlake Terrace High School
Cedar Park Christian next game: versus Blaine; Saturday, Jan. 3; 3:00 p.m. at Blaine High School
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