Amy Ziegler led with drive, focus and humility
June 15, 2010
Of all the things Skyline senior Amy Ziegler is going to miss about being a three-sport athlete, she’s going to miss the relationships she cultivated and the jovial Friday-night game atmosphere, she said.
Ziegler lettered in nine of the 12 sports seasons she played during her four-year career at Skyline. But high school sports is now over for the 2010 graduate and, other than going to college, she’s not sure what the future holds.
Amy Ziegler played all 12 possible sports seasons during her four years at Skyline High School. In addition to her skill versatility, she helped the team lead her teams as a level-headed competitor. Photo by Christopher Huber
Skyline basketball takes 8th at state
March 9, 2010
The 2009-2010 season was a season of firsts for the Skyline boys basketball team. The team brought home its first tournament trophy (Barlow Trails Classic), won its first KingCo 4A championship and placed at the state tournament for the first time.
And after placing eighth in state, the boys will get to hang their first banner on the wall in the gym, said coach J. Jay Davis.
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Skyline basketball King Co Championship
March 3, 2010
The Skyline Boys Basketball team won the KingCo championship Feb. 26, 2010
Skyline beats Woodinville, advances to KingCo final
February 23, 2010
Before the second-round KingCo tournament match against Woodinville, Skyline Spartans head coach J. Jay Davis laid out his game plan: win.
That was all that mattered, he said, and the plan was for his players to do whatever they needed to do to fend off the 10-5 (conference) Falcons to advance to the KingCo 4A Championship against Lake Washington.
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Skyline basketball downs Eastlake in even battle
February 2, 2010
From the way Skyline came out of the gates against Eastlake Jan. 29, it could have been over by the end of the first half. But that wasn’t the case as the Wolves adjusted early on, contained Skyline’s offense and nearly outlasted the division-leading Spartans.
After two straight league-game losses, Skyline spent its practice that week refocusing, said head coach J. Jay Davis. It paid off.
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Lady Spartans overcome Eastlake
February 2, 2010
It was Eastlake’s game to lose and Skyline took it at the last moment.
The Skyline girls improved to 6-6 in KingCo 4A Crest Division play after sophomore Morgan Farrar made a hectic lay-in with 17 seconds remaining Jan. 29.
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Skyline basketball trounces Redmond
January 13, 2010
By Christopher Huber
The Skyline boys basketball team came into its match-up with Redmond confident it would win, but knowing the Mustangs could surprise them.
Redmond is better than its 2-3 league and 3-6 overall record showed going into the Jan. 8 game at Skyline, said Spartans’ senior Cory Hutsen and coach J. Jay Davis.
Skyline came off a successful winter break, having won the Sam Barlow Trail Classic in Gresham, Ore. in December. But that didn’t mean the 7-1 Spartans could take Redmond lightly.
Skyline stuck to its guns, sealing its defensive game and limiting the Mustangs’ leading scorer, sophomore forward Jason Harrington, to just nine points.
It beat Redmond 60-37 to go 4-1 in league play and 8-1 overall.
“We were definitely confident, but, I mean, Redmond’s record doesn’t show how really good they are,” Hutsen said after the game. “Redmond’s well coached and they’re always going to bring it. So we just had to not take it lightly and work hard.”
Both teams moved the ball well offensively, but Skyline’s defense was the key to the game, a point of pride for the team, Davis said.
“I think it’s a byproduct of what we emphasize each day in practice. Not to give you a bunch of clichés, but we truly believe it’s the one constant we can bring every night to a contest,” he said. “Our players take a great deal of pride in playing defense and we feel it’s helped us win games this season against some very good offensive teams.”
Skyline came out strong down low in the first quarter. Hutsen had eight points in the first to give the Spartans a 14-6 lead into the second.
Redmond managed to score just 14 points in the first half and Skyline led by 17 at the break.
Statistically a somewhat stronger first-half team this season, Skyline slowed down a bit in the second half.
It got a little sloppy on defense as the Mustang offense worked the ball to the inside a bit and made up some ground.
“We just went away from what worked for a little bit. But then we re-established,” Hutsen said. “We were getting a lot of points inside, and if we didn’t take the first shot that we got, we could get anything that we wanted.”
Hutsen finished with a game-high 20 points.
Senior Austin Weige had six points and eight rebounds and senior Mikey Smith had four points and five rebounds.
Bryan Cikatz finished with 12 points.
Redmond’s Andrew Squires had 11 points and Josh Bircher had eight.
Reporter Christopher Huber can be reached at 392-6434, ext. 242, or chuber@isspress.com. Comment on this story at www.SammamishReview.com.
The Skyline boys basketball team came into its match-up with Redmond confident it would win, but knowing the Mustangs could surprise them.
Redmond is better than its 2-3 league and 3-6 overall record showed going into the Jan. 8 game at Skyline, said Spartans’ senior Cory Hutsen and coach J. Jay Davis.
