Lady Braves advance with big win over Friday Harbor

Nearly three months later, the La Conner High girls’ basketball team finds itself back where it started.

The Lady Braves face Auburn Adventist — an early season non-league foe — in District Tournament action tonight, Wednesday, in Sedro-Woolley.

Tip-off is set for 6 p.m.

“We beat them 49-33 earlier in the year,” La Conner head coach Scott Novak said Sunday of the Lady Falcons, “but the game was a lot closer than the final score indicates.”

Indeed it was.

La Conner led by single digits before finishing with a flurry in the final stanza.

“They can pose problems with their length and athleticism,” said Novak, “especially if we don’t take care of the ball.”

The La Conner-Auburn Adventist rematch comes on the heels of yet another Lady Braves rematch.

This one involved the second meeting in a week between La Conner and NW2B rival Friday Harbor, this time a District tourney affair with a second round date opposite Auburn Adventist on the line.

La Conner literally rebounded from a sluggish win over the Lady Wolverines in its regular season finale to post a convincing 44-23 tourney triumph at home on Friday.

“In the earlier game with Friday Harbor,” Novak noted, “they out-rebounded us by 12. The big difference this time is we out-rebounded them. We really cleaned up on the glass.”

La Conner post Ashley Watkins reeled in a dozen boards as the Lady Braves imposed their will in the paint.

Watkins added 13 points to join Nakiya Edwards in double-figure scoring for the victors.

Edwards led all players with 15 points, including three deep treys before the break.

No Friday Harbor scorers finished in double digits.

“Our veteran players really stepped up for us,” Novak said afterward.

He pointed out that Matty Lagerwey drained two quick three-pointers to get La Conner out to an early lead.

“I really liked how she played,” Novak said of Lagerwey.

Nakesha Edwards, meanwhile, collected a pair of steals and dished off an assist, one of 13 that La Conner recorded.

“I thought we did a good job,” stressed Novak, “of looking for open shooters and being unselfish with the ball.”

That was especially the case when La Conner went on an 11-4 run to open the second half.

“We were a little bit jittery to start the game,” Novak said, “but in the second half we came out and took care of business.”

It was hard work nonetheless.

“Friday Harbor can be really physical,” explained Novak, “and because of that they sometimes make us not play our best. I liked how we kept our composure in a highly physical game.”

Still, more work remains ahead for La Conner, now 19-2 overall.

Starting tonight.