By RayJaun Stelly, The Seattle Medium
The Franklin Lady Quakers squared off against the Lady Vikings of Rainier Beach Saturday night at Seattle Pacific University. Franklin, riding on a three-game winning streak, came into the matchup with the opportunity to extend their streak and improve to 9-1 in Metro League play.
With seeding for playoffs becoming a factor as the regular season is nearing an end, winning is imperative coming down to the homestretch for Franklin as they look to make a deep run in the postseason.
Rainier Beach, led by 5-foot-3 senior guard Nasunie Hart, was hoping to put an end to the Lady Quakers late season run. Hart, who plays with high energy, can shoot from anywhere on the floor and finish at the rim, and is a great on-ball defender.
From the opening tip, there was a slight back-and-forth as both teams tried to establish a rhythm and finally settle their nerves. Once a minute or two had passed, Franklin’s guard play involving Neveah Hamburg and Khamille Chappelle ultimately set the tone defensively for how the Quakers were going to play, as the duo would score most of their points in transition because of their team’s defensive efforts.
Even though the Lady Quakers were able to score consistently, Rainier Beach’s defense generated steals and turnovers, which resulted in Hart making back-to-back shots to keep the game relatively close going into the second quarter.
Holding on to a 20-9 lead, Franklin turned up the intensity by winning all the 50/50 plays, out-rebounding the Vikings which provided second-chance opportunities offensively, created turnovers, and limited Rainier Beach to just one shot per possession.
Aside from Hamburg and Chappelle, Franklin’s Ciara Tu’u and Leslie Moliga helped push the pace as Franklin held the Vikings to just six points in the quarter and extended their 11-point lead to 26 points going into halftime.
Throughout the third quarter, Franklin’s defense allowed Rainier Beach to score just four points. Meanwhile, the offensive firepower of Hamburg and Chappelle continued to dominate. Making mid-range and three-point shots, layups, or passing the ball ahead for other teammates to be successful, the Lady Quakers would hold Rainier Beach to just 30 points for the night and scored a season-high 66 points to help secure their ninth conference win.
During their two matchups this season, Franklin has held the Lady Vikings to a combined 55 points, as they swept the season series.
Franklin, who improved to 9-1 in the Metro League and extended their win streak to four games, will conclude their regular season on the road against Cleveland with hopes of continuing the winning momentum heading into playoffs. The Lady Vikings will look like to end their season with a win against a non-conference opponent Renton.
