Coupeville grad Makana Stone went for 11 points and 10 rebounds Thursday as she kicked off her junior season at Whitman College. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)
Year three begins.
Coupeville High School grad Makana Stone returned to the hardwood Thursday, kicking off her junior season at Whitman College by posting a double-double in a women’s basketball exhibition game.
The Blues, moving into a new era after the graduation of All-American Casey Poe, fell 68-58 to Lewis-Clark State College while playing in Lewiston, ID.
Stone played strongly in the loss, however, banking home 11 points and pulling down a game-high 10 rebounds. She added a steal, block and assist, checking all the boxes.
Neither this game, or Whitman’s next, an exhibition road game in Ellensburg against Central Washington University, count in the standings.
The first game which affects the ol’ win/loss record arrives Nov. 10, when the Blues travel to La Grande, OR for a non-conference bout with Eastern Oregon University.
While this was Whitman’s first action of the season, Lewis-Clark already had two games, and two wins, under its belt.
A tall team, with nine of its 12 players measuring 5-foot-10 or taller, the Warriors were led by Jossilyn Blackman, a Washington state transplant (Battle Ground HS) who led all scorers with 21 points.
The game was a back-and-forth affair until the fourth quarter, with Whitman up by a bucket at the half and still clinging to a 39-37 lead late in the third quarter.
Lewis-Clark pulled ahead by one, then used a three-ball from Hannah Burland to exit the third up 46-42.
Stone cut the lead back to a single bucket when she knocked down the first basket of the fourth quarter, but an immediate three-pointer from Abbie Johnson essentially sealed things.
Whitman never got closer than four down the stretch, and Lewis-Clark closed the game effectively.
Mady Burdett scorched the nets for 17 to pace Whitman, while Taylor Chambers came off the bench to bank 10, giving the Blues three players in double-digit scoring.
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