The women’s basketball split two games again, as they fight for a spot in the postseason tournament.
Last week, the Lady T-Birds triumphed over Pierce 62-46 and fell short against Centralia 51-44. The team is now 2-4 in conference and 5-9 overall.
The Thunderbirds stand fifth in the West Region, tied with 2-4 Green River. Fourth and third place are still any team’s for the taking as Tacoma and South Puget each have 3-3 records.
The top four teams from each region will compete in the NWAC championships.
Last Wednesday against Pierce, Thunderbird shooting made the difference as Highline had 23-51 to the Raider’s 15-46. Highline distributed the ball well with 18 assists to the Raiders 11.
In the first, three Pierce three-pointers to Highline’s two attributed a Raider lead, 13-12. The Raiders continued to lead in the second with a perfect 3-3 behind the three-point line and 2-2 at the foul line. Highline struggled to make buckets on 4-14 shooting. At the half, Pierce kept a home court advantage leading 26-21. In the third, 2-11 shooting and six turnovers from Pierce enabled a Highline comeback, 16-5. In the fourth, the Lady T-Birds amassed a 24-point lead with 3:23 on the clock. A three-player contribution from Savannah Arneach, Misiona Ribeiro, and Kylia Lunday helped close out the game 62-46.
“Our chemistry was great. We were all really working together and finding the open shot. Losing was not an option as we are focused on making it to NWACs and this is a game we had to win. It was also just really fun and I think that helped us come out with the win,” said Highline Center Kylie Lunday.
Forward Savannah Arneach was Highline’s top scorer with 19 points. Thus far in the season, Arneach scored prominently in the paint until now. She demonstrated her multi-positional ability with 3-6 shooting behind the three-point line and 6-4 shooting.
“Savannah can play any position on the court. She just has to believe in her abilities. I expect her to keep improving the rest of the season,” said Highline Head Coach Damien Crump.
Center Kylie Lunday continued her double-double streak with 17 points and 14 rebounds. Newcomer Misiona Ribeiro contributed 10 points on 4-4 shooting, a season high.
Guard Eva Taylor led the Raiders with 5-13 three-point shooting among her 20 points.
Guard Jaelyn Turner added 12 points with five assists.
Last Saturday against Centralia, Highline fell 51-44. The Trailblazers dominated in the paint, where they scored 30 points and snagged 42 rebounds.
A slow start in the first, forced Highline to play catch up throughout. The Trailblazers led the way in the first with 6-12 shooting and 14-7 on the scoreboard. Highline struggled to sink their shots with 3-15 shooting. In the second, Highline narrowed the scoring deficit, trailing 29-19 at the halftime break. In the third, the Trailblazers stayed ahead 13-11. Highline made a fourth quarter scoring run 14-9, but it fell short of taking the lead. Centralia closed out the game 51-44.
Highline’s Catherine Sunny was the team’s score leader with 15 points and five three-point swishes, a career high for the sophomore guard. Forward Savannah Arneach added 12 points on 5-16 shooting.
Centralia’s Shawnacee Davis had the hot hand with 20 points on 9-10 shooting.
In recent games, Highline has been hitting more three point shots and logging more assists per game.
“The emphasis has been to get the ball inside and shoot less three’s. However, if the 3 is going to be shot. It has to be an open shot and the ball has to go inside first,” said Coach Crump.
The team goal for upcoming games is to play together, take care of the ball and make easy shots, he said.
With just six games left in conference play, the Lady T-Birds will need some wins to punch their ticket to the NWAC championship tournament.
Highline’s path to the tournament is right in front of them.
“TCC and SPSCC are both good teams, but we know we can beat them. Our last games against them were close ones. It came down to who put the ball in the hoop more. This game we are focused on offense and making sure we get the best shots in order to win,” said Kylie Lunday.
Highline hosted 3-3 South Puget Sound Wednesday with results unavailable at press time. On Saturday, the Lady T-Birds will travel to 3-3 Tacoma with tip off at 2 p.m.