Strong start for Eatonville Lady Cruiser Basketball with back-to-back victories

In their season opener, the Eatonville Cruisers triumphed over the Morton-White Pass Timberwolves with a final score of 69-59. The Cruisers set the tone early, establishing an 18-8 lead after the first quarter and extending it to an 18-point advantage at its peak.
Although the Timberwolves managed to narrow the gap to as little as five points in the fourth quarter, the Cruisers maintained composure and ultimately clinched the victory by a margin of 10 points.
Junior guard Bailey Andersen played a pivotal role in the Cruisers' success, leading the team with 25 points. Junior Lilian Bickford contributed 10 points, while senior Ryan Stammen and junior Hailey Hall added nine and eight points, respectively. Hall also stood out on the boards, securing eight rebounds to share the team lead with senior Sara Smith.
"We played hard throughout the whole game despite the amount of fouls. Luckily, the JV players we brought up were able to add a couple of minutes and keep us fresh. We are rebounding better than last year but need to work on our press. Morton was scrappy and focused on Lilian, which led to 10 of 13 players scoring. We need to sharpen some skills, but it was a good first game,” said Head Coach Deanna Andersen.
Building on this momentum, the Cruisers notched another win in their second game of the season, defeating the Cascade Christian Cougars, 48-33.
Opening with an 11-point lead at the end of the first quarter, the Cruisers initiated a 5-0 run at the start of the second, extending their lead to 16 points. The Cougars fought back, narrowing the deficit to 10 at halftime.
Foul trouble again challenged the Cruisers, as they placed Cascade Christian into the bonus early in the second quarter. Fortunately, the Cougars struggled to convert free throws.
Despite facing foul trouble, key players like Bickford, Stammen, and Ella Gendreau played the fourth quarter on the brink of fouling out but maintained their composure. The Cruisers started the final quarter with a 4-0 run, closing out the game with a 15-point lead and securing their second victory of the season.
"We seem to be cleaning things up each game. We were once again able to get solid minutes from our bench. I am really proud of how well the girls played as a team tonight,” Andersen said.
In terms of scoring totals, Stammen led the way with 15 points, followed by Andersen with 14 and Bickford with 10. Hall contributed seven points and nine rebounds, while Smith added two points.
With a perfect 2-0 record, the Eatonville Cruisers look forward to building on their early-season success.
The Cruisers played Monday and Tuesday night, results were unavailable as of press time. On Saturday, the Cruisers are hosting Orting at 5:30 p.m.