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Posts Tagged ‘Whitman’

Heartbreak on the hardwood

Posted in Basketball, Wolves in college, tagged , , , , , on January 17, 2020| Leave a Comment »

Makana Stone singed the nets for 13 points Friday, but Whitman fell in a one-point thriller. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

They only trailed once, but it was one time too many.

Playing on the road in Oregon Friday, the Whitman College women’s basketball team lost a 19-point lead and fell 65-64 to Pacific University in a first-place showdown.

The defeat, coming in a game in which the Blues roared out to an 11-0 lead and dominated play for a considerable amount of time, drops them to 4-1 in Northwest Conference play, 12-2 overall.

It snaps a six-game winning streak for Whitman, which plays at George Fox University Saturday, while Pacific, picked to finish 5th in the preseason poll, sits atop the nine-team league at 5-0, 11-3.

The Boxers, who never led until the game’s final 71 seconds Friday, have won seven straight.

Fighting back after Whitman savaged it in the early going, Pacific tied the game up with a hair over three minutes to play, but immediately fell back behind.

Coupeville’s Makana Stone slid a free throw through the net with 1:52 to play to stake Whitman to its final lead at 62-60, but the Blues couldn’t land the knockout punch.

Whitman failed to connect on a field goal over the final two minutes and 43 seconds, and didn’t score at all between the 1:52 and 0:04 mark of the fourth quarter.

That left the door open for Pacific, and Kaylssa Kleinschmit answered, banging home a three-ball to put the Boxers up 63-62 with 1:11 to play.

Under pressure, Whitman turned the ball over several times in the final minute, while Pacific stretched the lead out to 65-62 thanks to free throws.

The Boxers actually missed four of six freebies in the final moments, and had to foul Whitman to deny them a chance to toss up a potentially game-tying three-ball.

Blues freshman Shaira Young netted both of her chances at the line, pulling Whitman within 65-64, then Pacific clanked its own charity shots with just three ticks on the clock.

But a miracle finish wasn’t in the books, as the Boxers picked off the Blues inbounds pass to end the game and send the local fans into hysterics.

Kaylie McCracken paced Whitman with 22 points, while Mady Burdett rained down 14, with 10 of those in a torrid first quarter.

Stone finished with 13 points, three rebounds, two assists, and a blocked shot.

On the season, the former Wolf has 214 points, 113 rebounds, 18 assists, 18 steals, and 13 blocks, while shooting 87-164 from the field and 38-48 at the free throw line.

With 1,142 career points, Stone is four points from passing former teammate Casey Poe to claim 6th place on the Whitman women’s basketball career scoring list.

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Royal rumble becomes big blowout

Posted in Basketball, Wolves in college, tagged , , , , , on January 11, 2020| Leave a Comment »

Makana Stone and Whitman are 12-1 after dismantling Willamette. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

One big test passed, one to go.

Paced by a 19-point, 8-rebound performance from Coupeville’s Makana Stone, the Whitman College women’s basketball team shredded visiting Willamette University 74-54 Saturday afternoon.

A matchup between two of the three previously undefeated teams in the Northwest Conference, it’s a huge boost for the Blues, who are ranked #12 in NCAA D-III play.

Now 4-0 in league, 12-1 overall, Whitman sits in a first-place tie with Pacific University (4-0, 10-3), a game up on Willamette (3-1, 9-4) atop the nine-team conference.

And that second big test? It arrives in six days.

The Blues travel to Oregon next weekend, hitting Forest Grove Friday and Newberg Saturday.

The first night will be a battle with Pacific for sole possession of first place, while the second pits Whitman against always-tough George Fox University.

Saturday’s showdown with Willamette, coming on “Bring A Girl to the Game Night,” left a ton of happy fans at the Sherwood Athletic Center in Walla Walla.

While the visiting Bearcats scored the first bucket of the game, after that it was all Whitman, all the time.

Stone helped kick off a 10-0 run by knocking down a jumper, then coming back around to make off with a steal and feed teammate Kaelan Shamseldin for an electric three-ball.

From there, the Blues never looked back and never slowed down, steadily stretching the lead out, quarter by quarter.

Up 24-12 at the first break, Whitman moved the margin to 43-24 at the half and 58-37 after three quarters of play.

Stone poured in points in all four quarters, and got plenty of backup as Mady Burdett popped for 16, Shamseldin rattled the rims for 10, and Kaylie McCracken just missed a double-double with nine points and nine rebounds.

Saturday’s performance continues a very-strong season for the former Wolf star.

On the year, Stone sit with 201 points, 110 rebounds, 16 assists, 18 steals, and 12 blocked shots.

She’s hit 81-151 (53.6%) from the field and 37-46 (80.4%) from the line.

After scoring 1,158 points during her high school career — third-best in CHS hoops history, girl or boy — Stone has poured in 1,129 during her collegiate run.

That puts her #7 all-time in Whitman women’s basketball history, just 17 points away from passing former teammate Casey Poe to claim 6th place.

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Blues, Stone keep hot streak burning

Posted in Basketball, Wolves in college, tagged , , , , on January 10, 2020| Leave a Comment »

Makana Stone answered the call one more time Friday, going off for 19 points and 10 rebounds in a Whitman win. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

The appetizer course? Delicious.

Kicking off a big weekend of hoops action, the Whitman College women’s basketball team routed visiting Lewis & Clark College 78-47 Friday night behind 19 points and 10 rebounds from Coupeville’s Makana Stone.

Now, the Blues, 3-0 in Northwest Conference play, 11-1 overall, get a stiffer challenge Saturday, when they welcome Willamette University (3-0, 9-3) to town.

The winner will move into a first-place tie with Pacific University (4-0, 10-3), a team Whitman travels to play January 17.

