Febuary 5, 2025
ISSUE 6
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Lady Cruisers dominate on senior night By Skip Smith Contributing Writer
The Eatonville Lady Cruisers basketball team put on a dominant display this past week, securing three decisive victories and further cementing their place atop the 2A SPSL standings. Tuesday night’s matchup against Steilacoom was not just another game—it was a chance to celebrate seven dedicated seniors who have been instrumental to the Cruiser program. Players Bailey Andersen, Lillian Bickford, Hailey Hall, Alayna Meyer, Ashley Peterson, Tia Schanbeck, and manager Sydney Wolf were honored before tip-off, receiving gifts and applause from the home crowd. “Some of the seniors I have had since early elementary school, and it’s a great feeling to see them grow into amazing adults that also play basketball pretty well,” Head Coach Deanna Andersen said. Once the ceremony ended, the Lady Cruisers got down to business, completely dismantling the Sentinels in a 71-17 victory. Eatonville’s defense suffocated Steilacoom, forcing 28 turnovers— including 15 steals—and dominating the boards with 49 rebounds. Hall led the way on the glass with 15 rebounds, followed closely by Schanbeck with 13. Bailey Andersen was unstoppable offensively, pouring in a game-high 28 points, including 13 in the opening quarter. The Cruisers stormed out to a 27-8 lead behind her scoring and relentless defensive pressure. By halftime, Eatonville was in complete control, leading 46-11. The Cruisers took their foot off the gas in the third quarter but still
COURTESY HEATHER QUIRIE
Eatonville senior players Tia Schanbeck, Hailey Hall, Lillian Bickford, Alayna Meyer and Bailey Andersen walk off the court arm in arm on Senior Night. The Cruisers would defeat the Steilacoom Sentinels 71-17. maintained a comfortable 53-13 lead. In the final period, Meyer came alive, scoring eight of her season-high 16 points as Eatonville cruised to victory. Alongside Andersen’s 28-point performance, Meyer added 16, Hall chipped in six points and 15 rebounds, and Schanbeck stuffed the stat sheet with seven points, 14 rebounds, six assists, and a block. Bickford contributed 10 points, six
rebounds, and two blocks. “Great team ball tonight,” Coach Andersen added. On Wednesday, Eatonville played its final regular-season home game, welcoming the Foss Falcons. Much like their first meeting, where the Cruisers rolled to a 70-13 win, Eatonville dominated once again, securing a lopsided 78-27 victory. An 11-point first-quarter explosion
from Bailey Andersen helped the Cruisers race out to a 27-8 advantage. Bickford and Hall took over in the second quarter, each scoring four points while pulling down key rebounds. Andersen added five more to give Eatonville a 52-15 halftime lead. The Falcons managed nine points in the third, but Eatonville still stretched the lead to 68-24. A stifling
defensive effort held Foss to just three free throws in the final period as the Cruisers closed out another commanding win. Head Coach Deanna Andersen applauded her team’s great team work, “We came out aggressive and set the tone early. The girls did a great job moving the ball and finding
SENIOR NIGHT, 4
Eatonville boys basketball struggles on road By Skip Smith Contributing Writer
The Eatonville Cruisers faced a tough road stretch last week, dropping both of their matchups against Steilacoom and Franklin Pierce. Despite strong efforts from multiple players, the Cruisers were unable to overcome early deficits in both games. Eatonville opened the week on Jan. 28 on the road
at Steilacoom, where they fell to the Sentinels, 55-36. After a turnover on their opening possession, the Cruisers surrendered the first basket of the game. Michael Stogsdill quickly responded with a steal and a three-pointer to give Eatonville their only lead of the night at 3-2. However, Steilacoom answered with a 9-0 run and never looked
back, leading 19-6 at the end of the first quarter. The Sentinels extended their lead with a 7-0 run in the second quarter, capitalizing on eight Eatonville turnovers. Despite a fivepoint effort from Lowell McWright and six points from Amari Samuel in the quarter, the Cruisers trailed 41-19 at halftime. Eatonville’s defense
showed improvement in the third quarter, forcing eight Steilacoom turnovers and holding them to just nine points. However, the Cruisers struggled to capitalize offensively, scoring only eight points themselves, which left them trailing 50-27 heading into the final period. Eatonville outscored the Sentinels in the fourth quarter, led by three-pointers from McWright and Kai Rose, but the deficit proved too large to overcome. McWright led the Cruisers with 10 points, while Isaiah Whatley contributed a career-high seven points off the bench. Samuel added six points and five rebounds in
the effort. “There was a lot going wrong for us in that first half,” head coach Josh Bennett said. “The group that played most of the third quarter kept us in the game and did an amazing job at executing. As a coach, you love when your team responds to your challenges and when the kids are coachable.” The Cruisers wrapped up their week with a tough matchup against Franklin Pierce on Friday Jan. 31st, suffering an 83-24 defeat. Both teams opened the game by exchanging threepointers, but Franklin Pierce quickly took control with a
dominant 26-2 run, capitalizing on 13 Eatonville turnovers to take a commanding 27-5 lead at the end of the first quarter. The Cardinals continued their relentless defensive pressure in the second quarter, forcing another 10 Eatonville turnovers while opening the period with a 21-3 run. The Cruisers managed 11 points in the frame, with McWright scoring six of them, but they trailed 5316 at halftime. Franklin Pierce maintained their dominance in the second half, outscoring Eatonville 30-8
BOYS, 4