ADNA — The new-look Adna Pirates are like a chess board.
So many pieces, so many combinations.
Head coach Chris Bannish knows it’s a luxury to have this problem, if you want to call it that, but he’s getting a kick out of learning who his queens are on his board early in the season.
So far, they appear to be McKenna Torrey, Rhylee Beebe, Ava Humphrey and Alyssa Carroll, who combined to score 45 of Adna’s 54 points in a 54-41 win over 3A Enumclaw Tuesday night.
But when starting post Madison Otten went down with a right leg injury late in the first quarter, Bannish had to make quick adjustments over the final three quarters.
Carroll stepped up in the paint on both ends, using her physicality to pull down nine rebounds, including five offensive, and she played strong defense against Enumclaw’s bigs once Adna switched into a 2-3 zone in the second half. She finished with eight points and three steals.
“When Otten got hurt there, we couldn’t really match up with two bigs inside, so we went to a 2-3 zone and extended it on their shooters and fronted the post,” Bannish said. “We kind of stymied them in the third quarter, and we hit some big shots.”
Turnovers hurt Adna in the first quarter, as the Pirates made some unforced errors and turned it over nine times. A pair of triples by Humphrey and a buzzer-beating 3-pointer by Torrey kept the Pirates down one through the first quarter despite those mistakes.
Neither team’s offense could find the mark in the second quarter, but Humphrey’s third 3-pointer of the half helped the Pirates take a one-point lead into the locker room.
The third quarter was all Adna. Five different Pirates scored en route to a 15-6 frame that ballooned Adna’s advantage to 10 heading to the fourth. Torrey made a difference on defense, swiping the ball away from careless ball-handlers and turning the turnovers into points either by herself or on an assist. Torrey flirted with a triple-double, tallying 13 points, eight rebounds, eight steals and five assists.
Beebe came to life in the fourth quarter with six of her 12 points, knocking down tough jumpers to put the game away.
“I’ve got a two-headed monster. I know what I’ve got,” Bannish said of Torrey and Beebe. “I’ve got two really good guards. They both took over at different times in the game. I’m going to work with them on making sure we work together to find each other when open. That’s my job to get them to play together, and it’s hard when you’re both studs. I want them to be studs.”
Humphrey nailed all four of her four 3-point attempts and nabbed eight rebounds in the win.
“People don’t realize Ava never really got to play last year that much. She’s really stepping up,” Bannish said.
Enumclaw is one of eight A classification schools Bannish scheduled for his team this season. Halfway through that slate, the Pirates are 3-1, with an additional win over Onalaska to give them a 4-1 start.
Bannish is no stranger to scheduling bigger schools to test his players and prepare them for what’s to come in February and March, but this time around is a little different. Some of his players seeing significant playing time so far this season haven’t been on the floor much in previous years, but there’s no shortage of winners.
“We’re going to be undersized at most positions. I want to see how tough we are. Where’s our toughness, and where’s our mental toughness when things don’t go our way?” Bannish said. “Alyssa Carrol has played in five state championships. You don’t find kids like this anymore. She’s a winner. I thought Rhylee and McKenna did a good job. I expect Ava to do her job and make open shots.”
Adna visits Pe Ell (2-3) Thursday night and 2A Cascade Christian Saturday night.
