The Elma girls dazzled the home crowd with a pair of wins, one last week, and another on Monday.
Elma 58, Aberdeen 39
Their shooting may have taken a holiday, but Elma’s girls did enough in other areas of the game to celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day (Jan. 16) with a victory.
Dominating the second half with their rebounding and defense, the Eagles pulled away in the second half for a 58-39 win over Aberdeen in a non-league girls basketball game Monday at Elma.
Peyton Elliott scored 18 points to pace Elma (8-7). All nine Eagles who suited up shared in the pointmaking.
Junior forward Reagan Glanz scored 13 points in a fine all-around performance for Aberdeen (5-5).
The Eagles spoiled a homecoming of sorts for first-year Aberdeen coach Jeff Niemi, an Elma teacher who has coached several of the Eagle players at other levels.
Elma missed 15 of its first 16 shots and improved only to a concluding .277 in field-goal percentage.
The Eagles, however, were dominating the offensive glass from the outset, finishing with a 54-37 rebounding advantage. Remarkably, they didn’t make their first shot on a possession until the 4:12 mark of the second quarter.
The Eagles also picked up their defensive energy in the second half, forcing 18 of Aberdeen’s 30 turnovers in the final two quarters.
“We came out flat-footed, no intensity, the gym was quiet,” Elma coach Lisa Johnson said. “We emphasized at halftime that we needed to come out and get after it.”
Breaking Elma’s full-court pressure with surprising ease, the Bobcats led by as many as seven in the first quarter before the Eagles rallied to a 23-all halftime deadlock. It was still tied at 29 following a Glanz basket early in the third quarter.
Elliott’s jumper from the right wing with 4:32 remaining in the quarter gave Elma a permanent lead. The Eagles broke it open about a minute later with what amounted to a seven-point play.
After Elma’s Kayli Johnson nailed a 3-point shot from the top of the key, the Bobcats (protesting the lack of an Elma foul on the preceding sequence) were assessed a technical foul. Sutherby made both free throws and converted a short jumper on the inbounds play to make it 38-29 with 3:20 left in the period.
Six different Eagles scored in the fourth quarter as the hosts pulled away.
Sutherby had nine points, six rebounds and four blocked shots, while Elliott had six rebounds and five steals for Elma. Freshman Quin Mikel led Elma rebounders with 15, while Molly Johnston collected eight rebounds and six steals. Kayli Johnson, the daughter of the Eagle coach, scored all eight of her points in the second half.
The Eagles journey to Forks on Friday.
Elma 51, Tenino 30
Elma used a full-court press to pave the way to a 51-30 victory over Tenino on Thursday, Jan. 12.
The Eagles (3-1, 7-7) forced three turnovers before the Beavers (1-2, 9-4) put up their first shot and forced 26 turnovers on the night. Even after pulling off the press in the second half, Elma continued to control play by dominating the boards. The Eagles outrebounded Tenino 55 to 36 on their way to a win in the Evergreen 1A League game at Elma.
The game was a homecoming for Tenino head coach Brandi Thomas, who graduated from Elma in 2010 after four years as a standout under Johnson. Thomas, who played basketball at Washington State University, received an ovation from both Elma and Tenino fans when she was announced on Thursday.
“It is great to be back here,” Thomas said. “It was different to be on the other side and realize ‘Oh yeah, I walk in the boys locker room now.’ It means a lot to have that warm welcome, because this is where I started and I wouldn’t be here without all of this leading up to it.”
“It was awesome,” Johnson said of Thomas’ return. “She is one of the first players that I have had that I’ve coached against. Brandi was a great player and a great kid and I know she will do great things at Tenino.”
Johnston, who along with Mikel helped the Eagles control the boards, erupted for nine points in the fourth quarter to come away with a game-high 13 points total. Johnston finished with 13 rebounds and four steals, while Mikel added nine points and 12 rebounds. Elma’s Elliott scored 11 points and McKenzie Neary added eight points.
Aberdeen 13 10 10 6 — 39 Elma 8 15 20 15 — 58
Aberdeen (39) — Buckman 8, Glanz 13, Gallinger 4, Rabung, Swor 6, Jones 8, Slyter, Roberts, Krenz, Heikkila, Walsh. FG — 13-46 (.283). FT — 12-20.
Elma (58) — Elliott 18, Sutherby 9, Neary 2, Mikel 5, Johnston 8, Olson 3, Johnson 8, Heller 4, Rambo 1. FG — 18-65 (.277). FT — 19-30.
Tenino 10 6 5 9 — 30 Elma 18 7 13 13 — 51
Tenino (30) — Kershaw 2, Bailon 2, Antill 3, Duncan 1, Letts 4, Mathis 4, Wachter, Schow 9, Homann 5. FG — 10-49. FT — 7-17.
Elma (51) — Sackrider 2, Bieker, Elliott 11, Sutherby 5, Olson, Neary 8, Johnson, Mikel 9, Heller, Johnston 13, Rambo 3. FG — 19-64. FT — 13-20.
JV — Elma 26, Tenino 14
