Lady Cruisers Show Grit in Season Opener Under New Head Coach

A promising first possession quickly turned into a long night for the Eatonville High School girls’ basketball team as the Cruisers fell to Cascade Christian 53-15 in their season opener Friday under new Head Coach Chelsea Caramandi.

Eatonville new Head Coach Chelsea Caramandi gives instructions to her team during a time out during the Cruisers season opener against the Cascade Christian Cougars. Photo: Arlene Olson

Eatonville scored the first basket of the game, but it was one of the few bright spots in the early going. Cascade Christian responded with a 17-0 run to close out the first quarter while capitalizing on Cruiser turnovers and controlling the boards. Eatonville committed 16 turnovers in the opening eight minutes and was outrebounded 9-4 as the Cougars built a 17-2 lead.

The Cruisers continued to struggle offensively in the second quarter as Cascade Christian extended its advantage. Eatonville’s turnover count climbed and the rebounding deficit widened to 20-7 by halftime. The Cruisers trailed 28-5 at the break.

“That was a tough opener for us. Turnovers and rebounding told the story,” Caramandi said. “In the second half we really locked in defensively and got them deep into the shot clock, but we gave too many possessions right back with turnovers and second-chance looks. The effort was there, our girls competed, but we’ve got to play cleaner and more confident. We need to value the basketball and finish plays with a rebound. Those are fixable, controllable things, and we’ll get back to work and clean them up.”

Cascade Christian put the game fully out of reach with a 13-0 run to begin the third quarter, continuing to overwhelm Eatonville on the glass and force giveaways. By the end of the period, the Cougars led 43-8. Eatonville finished the night with 43 turnovers, compared with just 18 by Cascade Christian, and was outrebounded 36-14.

The Cruisers found a small spark in the fourth quarter, scoring seven points and showing improved offensive rhythm, but the gap was too wide to close.

Miley King and Morgan Laird led Eatonville with four points each. King also grabbed five rebounds and added a pair of steals, while Sadie Mettler matched her with five rebounds. Delaney Livernash hit the team’s lone 3-pointer to finish with 3 points.

Despite the difficult start, Caramandi said the team’s mindset remains focused on growth.

“The effort was there,” she said. “We just have to keep building.”

Eatonville now turns to a demanding stretch of games this week. The Cruisers travel to Centralia on Monday, return home Tuesday for their home opener against Orting, head to Olympia on Wednesday to face W. F. West, and close the week on Friday at Foss High School.