Yelm’s girls basketball team entered halftime on Dec. 18 against North Kitsap with a 16-point lead built off a swarming defense, opportunistic transition offense and limited fouls. It was a tale of two halves, however, as the Vikings outscored the Tornados, 42-23, in the third and fourth quarter and both overtime periods to secure a dramatic double overtime victory.
Despite the loss on Dec. 18, Yelm picked up a 56-53 South Sound Conference victory over Capital High School at home on Friday, Dec. 15. Coach Jennifer Sleeman said the team will learn from the loss to North Kitsap and continue to grow as a program.
“We’re still climbing. We did a lot of good things. I thought there were a lot of times where we did control the possession clock well, and there were times when we didn’t use the possession clock when we needed to. We needed to use more of the shot clock. We gave them too many opportunities,” Sleeman said. “I thought the girls did a good job of hustling, resetting at every quarter. I don’t feel like they were ever frazzled.”
Senior guard Lilli Williams started the first quarter off on fire for the Tornados. Like Williams, who scored 20 points in the outing, Yelm was on point from the 3-point line early in the game. The Tornados jumped out to a 15-10 lead at the end of the first quarter. Williams and Mariah Arnestad each made crucial defensive plays in the first period.
Yelm’s defense continued its assault on North Kitsap’s offense in the second quarter through a physical, swarming defense early. The Tornados’ defense allowed Yelm to go on a 17-6 run in the second quarter, giving Yelm a 32-16 lead at halftime.
Coming out of the half, North Kitsap’s offense played with high energy and drive, and the Vikings began to chip away at Yelm’s 16-point lead. Following a 10-4 Vikings run, North Kitsap cut the Tornados’ lead to 39-30 at the end of the third quarter.
With under four minutes to play in the fourth quarter, North Kitsap was within three points of tying the game at 40 points. After a Vikings’ steal and fastbreak layup, North Kitsap trailed by just one point, 40-39.
The junior Arnestad looked to ice the contest in regulation as she scored a layup with under two minutes to play, extending Yelm’s lead to 42-39. To send the game into overtime, North Kitsap hit a clutch 3 pointer to tie the contest at 42. The Tornados were left with 1.8 seconds to play in regulation and attempted a “Hail Mary” type of shot to potentially hit a game winner.
“We called a timeout later in the game, tried to adjust, and we did not adjust correctly. They hit a couple more shots and eventually tied it up,” Sleeman said. “They’re a well-coached team. She made them believe they could win, and they did.”
In overtime, the senior Williams immediately hit a deep 3-pointer to give Yelm a 45-42 lead. Jayde Connally added another point for the Tornados at the free-throw line, before Kamille Kautz hit a clutch 3-pointer to extend Yelm’s lead, 49-42.
North Kitsap didn’t give up and continued to chip away at the Tornados’ lead. After Yelm extended the score to 51-45, North Kitsap hit a 3-pointer to bring the contest within one possession. The Vikings hit another deep 3 to tie the contest at 53 apiece with 15.8 seconds left.
In double overtime, Williams gave Yelm a 53-51 lead early in the period with two successful free throws, but the Vikings would tie and then regain the lead after a layup and converted free throw from a shooting foul. After another foul and two more successful Viking free throws, North Kitsap’s lead extended to 58-53.
Austin Hitchner added two free-throw points after a foul beyond the 3-point line, but with limited time left, the game was all but out of reach. Ultimately, North Kitsap defeated Yelm, 58-55, in double overtime.
“I felt like we really believed we would win the entire night. That’s just what we have to take in. We have to learn it and grow from it,” Sleeman said. “Like I said before, it’s still a little early in the season. We’re still getting our reps in, but if you watch we’re getting better reps in, and more consistent reps in. Coming down the backside of this league, I really feel like we’re going to own it. We want to go deep into the postseason, that’s our goal, one game at a time.”
Up next for the Tornados, they’ll travel to North Thurston High School on Wednesday, Dec. 20 before hitting the road again on Dec. 28 to compete against non-conference Fife. The Tornados return home on Jan. 5 to host the Central Kitsap Cougars in South Sound Conference action.
