ONALASKA — Going into Thursday’s matchup against Winlock, Onalaska coach Alana Olson said that the Loggers’ focus would be on staying consistent on defense, both in their intensity and discipline.
The Loggers accomplished that goal and then some, as the Cardinals didn’t hit a field goal in the first half, and Onalaska rolled to a 57-26.
“That was definitely our goal,” Olson said. “I was really happy with the way we stayed focused on defense.”
Winlock scored just five points in the first half, all of which came on free throws. The Loggers (7-9, 3-5 C2BL) quickly pulled away, hitting three 3-pointers in the first quarter to take a 16-1 lead.
Kaiyah Sandridge led the way in the second, adding eight points to push the lead to 32-5.
Onalaska’s success on offense continued into the second half, where Randi Haight hit two threes and Sommer Zurinskas scored all 10 of her points, a mark that led the team.
Overall, nine Loggers got on the scoresheet, and for the second time this week, the Loggers cleared the 50-point mark as a team. Prior to Tuesday’s win at Kalama, the last time that Onalaska had scored 50 or more points in a game came on Dec. 13 in a win at Wahkiakum.
“It was just a really nice team win,” Olson said. “To see our offense come along this week in particular has been really nice.”
While the Winlock offense struggled in the first half, the Cardinals (2-12, 1-7 C2BL) did get on a bit of a roll in the second half, where they scored 21 points, including two threes from Adriana Garcia.
“I think it takes us a while to realize that we can play with other teams,” Winlock coach Dracy McCoy said. “It takes a half usually. We’re just young.”
Kindyl Kelly was the most consistent player on the court for Winlock, scoring 14 points on the night. McCoy was pleased to see the senior, who has struggled at times this season, play well, saying that she is “seeing old glimpses of Kindyl again.”
The road for the Cardinals doesn’t get any easier, as they’ll head to Napavine on Friday, while the Loggers will head to Ilwaco on Saturday.