Skyline came off a successful winter break, having won the Sam Barlow Trail Classic in Gresham, Ore. in December. But that didn’t mean the 7-1 Spartans could take Redmond lightly.
Skyline’s Austin Weige (1) flies high as he defends against a Redmond player Jan. 8. Weige had six points and eight rebounds on the night. Photo by Christopher Huber
Prep basketball looks outside the league over break
January 5, 2010
By Christopher Huber
Some teams had a more restful or low-key winter break, but a couple gained much experience and momentum heading into mid-season play.
Here’s a look at how Sammamish high school hoopsters did to finish 2009.
The boys of Eastlake finished the Surf-N-Slam tournament in San Diego on a positive note.
It beat Burlingame, Calif. 64-61 Dec. 30, in a match that was even all the way, and also defeated Saguaro, of Scottsdale, Ariz., 73-66 Dec. 29.
Eastlake opened the tournament with a 42-38 loss to Scripps Ranch, Calif.
Against Burlingame, three Eastlake players scored in the double digits. Senior Michael Russo led with 19 points, Dillon Pericin followed with 15 and Conner Iraola had 12.
Eastlake led 36-30 at the half, but Burlingame made it interesting in the second, outscoring the Wolves 31-28.
In the high-scoring battle with Saguaro, Eastlake came out on top after Russo scored a team-high 22 and the Wolves held a 35-23 halftime lead.
Iraola finished with 13 points and Pericin and Ryan Sikma each had 10.
Although both teams had a tough time scoring in the opener, Scripps Ranch outpaced Eastlake in the second half. It outscored the Wolves 12-6 in the third quarter and 12-8 in the fourth, overcoming Eastlake’s 24-18 halftime lead.
The Skyline boys went 3-0 at the Barlow Trail Classic Dec. 28-30 in Portland, Ore.
The Spartans capped it off with a dominating 71-39 win over Benson Tech, of Oregon. That was after comfortable victories over Gresham, Ore. (50-39) and Sherwood, Ore. (64-54).
Ten players scored in the 32-point romp over Benson Tech, including Kasen Williams’ 15 and Austin Weige’s 10.
Connor Gacek scored nine points and Will Parker and Mikey Smith each had eight. Cory Hutsen finished with seven and Michael Ford had five.
Skyline outscored Benson Tech 22-14 and 20-11 in the first and second quarters respectively, and continued through the second half, limiting Benson Tech to 14 points total.
Against Gresham, the Spartans took a 33-19 halftime lead and held on for an 11-point margin. Hutsen had 10 points.
In Skyline’s 10-point victory over Sherwood Dec. 28, Hutsen scored 23 points and Gacek finished with 14.
It relied on its 36-25 lead at the half to pull out the win, because Sherwood outscored Skyline 29-28 in the second half.
The wins put Skyline at 6-1 overall this season.
After beating Cleveland 66-61 Dec. 18, the Eastside Catholic boys lost its early winter-break match, 53-45, to Bellevue on Dec. 19.
Bellevue had a 29-22 halftime lead and Eastside Catholic was unable to come from behind, despite a 13-7 fourth quarter.
Joey Schreiber scored 11 points and Jonathan Callans had 10.
Girls Basketball
After a lighter-than-usual winter break game schedule — they didn’t travel to a big tournament — the Eastlake girls basketball team is on an up-tick. It went 2-0 over the break by beating Heritage Dec. 22, which was 5-1, and Mount Rainier, which was 6-0 going into the match Dec. 28 at Eastlake.
The Lady Wolves improved to 5-3 overall.
“Our strong wins over these teams really shows the strength of our league,” said Eastlake coach Scott Sartorius.
Eastlake pummeled Mount Rainier 57-34 when it took a 22-15 lead into halftime. It outscored Mount Rainier 21-13 in the third quarter and 14-6 in the fourth to easily ensure the win.
Kendra Morrison led Eastlake with 15 points and seven rebounds. Senior wing Alyssa Charlston had 11 points, 11 rebounds, five assists and two blocks, while Annie Borges finished with eight points and six rebounds.
In its 55-32 win, Eastlake held Heritage to just 13 points in the first three quarters. Abby Carlson shot 5-of-9 from the floor for 14 points and had five rebounds and four assists.
Morrison had 10 points, six rebounds and two steals. Charlston finished with seven points, six rebounds, five assists and two blocks.
The Lady Spartans of Skyline split its two games over the winter break, first beating Wenatchee 52-46 Dec. 29 at Wenatchee High School and subsequently losing 57-30 to Mead Dec. 30.
Mead blew out Skyline, taking a 32-13 halftime lead and holding the girls to single-digit scoring in the first three quarters.
Senior post Kassia Fortier finished with six points and sophomore guard Morgan Farrar and freshman guard Rachel Shim each had five points.
In the win against Wenatchee, head coach Greg Bruns said the girls seemed to figure out their defense and bring pressure when they needed it. Skyline only committed 13 turnovers.
“We forced a lot of turnovers on them,” Bruns said over the phone.
