ADNA — Karsyn Freeman set a new Adna record and Gaby Guard nearly tied another on Monday, as the duo led the Pirates to a 66-50 win over Montesano.
It took Freeman less than 60 seconds to put her name in the school record books, as the junior guard connected from beyond the arc to break Taylor Hoke’s single-season scoring record, one that had stood since 2011.
Freeman now holds both the single-season and single-game scoring records at Adna, as she scored 39 points last week against Morton-White Pass.
Freeman kept rolling in the first quarter, scoring 10 of Adna’s 20 points to help the Pirates (19-1, 11-1 C2BL) take a 10-point lead.
“She’s just brought a lot of versatility,” Adna coach Chris Bannish said. “She opens up things for other people … She creates a lot of attention that allows the others to get open.”
Against the Bulldogs, Gaby Guard was the beneficiary of the extra space, as she drained seven 3-pointers, just one shy of tying Brooklyn Loose’s record of eight. It’s the third time Guard has hit seven threes this season.
“Her God-given shooting ability is pretty amazing,” Bannish said.
Guard and Freeman helped keep Montesano at arm’s length throughout, even through a few dry spells for the Adna offense.
One Guard three ended a 6-0 Montesano run in the second and pushed the lead to 13. Another in the third ended an 11-2 run and pushed the lead back to double-digits. Just as she opened the game with a three, Freeman hit from deep to start the second and third quarters.
Guard finished with a game-high 23 points, and Freeman ended the game with 20, putting her at 483 on the year. Danika Hallom scored just seven in the first three quarters, but connected twice from deep in the fourth to help put the game out of reach.
While the Pirates had the advantage on the perimeter, the Bulldogs were able to have their way in the paint for long stretches of the game.
The Bulldogs shot 23 for 46 on two-point attempts, while Adna hit more shots from beyond the arc (14) than inside it (12).
While a little frustrated with the team’s defensive performance at times, Bannish noted that the things they struggled with can be easily corrected, including fighting around the post and giving more help on the weak side.
“We didn’t have a lot of attention to detail,” Bannish said. “ I didn’t think we played our best game defensively today … But we got something to work on tomorrow.”
The Pirates will now turn their attention to their regular-season finale at Onalaska on Wednesday. With a win, they’ll clinch the C2BL title, the No. 1 seed, and a bye at the district tournament.
A loss could make things more complicated, as it would open the door for Napavine to clinch the league title and it could allow Rainier to finish tied with Adna for second.
Because Rainier and Adna split their two regular-season meetings, Bannish says the No. 2 seed and a first-round bye would then come down to a coin flip. While that possibility is on the table, he is confident that his group will be focused and ready to go on Wednesday.
“I like where we’re headed,” Bannish said. “We’re kind of getting geared up for that district run, and I think we’re gonna be okay.”
