Shorecrest girls play Franklin Pierce at Puyallup Saturday at 4

Julia Strand #12 and Uju Chibuogwu in white are the leading Scots scorers.
2015 photo by Wayne Pridemore

The season will be on the line when the Shorecrest girls travel to Puyallup HS to face Franklin Pierce Saturday at 4 o'clock in 2A Regional play. A berth at the 8-team State tournament awaits the winner.

The Scots bring a hard-earned 14-10 mark into the contest, having faced rugged 3A competition in WesCo South, including a pair of games against defending state champion Lynnwood. The Cardinals went 18-6 playing in the 2A South Puget Sound League.

"It started out as a really challenging year for us. Lots of injuries early and we kind of stumbled out of the gate (with a 3-5 record),"  SC coach Dori Monson shared this week. "But the girls stayed very focused on our goals. And my goal as a coach always is to peak in the postseason. I think we've played our best basketball the last few weeks."

Franklin Pierce is led by junior Alexius Foster, who is averaging 19.5 points per game. No other Cardinal averages double figures.

Wurrie Njadoe
Photo by Geoff Vlcek

The Scots have three players averaging double figures. Silky-smooth sophomore Julia Strand leads the team with 16 ppg. Powerful senior Uju Chibuogwu averages almost 13 per game, while lightning-fast senior Wurrie Njadoe contributes 10 points.

Coach Monson has great respect for Saturday's foe.

"Franklin Pierce will be another great test. They have a girl (Foster)  who is averaging almost 20 points a game and she is a terrific player And any time a team comes in with an 18-6 record, that is a legit team. We'll once again have to play our best to move on to State."

If the Scots do survive and advance, they'll qualify for the State Tournament in Yakima next Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. It would be their third appearance at State, the last time being when they took fourth place in the 2011-2012 season.

--Frank Workman