Edwards helps propel 2B All-State team to win

When a basketball team scores 120 points, it’s easy for numbers to get lost on the stat sheet.

Not so in the case of La Conner High senior Nakiya Edwards, who played a standout role in the 2B team’s 120-68 rout of its 1B opposite number at King’s High School in Edmonds on Saturday.

Edwards filled the stat line for the victors in the annual Washington State Girls Basketball Coaches Association Senior All-State Game.

Edwards recorded seven points, three rebounds, a steal, and an assist while sharing playing time with a dozen top seniors from schools throughout the state.

“She played really well,” Lady Braves head coach Scott Novak, one of about three dozen La Conner area fans in attendance, said of Edwards’ performance afterward. “She was on a really, really good team and did a great job when she was in there.”

Peyton Souvenir of Wahkiakum scored a game-high 21 points and was named the contest’s Most Valuable Player.

The fast-paced game was viewed by a number of collegiate coaches and staff members.

Brynan Shipley of Kalama High School was the 2B coach and used a platoon system to make sure all players had ample time on the court.

“In a game like that,” noted Novak, “sometimes certain players will dominate the ball. But, in this case, they had nine or 10 players score, including Nakiya. I thought she did a great job of representing our school.”

As she did during the entire 2016-17 hoop campaign.

Edwards capped her La Conner career by being named NW2B Player of the Year. She averaged 15 points, five rebounds, five steals, and four assists per game for the 20-3 Lady Braves.

Prior to being tabbed for the senior All-State game, Edwards reached and surpassed the 1,000 total point mark as a La Conner player.

Her all-around game, meanwhile, scored points with those taking in the action in Edmonds last weekend.

“It was a great atmosphere,” Novak said, “and we’re proud Nakiya was a part of it.”