Yelm girls basketball, now winners of three of its last four contests as of Tuesday, continued to build momentum and picked up a South Sound Conference at home on Friday, Jan. 5 against Central Kitsap.
The Tornados outscored the Cougars en route to a 56-45 victory, which included an early flurry of 3-point field goals from seniors guard Lilli Williams, forward Shay-Lah Squally and junior guard Mariah Arnestad.
“We had great play out of the entire team,” head coach Jennifer Sleeman said. “Players off the bench scored, made stops and filled in when we got into foul trouble. This is what we are working on — an entire team effort.”
Sleeman said the girls dug deep in the contest against Central Kitsap and “competed in all four quarters.” She said, going forward, the team will continue to practice with purpose and intention as Yelm enters the thick of conference play.
“We’ll continue to shore up what we can control,” Sleeman said. “This includes eliminating peaks and valleys, and staying present.”
The Tornados hosted SSC opponent River Ridge (5-7, 1-5 in SSC) on Wednesday, Jan. 10, however results of the contest were not available before deadline.
Following the contest against the Hawks, the Tornados’ conference schedule will pick up as the team travels to play the Gig Harbor Tides (4-4, 4-2 in SSC) on Friday, Jan. 12. The Tornados return home at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 17 and host SSC rivals Timberline (11-0, 6-0 in SSC). After the matchup against the Blazers, the Tornados will travel to Peninsula High School to play the Seahawks (6-3, 4-2 in SSC) at 7 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 19.
“We’re playing three of the top teams in the state in Timberline, North Thurston and Peninsula,” Sleeman said. “We have to focus on taking care of the rest of the league, too.”
After playing several of the SSC’s top teams, Yelm will turn its attention to Capital High School on Jan. 24 in Olympia before returning home to host the North Thurston Rams on Friday, Jan. 26.
Yelm’s final two regular season matchups will take place on the road at Central Kitsap on Tuesday, Jan. 30, and at River Ridge High School on Thursday, Feb. 1.
