Despite a fast start in the first quarter, the Thomas Jefferson Raiders girls basketball team fell to the Eastmont Wildcats 54-38 on Friday in their second game of the season.
The first quarter went exactly as planned for the Raiders. They built a quick lead by driving inside and getting the Wildcats into foul trouble. They led 15-6 at the end of the first quarter.
Their hope was that they could open up their jump shooting by causing the Wildcats to be less aggressive defensively.
“First quarter and second quarter, we tried to change up things a little bit and tried to attack,” Thomas Jefferson’s first-year head coach Frank Parker said. “We wanted to get them in foul trouble, which we did, but in the third quarter we fell flat a little bit.”
Jefferson’s shooting from the field started to hit a rough patch in the second quarter. They only managed to put up six shots from the field and ended the quarter trailing 24-20.
They had 12 free throw attempts in the first half, but only converted six of them. Eastmont made nine of their 15 second quarter baskets.
In the second half, the Raiders plan fell through as they only shot five free throws. It was at that point that the length and height of Eastmont began to bother Jefferson.
“They’re long and lean, so it was hard for us to get into our offense, especially outside for our jumpers,” Parker said.
The tallest girl on the floor was Eastmont’s Emily Dufour, the 6-foot-3 post player. Her rebounding allowed for second chance shots multiple times and she blocked the lane, making it difficult for the Raiders shooters.
Dufour finished the night with a game-high 23 points, making 60 percent of her shots.
Jefferson only made 42 percent of their shots on the night. While they got to the line more than Eastmont, they were only able to convert eight of their 17 free throws.
Isabelle McLarty led the Raiders with 12 points. She made four of her eight shots, including two 3-pointers.
Bailey Nelson was the only other Raider to break into double digits with 11 points on the night. She was the most efficient Raider, scoring on five of her field goal attempts.
The loss dropped the Raiders to 2-1 on the season. They defeated Fife in their first game on Nov. 30 and Spanaway Lake the following night on Dec. 1. They fell to Cascade in their fourth game of the season on Dec. 5, dropping them to 2-2 on the season.
“The girls are buying into the system that I’ve brought in here,” Parker said. “They’re starting to understand and hustle. That’s the big difference I’ve seen from the beginning to right now. I think we’re on the right track to make some noise in the [South Puget Sound League].”
Jefferson began league play on Tuesday against Decatur. They defeated the Gators 58-39 to improve to 3-2. They play Mount Rainier (2-3, 0-0) at 7 p.m. on Friday at Mount Rainier High School.
