Lady Cruisers Battle to Third Place in Gritty Coyote Invitational Tournament
The Eatonville Cruisers girls basketball team weathered foul trouble and a late surge by Payson High School to secure a 30-23 victory in the third-place game of the Coyote Invitational Basketball Tournament on Jan. 4. The win marked the second consecutive year the Cruisers brought home a third-place trophy from the Arizona-based tournament.
Eatonville jumped out to a commanding lead early, forcing five Payson turnovers in the first quarter and capitalizing with an 8-0 run to lead 14-5. The defensive intensity continued into the second quarter as the Cruisers held the Longhorns scoreless for nearly five minutes. By halftime, Eatonville led 25-6, fueled by 13 forced turnovers in the first half.
However, foul trouble threatened Eatonville’s grip on the game in the second half. Star guard Bailey Andersen and forward Lillian Bickford were both saddled with four fouls by the end of the third quarter, allowing Payson to chip away at the lead. Andersen fouled out with 4:53 remaining in the game, and Bickford followed shortly after at the 3:43 mark. To compound the challenges, Tia Schanbeck was sidelined with an injury suffered in the second quarter.
Despite being outscored 15-4 in the fourth quarter, the Cruisers held off the Longhorns' comeback bid. “The girls showed resilience,” Eatonville head coach Deanna Andersen said. “We faced adversity with foul trouble and injuries, but they fought through it. I’m incredibly proud of their perseverance.”
The path to the third-place game saw Eatonville take on tough competition. In the tournament opener, the Cruisers battled the Yuma Catholic Shamrocks in a tightly contested matchup. After trailing 12-9 at the end of the first quarter, Eatonville surged ahead with an 11-0 run to close the first half, leading 26-21 at the break.
Yuma responded with a 13-0 run in the third quarter, reclaiming the lead at 31-28. But the Cruisers, led by Bailey Andersen’s season-high 19 points in her return from a wrist injury, orchestrated an 8-0 run in the fourth to seal a 49-46 victory. “We came out slow but settled in and played our game,” Coach Andersen said. “Morgan Liard had her best game to date and really stepped up for us.”
In the quarterfinals, Eatonville cruised to a dominant 55-26 win over Northwest Christian, with Andersen pouring in 24 points. That victory set up a semifinal showdown against the tournament host, Arizona Lutheran.
Eatonville led 32-28 entering the fourth quarter, but Arizona Lutheran mounted a furious comeback, closing the game on a 13-0 run to defeat the Cruisers 46-42 and relegate them to the consolation bracket. “It was a tough loss, but the girls left it all on the court,” Andersen said. “These experiences help us grow as a team.”
The Cruisers now shift their focus back to SPSL 2A league play. They will host Franklin Pierce on Jan. 7 at 5:15 p.m. and close out the week by welcoming in Fife, also tipping off at 5:15 p.m and then Black Hills on Saturday at 4 p.m.
Reflecting on the Arizona trip, Coach Andersen highlighted the significance of the experience. “Overall, it was an amazing tournament and trip,” she said. “The girls are growing closer as a family and improving every game. Hearing other coaches and parents praise the team’s class and sportsmanship means everything to me as a coach.”
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