Friday’s game was a bit of a potential trap for the Blues, who are ranked #12 in NCAA D-III play.

Lewis & Clark entered the night with a 1-9 record, and might have looked like easy pickings.

Instead, the Pioneers came out strongly, trailing just 16-13 at the first break, then knotting things up 25-25 at the half.

Whitman was a different team after the break, however, with Stone going off for 15 of her 19 points during a 28-15 third-quarter surge.

Once they had the game back in hand, the Blues closed like savages, blowing Lewis & Clark off the floor to a 25-7 tune in the final frame.

Stone, who led Whitman in both points and rebounds, also made off with three steals and handed off an assist during a crisp 20 minutes of action.

On the season, the former Wolf sits with 182 points, 102 rebounds, 15 assists, 17 steals, and 12 blocked shots, while shooting 73-136 (53.7%) from the floor and 34-42 (81%) at the free throw line.

Friday’s game included another milestone for Stone, as she became just the seventh player in Whitman women’s basketball history to top 1,100 career points.

With 1,110 and counting, the Blues senior is just 35 points shy of catching former teammate Casey Poe for 6th on the all-time Blues scoring chart.

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Stone, Whitman cap perfect weekend

Posted in Basketball, Wolves in college, tagged , , , , on January 4, 2020| Leave a Comment »

Makana Stone and Whitman College women’s basketball are a sparkling 10-1 on the season. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

One weekend into league play, and things look pretty darn good.

Sparked by a 14-point, 11-rebound performance from Coupeville’s Makana Stone, the Whitman College women’s basketball team rolled to another win Saturday night.

Decimating visiting Pacific Lutheran University 69-56 in a game which could have been an even bigger blowout, the Blues won their fourth straight game.

With the victory, Whitman, ranked #13 in NCAA D-III, sits at 2-0 in Northwest Conference play, 10-1 overall.

The Blues are tied atop the league standings with Pacific (2-0, 8-3) and Willamette (2-0, 8-3), a team they play next weekend.

Stone and Co. return to action next Friday, January 10, against Lewis & Clark (0-2, 1-9), then play Willamette the next day.

Both games will be in Walla Walla, on Whitman’s home floor at the Sherwood Athletic Center.

Facing off with PLU, the Blues came out aggressively, running the Lutes off the floor in the game’s opening minutes.

Stone slapped home a layup to open the scoring, sparking a 13-0 run to effectively put the game on ice before the first quarter was even done.

Whitman led 17-3 at the first break, then stretched its lead out to 34-16 at the half, and 54-31 by the end of the third quarter.

Facing off largely against the Blues bench players, PLU put together a 25-15 run in the fourth quarter to make the game seem a bit closer than it was in reality.

Stone, who tied with Mady Burdett for team-high scoring honors, tossed in all 14 of her points across the first three quarters.

Her 11 boards were a game-high, and the former Wolf ace also made off with a steal during 27 minutes of action.

On the season, Stone has 163 points, 92 rebounds, 14 assists, 14 steals, and 12 blocks.

She’s hit 67-122 (54.9%) from the field and 27-33 (81.8%) at the free throw line.

Saturday’s game was the 94th of Stone’s collegiate career, and the former CHS star grabbed her 700th rebound in a Blues uniform, finishing the night with 704.

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Back in action, back to winning

Posted in Basketball, Wolves in college, tagged , , , , , on January 3, 2020| Leave a Comment »

Coupeville’s Makana Stone had 12 points and 12 rebounds Friday as Whitman used a fourth quarter surge to claim a league win. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

There was some rust, but it fell off by the time things got serious.

Returning to the floor after a 19-day winter break, the Whitman College women’s basketball team roared to life in the fourth quarter Friday, using a 22-10 run to grab a come-from-behind 60-51 win over the University of Puget Sound.

Kicking off the Northwest Conference schedule on their home court in Walla Walla, the Blues, who got 12 points and 12 rebounds from Coupeville’s Makana Stone, improve to 9-1 on the season.

Whitman will try and go 2-0 in league play when it hosts Pacific Lutheran University (0-1, 5-5) Saturday afternoon at the Sherwood Athletic Center.

Friday’s game, the first of four straight at home for the Blues, was a tense affair for much of the night, with neither team able to pull away through the first three quarters.

UPS led 13-11 after one, the teams were tied 28-28 at the half, then the Loggers clung to a 41-38 advantage headed into the final quarter.

That was when Whitman seized control, thanks to their senior star and a pair of hard-charging freshmen.

Stone, who is 69 points shy of becoming the #6 scorer in Whitman women’s basketball history, opened the fourth with an eye-popping shot.

Catching the ball on the left side and rising high above her defender, the former Wolf dropped in a jumper which rattled around the rim, popped up, popped down, popped up again, then settled through the net.

Back within 41-40, Whitman pushed hard on defense, with freshmen twins Caira and Shaira Young, the pride of Las Vegas, coming off the bench to ignite the fire.

Forcing turnovers, the Blues immediately converted, taking the lead for good on back-to-back three-balls from Shaira Young.

UPS got back within three points twice in the final stretch, first at 46-43, then later at 52-49, but Whitman held strong both times and never cracked.

The first time, the Blues answered with back-to-back buckets inside from Kaylie McCracken and Katie Stahl, then they closed the game by scoring their final 10 points at the free throw line.

Mady Burdett, who paced Whitman with a game-high 15 points, swished five of those charity shots, while Stone and McCracken came up with huge rebounds in the waning moments.

McCracken finished with 12 points to tie Stone, with Shaira Young netting all eight of her points in the fourth quarter.

On the season, Stone sits with 149 points (she has 1,077 for her career), 81 rebounds, 14 assists, 13 steals, and 12 blocked shots.

She’s 60-109 (55%) from the field, and 27-33 (81.8%) at the free throw line.

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