December 18, 2024
ISSUE 51
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Cruiser boys basketball drops 2 to open league play By Skip Smith Contributing Writer
The Eatonville Cruisers boys basketball team opened their 2A SPSL League campaign last week with a pair of challenging matchups, falling 73-65 to the Orting Cardinals on Monday and 74-44 to the Foss Falcons on Wednesday. Despite the losses, Head Coach Josh Bennett expressed optimism about the team’s growth in the early stages of the season. In a highly competitive home opener, Eatonville battled longtime rival Orting in a game defined by its back-and-forth nature. The Cruisers took a slim 22-20 lead after the first quarter, thanks to a scorching start by sophomore guard Amari Samuel, who poured in 14 points in the opening frame. Orting responded with a 7-0 run to start the second quarter, seizing momentum and edging ahead 38-36 at halftime. Samuel remained COURTESY HEATHER QUIRIE
BOYS, 4 Eatonville's Amari Samuel drives past Orting's MJ Mbuyamba on his way to scoring a game-high 33 points.
Eatonville Lady Cruisers split first two games By Skip Smith Contributing Writer
COURTESY HEATHER QUIRIE
Eatonville senior Tia Schanbeck drives past W.F. West guard Hadley Hoffman on her way to scoring a team-high 14 points in the Cruisers loss to the Bearcats.
The Eatonville Lady Cruisers had an eventful start to their 2024-2025 basketball season, experiencing the highs of a decisive victory and the challenges of facing a toptier opponent in their first two games. This past Wednesday night, the Cruisers opened their season with an impressive 58-46 road win over the Orting Cardinals. Eatonville jumped out to an early 7-0 lead, powered by an aggressive defense and sharp offensive execution. Hailey Hall and Tia Schanbeck combined for 13 first-quarter points, helping the Cruisers secure a 15-6 advantage. Eatonville’s defense remained relentless in the second quarter, holding Orting to just six points and forcing two shot clock violations. Meanwhile, Lillian Bickford’s seven points fueled a 10-0 run, giving the Cruisers a commanding 30-14 halftime lead. “The girls played great defense in the first half,” said Eatonville Head Coach Deanna Andersen. “We were able to correctly execute new plays and multiple defenses, which kept Orting guessing.” Orting found momentum in the third quarter, capitalizing on Eatonville turnovers to narrow the gap with a 10-0 run that trimmed the deficit to 37-29. But Schanbeck and Hall steadied the Cruisers, who ended the quarter with a 44-32 lead. In the fourth
quarter, Orting attempted to mount a comeback but couldn’t overcome Schanbeck’s dominant performance. She sealed the victory with nine of her game-high 24 points, also adding five rebounds. Hall contributed 17 points and eight rebounds, while Bickford narrowly missed a double-double, finishing with nine points and 10 boards. Additional contributions came from Jordan Green, Morgan Laird, and Sadie Mettler, rounding out a strong team performance. “Tia stepped up as point guard and led the team with authority, and the girls played great team ball,” Andersen said. Eatonville’s momentum hit a roadblock on Friday night, as they faced the highly-ranked WF West Bearcats at Rainier Connect Arena. The Bearcats, led by Julia Dalan — last year’s Washington State 2A Player of the Year and a University of Portland commit — used their full-court press to overwhelm the Cruisers, forcing 13 first-quarter turnovers. Despite Schanbeck’s efforts to keep Eatonville in the game, scoring all five of their first-quarter points, the Bearcats surged ahead with a 9-0 run to close the quarter with a 13-5 lead. The second quarter saw Eatonville briefly narrow the deficit to 13-7 with a pair of Schanbeck free throws, but the Bearcats responded with two 6-0 runs to take a
GIRLS, 4