Arlington defeats Cedarcrest 67-44

The Arlington girls basketball team opened up the regular season on their home court as they matched up with the Cedarcrest Red Wolves on Dec. 17.

The Eagles got off to a fast start as they forced turnovers and made their shots to go on a quick 15-7 run halfway through the opening quarter. Cedarcrest called a time out with 4:23 left in the first and came out of it as a different team, outpacing the Arlington defense and hitting open threes. Through the rest of the quarter the Red Wolves outscored the Eagles 10-4, entering the second down 19-17.

In the first couple of minutes of the second quarter both teams went back and forth as they found themselves tied at 22-22. After the tie, Arlington began to find themselves on the defensive end, forcing turnovers and bad shots while pushing the ball in transition. The Eagles began to separate themselves before heading into halftime as they went on a 15-5 run to end the first half up 37-27.

In the second half Arlington continued to play incredible defense, allowing less than 10 points in each of the last two quarters of the game. With struggles on the offensive end the Red Wolves fell behind by nearly 20 points heading into the fourth quarter, 53-35. In the final quarter, the Eagles were able to test their depth with a unit made entirely of bench players. Arlington was still able to outscore Cedarcrest 14-9, as they took the 67-44 victory.

“We had a rough start in the first quarter, but it was good to see them come together and take care of business through the rest of the game. We had a couple of kids out tonight and it showed that our depth is one of our biggest strengths. We don’t have any weak links. We feel like we could put anyone out there on the floor and we let them know to always be ready because they are going to get their shot,” said Arlington Head Coach Joe Marsh.

The Eagles entire starting lineup made big contributions to the win behind Keira Marsh, Josie Stupey, Jenna Villa, Sierra Scheppele and Makenzie Gage. Marsh, sophomore guard, was the leading scorer with 16 points, two three-pointers, three assists, five rebounds and three steals. Stupey, junior guard, went two-for-two from three with 11 points, five assists, three rebounds and four steals. Villa, freshman guard, also had 11 points along with one three-pointer, one assist, game-high seven rebounds and two steals. Scheppele, senior guard, scored all six of her points on two threes as well as tallying two assists, two rebounds and two steals. Gage, junior forward, also finished with six points, two assists, two rebounds and one steal.

Off the bench the Eagles had solid performances from Allison DeBerry, Abby Schwark and Hannah Rork. DeBerry, senior guard, was the fourth leading scorer for the team with seven points, one three-pointer, two rebounds and one steal. Schwark, junior forward, tied for second in rebounds with five as well as dropping five points, one three-pointer and two steals. Rork, sophomore guard, also had five points along with one shot made from beyond the arc, three rebounds and one steal.

If you want to come out and cheer on the Eagles their next home game will be against the Mountlake Terrace Hawks on Tuesday, Jan. 7, at 7:15 p.m.