Lady Brave treys thwart Shoreline long shot bid

Shoreline Christian knew going in that it was a long shot to defeat league-leading La Conner Friday night.

Even at home.

The odds swung yet further in favor of the Lady Braves when it was La Conner that had its long shots drop both at the start and finish of what turned out to be a very competitive pairing.

The Lady Braves, minus injured point guard Kamea Pino, ultimately prevailed 43-27.

“We didn’t play our best,” La Conner head coach Scott Novak conceded afterward, “but we came out of it with a win in a tough place to play, and that’s the important thing.”

Splendid outside shooting by Nakiya Edwards coupled with the inside presence of Ashley Watkins proved the difference.

Edwards, who scored a game-high 21 points, buried three treys in the first period as La Conner bolted to an early 16-7 lead.

She added a pair of three-pointers in the third quarter and another in the final stanza.

Bekah Meredith had 17 points to pace Shoreline but was held scoreless from the midway point of the third quarter.

With the win, the Lady Braves kept intact their unblemished NW2B record. La Conner was 12-0 in league play entering this week’s action.

The Lady Braves hosted Concrete late Tuesday and travel this Friday, Feb. 5 for a big match-up at Friday Harbor.

The Lady Wolverines will be seeking to avenge their lone league setback in 12 starts, a 46-25 loss at La Conner last month.

The Lady Braves will likely be bolstered by the return of Pino, sidelined the past two weeks with an elbow injury.

“We expect her back tomorrow,” Novak told La Conner Weekly News on Sunday.

Nakiya Edwards, Nakesha Edwards, and freshman Kayla Hagen have shared point guard duties in the absence of Pino.

That trio combined for eight assists and 13 steals at Shoreline Christian and during crucial stretches helped limit open looks by Meredith.

Watkins, meanwhile, recorded a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds. She scored five points during a key 16-10 third period La Conner spurt.

Both teams left a lot of points at the charity stripe.

Shoreline Christian converted just one of 10 foul shots. La Conner hit only two of 10 free throw opportunities.

“The big thing,” said Novak, “is that we hit the shots when we had to, and we played good defense. When the shots didn’t fall, the defense was still there.”

As evidence, La Conner forced 27 Shoreline turnovers and met its goal of holding the Lady Chargers under 10 points in three of the four quarters.

Despite its troubles at the foul line, La Conner was proficient from behind the three-point arc as the Edwards sisters combined to drain seven triples.