Fortier led Skyline scorers with 21 points and had six rebounds and four steals. Farrar finished with eight against Wenatchee, whose top scorer had 22.
Allie Wyszynski had seven and Michelle Bretl, Rachel Grasso, Rachel Shim and Haley Smith each had four points.
Skyline is 4-4 overall.
The Eastside Catholic girls improved to 5-4 overall after inching past Fife 56-54 in its match-up Dec. 29 at the Burien Winter Holiday Classic.
The Lady Crusaders scored 21 in the first quarter to lead by eight. It led 28-21 at halftime. Fife came from behind in the second half, outscoring Eastside Catholic 16-12 in the third and 17-16 in the fourth.
Michaela O’Rourke led all scorers with 22 points. Sarah Hill finished with 12 points and Shannon Graves had 10.
The girls of Eastside Catholic lost by two on Dec. 28, 32-30, to Highline.
Despite outscoring Highline 9-2 in the first, the Crusaders only scored two in the second, to Highline’s 16 points and couldn’t quite pull it out down the stretch.
O’Rourke scored 15 and Sarah Hill had eight points.
Reporter Christopher Huber can be reached at 392-6434, ext. 242, or chuber@isspress.com. Comment on this story at www.SammamishReview.com.
Some teams had a more restful or low-key winter break, but a couple gained much experience and momentum heading into mid-season play.
Here’s a look at how Sammamish high school hoopsters did to finish 2009.
The boys of Eastlake finished the Surf-N-Slam tournament in San Diego on a positive note. Read more
High school teams try to stay sharp over long break
December 29, 2009
By Christopher Huber
As schools close and many families take time off from work to be together during the holidays, there’s still a lot going on in the world of prep sports.
One look at the winter sports schedule, and you’d think the youth have some time off to sleep in, lounge around, visit grandma and grandpa and enjoy two weeks of no homework.
Gymnastics, for example, has a three-week break between meets. Boys’ swimming doesn’t have a dual meet for 25 days.
“It’s important that athletes get a mental break as well as a physical break,” said Eastlake boys basketball coach Pat Bangasser. “We want them fresh when they’re coming to practice.”
But many athletes at Eastlake, Eastside Catholic and Skyline high schools still come to practice almost every day.
Once vacation is over, league competition starts right back up again.
And for basketball players, they have to be in tip-top shape for various tournaments between Christmas and New Year’s.
Eastlake swim and dive coach Andy Hay seems excited about having the winter break to work with his team.
While they practice each weekday for just over an hour after school, the break gives the team more practice time for a whole variety of work.
He doubles Eastlake’s practice time.
“It allows us to do things that we don’t normally do,” he said. “Having more time, we can focus more on technique.”
He said attendance tends to be down during the holidays — athletes travel with their families to see relatives or take vacation — but those who are around commit to the longer, sometimes two-a-day practices.
“I’ve never met a program that doesn’t have a very intense winter training program,” Hay said.
Senior Cory Hutsen, Skyline basketball’s starting forward, said it’s actually more difficult to stay in the right mindset when there’s no school.
“It’s harder to focus when you’re not focused on school,” Hutsen said at practice Dec. 22. “It takes a lot more focus to keep yourself prepared.”
They don’t get much extra practice time, said coach J. Jay Davis.
And with only one tournament between Dec. 18 and Jan. 5 the Spartans have to stay fresh by attending the optional weight-lifting session on Saturdays and making the most of their typical two-hour practices.
“(You need to) not get too anxious,” Hutsen said. “You just practice like you’re playing a game.”
In his 21 years of coaching in the area, Bangasser and his teams have never had a full winter break, he said.
“There’s not a lot of down time,” he said. “It’s the one season where you basically practice through Thanksgiving, winter and mid-winter break.”
Other than taking a day off here and there, the guys practice as if school were in session: Sunday, Monday, Thursday, Friday and sleep in Saturday, Bangasser said. The advantage to winter practices is providing the optional pre-practice shoot-around time.
Although most teams in the area keep at it throughout the winter break, Davis said they still get to enjoy the time off a bit.
“I’d like to have a game this week,” he said Dec. 22 … but I kind of see the break as a blessing.”
Reporter Christopher Huber can be reached at 392-6434, ext. 242, or chuber@isspress.com. Comment on this story at www.SammamishReview.com.
As schools close and many families take time off from work to be together during the holidays, there’s still a lot going on in the world of prep sports.
One look at the winter sports schedule, and you’d think the youth have some time off to sleep in, lounge around, visit grandma and grandpa and enjoy two weeks of no homework.
Gymnastics, for example, has a three-week break between meets. Boys’ swimming doesn’t have a dual meet for 25 days.
Skyline sophomore Lucas Shannon does warm-up drills during practice Dec. 22. Photo by Christopher Huber
Local athletes commit to D1 schools
November 19, 2009
New: Nov. 19, 1:21 p.m.
Two Skyline High School athletes will commit to their respective schools at a national letter of intent signing Nov. 25, according to school administrators. Read more
