Coupeville Sports

Coupeville grad Makana Stone and Whitman College have won nine of their last 10 games. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

It could have been a trap game, but they dodged any pitfalls.

Paced by a double-double from Coupeville grad Makana Stone, the Whitman College women’s basketball squad torched host Linfield 73-50 Friday to remain undefeated in league play and set up a battle royal a day from now.

Now 5-0 in the Northwest Conference, 11-3 overall, the Blues head from McMinnville, OR to Newberg to face defending league champ George Fox (5-0, 12-2) Saturday afternoon.

The winner of that rumble will own sole possession of first-place with 10 games to play, a game up on the losers.

Both Whitman and George Fox currently sit two games ahead of anyone else, with Puget Sound, Pacific Lutheran and Whitworth in a tie at 3-2.

The Blues, who have won nine of their last 10 games, roared out to a quick 19-9 lead after one quarter of play at Linfield.

Keying things was Stone, who rampaged from one end of the floor to another, scoring six and grabbing six boards before taking a seat after playing the game’s first seven minutes.

Linfield cut the deficit back to eight at the half, but a 24-9 run in the third sealed the deal for Whitman.

The only thing stopping Stone from going on a truly epic tear was foul trouble, as she was limited to just 17 minutes on the night.

Still, she took advantage of what floor time she was allotted, finishing with 12 points and a team-high 10 rebounds.

Kaylie McCracken dropped in 18 points to lead the Blues, while Mady Burdett matched Stone with 12 of her own.

On the season, Stone, who is in the top two in almost every one of the 22 stat categories Whitman keeps, sits with 228 points, 126 rebounds, 22 assists, 19 steals and 17 blocks.

She’s shooting 97-185 from the field and 34-46 at the charity stripe.