Jan. 31, 2024
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ISSUE 5
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Eatonville Cruiser Special Olympics Team clinches gold By Skip Smith
Contributing Writer
In a thrilling showcase of teamwork and skill, the Eatonville Cruiser Special Olympics team secured first place and a gold medal at the Southwest Region Sub-Regional Basketball event hosted at Thurgood Marshall Middle School in Olympia. The competition featured five teams battling it out in the team skills completion. The Cruisers' journey to victory began in the first round, where they dominated the Clark County Bear Cats with a 92-66 win, propelling them into the quarterfinals. In a nail-biting quarterfinal matchup, the Cruisers faced off against the University Place Pride, Courtesy Michelle Frink narrowly emerging victorious (86-85). The Eatonville Cruiser Special Olympics team poses with the gold medals after capturing first place at the team Undeterred, they continued their skills competition. The team from left: Coach Sam Kralik, Christian Stacy, Trever Stacy, Jason Pederson, Leah winning streak in the semifinals, Smiley, Maya Frink, Allison Collins, Ayden Hildebrand, Aaron Schmidt and Coach Cody Jumper. defeating the Grays Harbor Gray their quarterfinals opponent, the coveted gold medals. With this victory, the Cruisers Hawks 95-87 and earning their spot the University Place Pride, once The coaching duo of local have earned a spot in the upcoming in the championship match. again. Displaying unwavering Eatonville teens, Cody Jumper and divisional event scheduled for Feb. 10 The title showdown saw the determination, Eatonville secured a Sam Kralik, played a pivotal role in at Thurgood Marshall Middle School Cruisers squaring off against 96-92 victory, claiming first place and guiding the team to success. in Olympia.
Lady Cruisers bounce back strong By Skip Smith
Contributing Writer
The Lady Cruiser opened up their second half of the 1A Evergreen League play just as it started, with a match up with the Montesano Bulldogs. This time a shot at a league title was on the line. Unfortunately, the outcome this time mirrored the first encounter, with the Bulldogs emerging victorious, 58-39. The Cruisers would struggle in the first with turnovers. They would cough the ball up 10 times in the quarter allowing the Bulldogs to pull ahead. A 10-0 run by Montesano to end the quarter gave them a 19-7 lead heading into the second. Eatonville’s Lillian Bickford would get into foul trouble early in the half with four fouls, forcing Head Coach Deanna Andersen to sit her for most
of the second quarter. Montesano would continue to build on their lead, outscoring the Cruisers 13-5 to take a comfortable 32-12 lead into halftime. Eatonville would battle back in the third quarter behind Sara Smith’s 5 points to outscore the Bulldogs 1211 and trim the lead ever so slightly and trail 43-24 heading into the final quarter. Eatonville starters Ryan Stammen and Lillian Bickford would both foul out of the game in the first minute of the second half, hampering the Cruisers offensively. Ultimately, Smith and the Cruisers’ effort was not enough to bring Eatonville back as the fell 58-39. “We struggled with a few things, turning the ball over early was a big one,” Head Coach Deanna Andersen said. Smith lead Eatonville with 12
Eatonville's Sara Smith scores against Hoquiam in a game from earlier in the season. Smith's 12 points would lead the Cruisers in their loss against Montesano. Courtesy Kahla Hall points, 11 of them coming in the second half. Bailey Andersen was held to her lowest output of the season with 9 points while Alayna Meyer contributed with 7, all in the second half. “We just need to refocus and win our final three games and earn that trip to the post season,” said Andersen. She was referring to the Southwestern Washington District 4 playoffs. The Cruisers are currently sitting in 2nd place in league and control their own destiny. If they win out, they will clinch second
place and the No. 2 seed to the district playoffs and will host their first round game. After that setback against Montesano, refocus is exactly what the Lady Cruisers did in their final game of the week, a rematch with the Tenino Beavers, a team that the Cruisers manhandled 54-18 earlier in the season. Eatonville dominated the game winning 62-15. The Lady Cruisers' offense played one of the best games of the season GIRLS Page 2Æ