Coupeville Sports

Coupeville’s Makana Stone, with mom Eileen, banked in 18 points Friday as Whitman basketball rolled to a big win. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

Get off to a fast start? Check.

Coupeville grad Makana Stone kicked off her final season of college basketball Friday by throwing down a game-high 18 points, as the Whitman women thrashed Concordia University 90-51.

The win came in Spokane, as the two squads helped launch the 2019 Whit Classic, hosted by Whitworth University.

After whippin’ up on their Texas counterparts, Whitman returns to the floor Saturday to play Carroll College out of Montana.

The Blues, who open the season ranked #23 in the D3hoops.com preseason poll, play their first seven games on the road, including a rematch Dec. 6 with Concordia in Austin, Texas.

After that, Whitman plays six straight at home in Walla Walla, beginning with two games at the Kim Evanger Raney Classic Dec. 13-14.

The Blues have a tough schedule, playing 15 of 25 regular season games on the road.

Starting off the season away from Walla Walla seemed to have no negative effects on Whitman, however, as it came out strong and put Concordia down hard.

A 21-12 run in the first quarter set the stage, while a 26-17 surge in the second turned the game into a potential blowout.

Not letting up, the Blues powered through a 24-11 third frame, then coasted home to a 19-11 tune in the fourth with the bench players carrying the load.

With Whitman romping, Stone and her fellow starters eased into the season, not having to play a tremendous amount of minutes.

The former Wolf star picked up her 18 points in just 19 minutes of floor time, draining nine of 15 shots from the floor.

Stone added three rebounds, three steals, and an assist, while Kaelan Shamseldin backed her up with 17 points, including five three-balls.

Mady Burdett popped for 10, giving Whitman three players in double-digit scoring, with 11 of the 14 Blues who hit the court landing in the scoring column.

With her 18-point performance, Stone has amassed 946 points across 84 college games.

She remains on target to become just the ninth female player in Whitman history to top 1,000 career points.