The short-handed Lady T-Birds basketball team went 1-1 in last week’s home games.
Despite having no more than seven players, the Lady T-Birds bested Green River 62-55 but fell to Lower Columbia 71-42.
Against Green River, high scoring from Thunderbird starters and a fourth quarter momentum shift helped the T-Birds earn the win. A dynamic duo performance from Kylie Lunday and Savannah Arneach led the team to victory.
In the first, the Gators took an early 22-15 lead with four three-pointers. Highline led in the second 18-12 with 8-15 shooting and 13 team rebounds. At the half, Green River had a slight lead 34-33. In the third, the Gators topped Highline 16-13. In the final quarter Highline sprinted ahead with a 9-point lead.
Green River’s Janae Kamala was the team’s top scorer with two three-pointers and 6-16 shooting among her 15 points. Forward Saydee Anderson also sank two treys, contributing 10 points.
Center Kylie Lunday continued her double-double performance streak with 25 points on 12-13 shooting and 17 rebounds. Forward Savannah Arneach had a career high performance of 18 points and 11 rebounds, her first double-double of the season. Freshman Hi’ilani Arai added 12 points on 5-9 shooting.
Last Saturday, Highline turnovers and a lack of reserves handed Lower Columbia a 71-42 win. The Red Devils ranked third in the most recent NWAC Coaches Poll. They had five reserves to Highline’s one and surpassed the Thunderbirds in all major stats categories.
On Saturday, Lower Columbia’s deep roster logged 36 bench points to Highline’s 4. Highline had ball control troubles with a total of 36 turnovers.
In the first, a pair of threes gave the Devils a 14-12 edge over the Thunderbirds. Highline’s six-player roster grew tired into the second with 10 turnovers and 2-10 shooting. Lower Columbia amassed a 30-18 lead at half time.
“The main thing contributing to Lower Columbia’s lead was their press and how well they took advantage of our turnovers. They knew to advance the ball for a quick and easy basket off our turnovers,” said Highline Guard Catherine Sunny.
In the third, the Devils stayed ahead 22-14 with leadership from Michaela Hams who added 15 points. Highline continued to struggle with 3-10 shooting and 9 turnovers. The fourth panned out in a similar fashion with a Lower Columbia lead 19-10. The Devils closed out the game 71-42.
Lower Columbia Guard Michaela Harris was the team’s top scorer with 19 points. Guard Jayzlynn Novelli had 3-6 field-goal shooting on 15 total points.
Center Kylie Lunday had 19 points on 6-10 shooting and 12 rebounds. Forward Savannah Arneach contributed 9 points on 4-7 shooting.
The Lady T-Birds are currently 4-8 overall and 1-3 in the West Region.
Women’s basketball has had its fair share of setbacks this season. The team downsized from an 11-player roster at the start to just seven in January. One player said the team lost a few players due to injury and other factors.
Highline still lists eight players on its roster, but not all are suiting up. In recent games, the seven-player squad competed nearly all 40 minutes with little to no breaks.
“Lately we’ve been struggling a lot to maintain the same pace throughout the game.
It is tiring only having one reserve for the team. Not having the numbers is frustrating sometimes because getting in foul trouble is one of the things we have to be very careful about,” said guard Catherine Sunny.
The team is preparing for a battle against Pierce, said Sunny. With seven conference games left, Highline will need some wins to make it to the post-season tournament.
“It all comes down to who wants it more. We need this win. Pierce started out their season on a rough note, but that doesn’t mean they’re not going to come out strong,” said Sunny.
Highline will play their next two games on the road. Yesterday the team played 0-4 Pierce with results available at press time.
This Saturday, Feb. 12 the team will travel south to play 3-1 Centralia College at 5 p.m.