Quilcene Rangers start girls varsity basketball season with big win

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The Quilcene Rangers opened the varsity girls basketball season with a lopsided 39-16 win over Summit Classical Christian School at home.

The Archers scored first in the game and led 2-0, but from then on, it was the Rangers’ night.

Quilcene led 16-4 at the end of the first quarter and was up 19-10 at the half.

The Rangers outscored Summit 9-6 in the third for a 28-16 advantage, then held the Archers scoreless the rest of the way.

“I was really happy with the way we finished,” said Quilcene Coach Mark Thompson.

“I was really concerned about our conditioning. We only had seven players and a lot of them had been sick.”

The team also hadn’t practiced for a week because of the Thanksgiving break.

“The girls worked really hard and it paid off in the fourth quarter,” he said.

Savannah McBride paced the Ranger offense with 15 points. She also contributed nine steals and had a couple assists.

Kaetyn Riley also came up big, finishing the night with a double-double.

An eighth-grader, she had 12 points and 15 rebounds in her first high school varsity game.

Thompson also praised the play of Ashley Jones.

“Jones is just a rock inside,” he said. “She shuts down the middle on defense; she rebounds; she plays the whole game,” Thompson said. 

“She’s the only player who can get through the whole game without getting brought out; she’s just tough.”

The game was in doubt before tipoff. Blame a forecast that called for nearly a foot of snow.

With a large amount of snow expected to dump in the Olympics last week, Thompson said he was leaning toward canceling the contest.

But Thompson said the Archers said they wanted to play, and were heading to Quilcene in vehicles outfitted with four-wheel drive.

“I said, ‘Hey, I don’t think it looks good. They said, ‘We want to come; we’re ready.’ I said ‘OK.’”

Thompson said he was glad the game went on, as the snow never materialized and it just rained instead.

Quilcene will play its first league game against Rainier Christian at home Friday, Dec. 16.

Before then, there are games on the road against Mary M. Knight (Dec. 6), Oakville (Dec. 9), and Wishkah Valley (Dec. 12), plus a home matchup against Oakville (Dec. 14).

Some new faces will be on the floor this season for Quilcene. The Ranger roster is rounded out by four eighth-graders, four seniors, and a couple of players in grades between.

“I think we’re an improved squad from a year ago,” Thompson said.