Friday Harbor ambushed in season-ending 56-36 defeat | Girls Basketball

The season came to a screeching halt as the Friday Harbor girls basketball team fell 56-36 to Kings in the opening round of the regional 1A playoffs.

Fueled by the hot hand of point guard Karlie Storkson, the Knights grabbed a 21-4 advantage after the first 12 minutes of play and kept the Wolverines down by double digits over the remainder of the contest.

“She was a surprise,” Coach Eric Jangard said of Storkson, who drained six shots from beyond the three-point arc en route to a game-high 27 points. “But our problem was we couldn’t hit a lay in. We broke their press but missed at least eight shots at close range in the first half.”

Senior Maggie Andersen tossed in 12 points to lead the Wolverines in the final game of her high school; fellow senior Kelsey Barnes added eight.

Friday Harbor achieved part of its game plan.

They kept Kings leading scorer Joclyn Kirton in check over a full 48 minutes, holding the heralded post-player to just seven points. The Wolverines hadn't counted on Storkson, known primarily as a player-maker and penetrator, lighting up the scoreboard from the outside.

“It was like this girl couldn’t miss,” Jangard said. “We adjusted but she was hitting shots from four feet beyond the arc and with a hand in her face.”

Despite the loss, Friday Harbor passed another milepost in a quest to solidify itself as one of the region's top 1A teams.

The Wolverines notched a second-straight winning season, ending the 2010-2011 campaign at 14-6 overall and 10-2 in Northwest 1A/2B League, and in second place in the league standings.

Contact Journal of the San Juans Editor Scott Rasmussen at srasmussen@sanjuanjournal.com or 1-360-378-5696.

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