McCormick sisters pace La Conner win over Sultan

Sultan had trouble guarding one McCormick. Defending two proved impossible.

Maeve McCormick scored a career-high 25 points, collected 11 steals and dished off a team-best three assists while Nora McCormick added 12 points, two steals and a pair of rebounds as La Conner breezed past the 1A Turks 48-28 in non-league high school girls’ hoops action at Landy James Gym Friday night.

Each of the McCormick sisters delivered two perimeter treys.

The home team led wire-to-wire, bolting to a quick 8-0 first quarter lead, to record its second straight home triumph to go along with a 50-21 NW2B/1B victory at Orcas Island last Tuesday.

The Lady Braves buried Sultan with a suffocating full-court press that produced repeated turnovers that the team converted to easy transition baskets.

All told, La Conner rang up 27 steals. Lydia Grossglass had five to go along with three rebounds and an assist.

“We wanted to put the pressure on early to create some turnovers and that’s exactly what happened,” La Conner coach Joe Harper told the Weekly News.

Harper said La Conner had scouted Sultan’s previous matchup with a traveling team from Australia.

“We put together a game plan,” he said, “and the girls really executed it well.

“Our defense really set the tone for the game,” Harper added, “and I think it helped build some confidence on the offensive end as well.”

In addition to the McCormicks, Kiana Jenkins (5), Kim Williams (4) and Lily Dougliss (2) landed in the scoring column.

Nora McCormick, Jenkins and Williams are eighth graders.

The team shot 19 of 56 (34 per cent) from the floor and six of 13 (46 per cent) from the free throw line. The Lady Braves cleared the glass with 27 rebounds, led by Jenkins and Williams with six caroms apiece.

Williams finished with three offensive rebounds while Jenkins, Maeve McCormick, Izzy Villard and eighth grader Abi Poulton had two each.

The young La Conner team struggled, though, at 2A Kingston (with over 600 students in grades K-12) on Saturday. The Lady Buccaneers rolled to a 33-20 triumph.

“We came out flat in this one,” Harper said afterward, “and I think the schedule may have caught up with us.”

The team was playing its third game in four days, two of which were long road trips requiring ferry rides. At Kingston, the Lady Braves tipped off for the sixth time in a week and a half.

“We had two early morning departures after playing the nights before,” said Harper. “During this stretch we’ve seen six girls out due to sickness or injury and we’ve had a full roster only once this season.”

La Conner (4-2 overall, 1-0 in league) enjoyed a pause in action at the front end of this week before resuming action on Friday with a 5:30 p.m. home date opposite 1B Oakville.

“Hopefully,” Harper said, “we can get well and healthy before then. Right now, I’m really happy and proud of the girls to see us sitting at 4-2.”