SK girls upset Kentridge 46-42
Published 1:30 am Friday, December 30, 2022
The slowdown of winter break can flip the script on an entire basketball season, either jumpstarting a team or halting it.
It may have done the former for the South Kitsap girls basketball team after the Wolves secured their first back-to-back wins of the season with a 46-42 upset over the Kentridge Dec. 29.
The Wolves, like many others, were on the bench for over a week after snow and ice prevented high schools from traveling. But having lost three straight and five of their last six the weather gave the girls a chance to regroup.
SK started on a good note Dec. 27 with a win against Mount Tahoma 57-50. Juniors Kamdyn Hagerty, Kyla Hoisington and Grace Degarimore led the offense, while the defense tightened up after giving up 73 points in its previous game.
First-year coach Anthony Lewis said the team is starting to come together. “The girls are finally figuring out how good they are and their potential, and they’re finally starting to play to that.”
In Port Orchard two days later, the Wolves took the floor against Kentridge, which suffered its first loss of the season Dec. 17. The Chargers boasted a 6-1 record and is a front-runner for the North Puget Sound League title.
Foul trouble haunted the Wolves early and later plagued Kentridge as the first half went on. A total of 24 fouls were committed between the two teams just in the first 16 minutes, forcing both coaches to rely heavily on players on the bench.
SK held a 22-17 lead, but neither team consistently hit free throws. “We’re going to be shooting a whole lot of free throws,” Lewis said about future practices. “That’s all there is to that.”
The Wolves lost their lead in the first minutes of the third quarter.
After expressing his frustration with the referees multiple times in the first half, a forearm shove against one of his players that was not whistled led to a technical foul against Lewis. “The officials aren’t going to be perfect, players aren’t going to be perfect, coaches aren’t going to be perfect. It’s part of the game,” he said.
His team responded by dominating the remaining minutes of the contest, gaining a comfortable lead midway through the fourth quarter. A clutch three-pointer by senior Aly Loudermilk with less than two minutes to go sealed the deal.
Loudermilk led the team with 11 points. “I’m blessed to be able to have a point guard of that caliber for my first year coaching. She’s the heartbeat of this team.”
Junior Alyssa Watkins followed with 10. Degarimore, whose play was limited by foul trouble, finished with seven.
Sophomore Jayla Keowla led the losing team with 20, while and junior Sydney Esperanza had 14.
