By Kiara Doyal, The Seattle Medium
Yesterday afternoon, the Ballard Beavers (9-2) hosted the Holy Names Academy Cougars (7-4) took the court in what started off as highly competitive back-and-forth Metro League battle, but turned into a statement victory for the Beavers as they posted an impressive 59-31 victory over the Cougars.
The opening quarter saw both teams trading baskets and momentum in a tightly contested start. Holy Names took early leads behind strong play from Madeline Jones at the line and a putback by Fiona Helms, while Ballard stayed close with key contributions from Alexa Hunt and a three-pointer by Mae Piercy. The Cougars briefly held a 13–11 lead late in the period, but Ballard’s defense forced a crucial shot-clock violation and finished the quarter strong, with Hana Tautolo’s basket giving the Beavers a 14–13 edge heading into the second.
Ballard seized control of the game in the second quarter, as they scored seven unanswered points to start the period. Amelie Neyens knocked down a three-pointer to ignite the run, then followed it with a steal that led to a scoring opportunity for Alexa Hunt, who added a pair of baskets to push the lead to 21–13. Holy Names, struggling to find rhythm against Ballard’s increased defensive pressure, called a timeout to regroup.
After the break, M.E. Bachhuber briefly stopped the bleeding with a basket for the Cougars, but Ballard quickly regained control. Kyli Meyer converted two free throws, and Hunt added another score inside. The Beavers continued to lock down defensively, forcing contested shots and limiting second chances. They closed the half with baskets from Meyer, Mae Piercy, and a buzzer-beating layup by Isla Montgomery, finishing the quarter on a 10–2 run. By halftime, Ballard had stretched a one-point edge into a commanding 31–17 lead, fueled by active defensive pressure and contributions from multiple players.
Ballard opened the third quarter with possession, but Holy Names quickly took it away, only for Kyli Meyer to steal it back and finish with a strong drive to the basket, securing an and-one and making the score 34–17 with the help of the one-point conversion. Alexa Hunt then took over, scoring back-to-back jump shots to extend the lead to 38–17, and after another bucket from underneath by Hunt, Ballard pushed ahead 40–17, forcing Holy Names to call a timeout as they continued to struggle offensively and stop Ballard’s momentum.
After the timeout, Holy Names showed some signs of life defensively. Jae Williams managed a steal and drove the ball the length of the court, drawing a foul that sent her to the line, where she converted both points. On the following possession, Madeline Jones picked off a pass midair and finished under the rim, cutting the deficit to 40–21.
With 2:33 left in the third quarter, Ballard called a timeout, regrouped, and came out with Hunt scoring again to make it 42–21. Neyens later stole the ball away from Fiona Helms, but Ballard could not capitalize on the possession. In the final minute, Helms intercepted a pass and got it to Williams for a layup, but Mae Piercy responded with a turnaround jumper that brought a huge grin to her face.
With 11 seconds left on the clock, Williams scored once more for Holy Names, and Hunt followed with a trip to the line, calmly knocking down both free throws to close out the quarter. Ballard remained firmly in control heading into the fourth, leading 46–25.
Even though Holy Names started the final quarter with the ball, they immediately struggled with turnovers and missed shots, allowing Ballard to easily extend their lead. After a miss by Mae Piercy, Kyli Meyer was right there for a putback to make it 48–25, followed by a basket from Piercy to push the score to 50–25. Meyer then hit a smooth fadeaway shot, and on the next possession, she hit another fadeaway as the shot-clock expired to stretch the lead to 54–25.
As Holy Names continued to give the ball away, Ballard kept the pressure on defensively, forcing another turnover. Although the Beavers couldn’t convert on that possession, Josie Marion soon found Allie Chipps, who maneuvered to the rim for a layup to make it 56–25.
Holy Names finally got on the board late in the quarter when Angelina Zarate knocked down a three-pointer with 3:47 remaining. Fiona Helms followed with a basket inside to make it 56–30. The Cougars then called a timeout to strategies for the final minutes of the game.
Out of the timeout, Zarate went to the line and made one of two free throws, bringing the score to 56–31. In the final minute, Neyens capped off the night with an and-one and converted the free throw, pushing the lead to 59–31. Ballard ran out the clock from there, closing out a strong all-around performance with a commanding victory.
After the game, Ballard’s new head coach Ani Garaventa said that the win was a great team effort, as all players contributed.
“I thought we played really well today,” said Garaventa. “We really played team basketball. We passed the ball well, I thought our defense was really locked in, we shared the ball well and really just played top to bottom team basketball.”
Photos/Aaron Allen
