Lacie Hull (24) of Central Valley passes the ball with pressure from Kentridge player during the second half at ShoWare Center in Kent, on Monday, Jan. 15, 2018.
Highlights
This game felt like it could have been in the Tacoma Dome. But Stanford-bound Lexie Hull scored 23 points with 10 rebounds as No. 1 Central Valley turned its two-point halftime lead into a 57-39 win over No. 3 Kentridge on Monday at the King Showcase at the ShoWare Center.
TJ COTTERILL, thenewstribune.com, January 15, 2018
This sort of thing hasn’t happened to this Kentridge High School girls basketball team all that often.
Bob Sandall thought back to the last time a player controlled the paint against his team like Central Valley’s star forward Lexie Hull did on Monday.
“Probably not since Brittany McPhee,” Sandall said with a chuckle. McPhee graduated from Mount Rainier and is currently Stanford’s leading scorer.
Not a bad comparison. Hull is a Stanford signee.
And Hull finished with a game-high 23 points and 10 rebounds in leading No. 1 Central Valley to a 57-39 win over No. 3 Kentridge in a battle of the past two defending state champions at the ShoWare Center in Kent on Monday as part of the King Showcase.
But to control the paint against Kentridge? That’s a feat in itself considering the defending state champions feature standout posts at 6-foot-4 and 6-foot-2.
“We haven’t played against that kind of size yet,” said the 6-foot-2 Hull. “So it was good to play people that big.”
Kentridge was one of the few elite teams Central Valley hasn’t played in its 2017-18 redemption tour.
It didn’t get to play the Chargers last year, despite entering the Tacoma Dome for the 4A state tournament as the odds-on favorite to repeat as state champions. Central Valley lost in the quarterfinals against Bellarmine Prep, before Kentridge beat Bellarmine in the semifinals on its way to its first state title in school history.
And with both teams returning most of their teams, this felt like a state title game that never was – but could be this year.
“It did”. “But I’m glad it wasn’t. And I’m glad that when we play them again, we’ll be more ready”.
But Kentridge (14-2) gave Central Valley (14-0) a rare test. This was the Bears’ closest game since its 17-point win over No. 7 Woodinville on Dec. 30. It already had a 35-point win over No. 6 Bellarmine Prep and a 21-point win over No. 5 Lake Stevens on its resume. CV’s schedule could be the toughest in the state.
On Friday, Central Valley was leading Rogers of Spokane, 53-0, at halftime on its way to an 88-12 win. And then it was up 25-4 after the first quarter against Lake Stevens on Saturday.
“I think we are just so deep,” Hull said. “All 10 of our players get on the floor and give it their best. We know that’s what we’re going to get out of everyone.
“We just – almost want to redeem ourselves from last year. Not have a game where we let ourselves down and just push through each game.”
But here Kentridge was, keeping pace with this girls basketball beast of a team and trailing, 24-22, at halftime, despite turning the ball over 10 times.
The problem was those turnovers never stopped. The Chargers turned it over on their first four possessions of the second half, and five of their first six possessions as Central Valley quickly pumped its lead to 33-23.
Kentridge finished with 25 turnovers to Central Valley’s 14.
“It’s tough because a lot of those turnovers really didn’t come as a result of their press. It was us being careless”. “There were at least 10 where we just threw it to nobody.
“Not to take anything at all away from Central Valley. They were clearly the best team today. But I think we got a lot more. We need to be better.”
And it’s rare Kentridge has been outrebounded like it was. Central Valley won the battle of the boards, 34-30, despite being outsized.
“I think we just kind of fell off mentally”. “We weren’t really together. We weren’t really on the same page like we were in the first half.”
And, even then, Hull, the reigning 4A state player of the year by the Associated Press, had 15 points in the first half.
“She is just so well-rounded,” Sandall said. “She can rebound, she can shoot, she can handle. No wonder she’s going to Stanford. She’s the real deal.”
Her twin sister, Lacie Hull, is headed to Stanford, too. Lacie Hull finished with eight points and nine rebounds.
“I felt like we were at the Dome”. “We will probably have a chance to see them at state. So it’s good to get to play them now and get to know them better.”
And Lexie Hull seemed pretty pumped about the idea of one more trip to the Tacoma Dome to finish off her career. Playing in the bright lights and similar dome backdrop of the Tacoma Dome had her thinking about that afterward.
“It just gets us all excited,” Hull laughed. “It’s coming up pretty soon. We’re getting there.”
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