By Jocelyn Smarr

The Edmonds-Woodway High School girls added another win to their record Tuesday when they took down the Mountlake Terrace Hawks, 61-50, in a close-fought defensive and offensive battle. Despite the absence of Sidney Eck, sophomore guard Natalie Kasper stepped up and led the way for the Warriors with 32 points, while Hawks sophomore Samantha Romanowski put up 15 and her sophomore teammate, Maddy Kristjanson, added 14 for Terrace.

The Warriors managed to hold onto their lead throughout the fourth quarter, outscoring the Hawks 14-10. The two E-W freshmen, Kate Wooley and Mady Burdett, demonstrated growing confidence on the floor by driving to the hoop and drawing fouls, as well as draining the resulting free throws.

Mountlake Terrace came out hot to start the game and built an 11-2 lead. They looked comfortable and confident working with the cushion they had created, until Kasper began consistently dropping shots from downtown. She scored the first 20 points for the Warriors, getting E-W back within two point. The first non-Kasper points came with four minutes left in the half, when Seyi Olajoyegbe scored a lay-in to make it 27-22 Terrace. E-W continued the offensive momentum by finishing the half with a six-point lead, 35-29.

After two quarters of play, Kasper had 25 points including seven three-pointers. Romanowski and Kristjanson each had 12.

Kasper was silenced in the third quarter as Mountlake Terrace made an adjustment to keep the ball out of her hands. The Warriors responded by giving the ball to Moni Jackson, who fed it into Claire Fyfe and Olajoyegbe down low. Mountlake Terrace also saw more balance in scoring as Nikkie Froehlich and Kirsty Dale combined for nine points in the third.

The Warriors open league play this Friday at Jackson, and Mountlake Terrace opens at home the same night against Meadowdale.

Edmonds Woodway scoring: Kate Wooley 5, Mady Burdett 9, Natalie Kasper 32, Claire Fyfe 2, Moni Jackson 5, Seyi Olajoyegbe 8, Lea Bakken
Mountlake Terrace scoring: Nikkie Froehlich 7, Kenzie Grayson 2, Taylor Smith 5, Samantha Romanowski 15, Kirsty Dale 6, Maddy Kristjanson 14

Sports correspondent Jocelyn Smarr is a student at Edmonds-Woodway High School.