Story and photos by Randall G. Hauk
Reporting for West Seattle Blog

Spirit Week at Seattle Lutheran High School came to a happy conclusion tonight as the girls’ and boys’ varsity basketball teams celebrated “Senior Night” with comfortable victories.

Surrendering no more than a baker’s dozen points defensively will generally translate into victory for a basketball team. This was the case for the Lady Saints, who managed 13 points in the first quarter alone on their way to a 43-13 win over the Lady Eagles of Evergreen Lutheran.

Out of respect for their senior teammates, underclasspersons Abby Turner and Hailey Meyer sparked a 13-2 first quarter for Seattle Lutheran, teaming up on several blocked shots and 8 of the Lady Saints’ 13 points in the quarter.

With a strong defensive tone established, the senior members of the team assured the offense would provide enough for a win, teaming up for 27 combined points on the night, including a game-high 18 from Jillian Smith [photo above]. Ali Bigliardi tallied 7, while Amy Jacobs contributed 2 to the cause. The fourth senior on the roster, Monika Keller, did not score.

The victory, combined with a concurrent loss by Crosspoint Academy at Bear Creek, moved the Lady Saints into sole possession of third place in the Sea-Tac 2B conference.

The boys’ team entered their match with rival Evergreen Lutheran in the nightcap with a half-game lead over fourth-place visitors. The Saints managed to move a little more firmly into their third-place perch by grounding the Eagles, ending the night with a 67-45 win.

Despite the final margin, the game did not get off to the steady start the girls had, as Evergreen Lutheran looked confident in building an early 5-0 lead.

Junior Bryce Morgan, however, put an end to the run with a personal run of 5 points on consecutive possessions, quickly erasing the only lead the visitors would enjoy the rest of the night on his way to an 8 point quarter and an 18 point game.

Morgan was joined by senior Jordan Webb (above) in the first-quarter flurry, contributing 9 points to help the Saints finish the quarter with a 20-14 lead. Webb also finished with 18.

Nick Savas (9) and Tyrell Walker-Hampton (6) were the other senior class members to put points on the board during the victory. Colin O’Brien, Max Zuppe, and Sean Xu also took part in the game as part of their senior night.

Both squads will be back in action on their home floor Tuesday night when Tacoma Baptist comes to the peninsula for a pair of games, with the girls getting things started at 6 pm.