Seton spoils Bruin girls’ non-league momentum

The Bruins (5-4), guided by first-year Coach Justin Frazier, will be seeking to get a first league win in a 7 p.m. home game Wednesday versus the Stevenson High Bulldogs (0-1 league, 2-6 overall) at Columbia High School in White Salmon.

“It was a good game, but we just didn’t play the good kind of defense that we normally play,” said Frazier. “We just didn’t play with the high intensity level on defense that we should’ve been doing. They (Cougars) hit some big shots early and then we didn’t get a lot of calls in our favor in the second half. It was a good measuring tool for us though and I think that we’ll respond well to it and play better in our next game.”

The Bruins played tough against the Cougars at the outset of the contest but trailed 26-12 after the first quarter. Columbia came back strong in the second period with an 8-4 run, capped by a three-point play by senior guard Sophia Acosta (10 points), whose jumper in the lane and free throw trimmed the margin to 30-20.

Acosta sank another jumper in the lane to help the Bruins keep the score close at 33-23 with 3:06 left in the second quarter. Utilizing a strong perimeter shooting game that included 10 three-point field goals, a 9-2 Cougar run made the score 42-26 at halftime.

The Bruins did not get any closer than within 15 points in the second half. The teams traded baskets at the outset of the third quarter and a long-range, three-pointer by senior guard Ella Reed made it 45-29. Reed had three fouls in the first quarter, which limited her playing time in the first half.

“It’s always been a good rivalry with us and Seton, but we have a tendency to always get in foul trouble, especially playing here, more than anywhere else,” said Reed, who led Columbia in scoring with 17 points, including five three-pointers. “My shots didn’t really start to fall until the fourth quarter. We played pretty good as a team and this outcome really shows us what to expect and it indicates what we need to do to get better.”

A baseline layup by Bruin senior guard Maggie Bryan (15 points) narrowed the deficit to 46-31 midway through the third, but Columbia wouldn’t get any closer than that.  Seton was led by senior guard Anna Mooney, who scored 31 points.

The Cougars built their largest lead of the game at 68-43, while using a full-court press to get steals and breakaway layups — along with having three starters playing throughout the majority of the final period.

The 51 points was a season high for the Bruins.