Makana Stone (left), here getting pumped up with CHS teammates Mia Littlejohn and Lauren Grove, is off to a strong start as a college player. (John Fisken photo)
Makana Stone and Co. will stay undefeated through at least the end of the month.
With the Coupeville High School grad coming off the bench to bang home seven points and snag eight rebounds Wednesday, Whitman College thrashed host Warner Pacific 78-44 on the hard-court.
The Blues, ranked #25 in the NCAA D-3 Women’s Basketball Coaches Association poll, exit Portland at a pristine 5-0, and don’t play again until Dec. 2.
What was once a close game became a blowout with Stone playing a key role in the surge.
Whitman broke open a 6-6 game with a 14-0 first quarter run in which the frosh snared three boards, dealt out an assist and pilfered a steal.
Stone was a woman for all quarters Wednesday, adding a rebound and a layup in the second quarter and a bucket in the fourth, while dominating in the third.
She pulled down four rebounds in that quarter, made off with another steal, recorded her first block at the college level and tossed in three points.
Whitman controlled the glass, out-rebounding Warner Pacific 53-32, while also forcing their hosts to turn the ball over 21 times.
Alysse Ketner paced the Blues with a team-high 14 points, while Mady Burdett tossed in 10 and Emily Rommel had nine points and 10 rebounds.
For the season, Stone is proving to be Whitman’s most dangerous weapon off the bench.
She is #5 on the team in scoring at 7.2 a night, #2 in rebounding at 6.2 (she trails starter Casey Poe 33-31 for the team lead) and #1 in shooting percentage.
Stone sits at a crisp 59.3%, having drained 16 of 27 shots from the field.
Coupeville Sports 