Small squad, big finish dooms Rangers

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Northwest Yeshiva High School emptied the bench for their 35-21 win over the Quilcene Rangers in girls varsity basketball last week.

Just five of the Lions’ six players suited up for the conference game, but that’s all Northwest needed as they outlasted the Rangers at home.

Quilcene struggled on offense but kept the contest competitive early on.

The Lions jumped to an 8-4 first quarter lead, with six points from Paulina Gamel, and went up 12-7 with 5:38 to play in the first half.

Two baskets from inside the paint, the first by Savannah McBride and the second by Ashley Jones, put the game at 14-11.

A following drive to the basket by Jones and a shooting foul under the rim put her at the line, where she connected on both to cut the lead to one point, 14-13, with 3:39 left in the second.

The teams traded baskets early in the third, but Northwest’s Gamel and Leah Manashe came alive midway through the quarter and the Lions forged a 25-17 advantage.

The Rangers were able to come within four points in the fourth, 25-21, but the shots continued to fall for Gamel and Manashe and the Lions escaped with the win.

“They are a good team,” Ranger Coach Mark Thompson said of Northwest Yeshiva.

The Lions came into the game in fourth place, and just off a 38-17 victory over Summit Classical Christian School.

Thompson said turnovers again hurt the Rangers.

“We’ve just got to quit throwing the ball away. It’s just killing us,” Thompson said. “Sometimes we just throw the ball into a scrum and hope for the best. It’s like: You don’t need to do that.”

“We can solve that,” he added.

The Rangers found most of their offense from inside the key, while some second-shot opportunities just didn’t fall. And when pressured outside, most of Quilcene’s shots failed to find twine.

Even so, there are signs of improvement on a Ranger squad that included two eighth-graders as starters against the Lions.

“They’re getting better,” Thompson said of the Rangers.

Early last week, the team battled Puget Sound Adventist Academy to a 36-27 finish on the road in Kirkland.

“I really, really see the improvement in practice. The games are getting closer. There’s a couple of games we honestly should have won,” he said. “And that’s a heck of a lot different than losing by 40.”

When it gets to league playoff time, six teams will make it to tri-districts. Thompson expects the Lions to stay in the mix.

“I thought we matched up with them pretty well. I think we’ve got a shot,” he said.

“We’re going to keep plugging away.”

Next up for Quilcene is Evergreen Lutheran High School early this week at home, followed by another matchup Thursday in Quilcene against Northwest Christian School (Lacey).