The upstart Todd Beamer Titans girls basketball team just didn’t have enough for the more experienced Federal Way Eagles Friday night in a key South Puget Sound League South Division matchup.
The Eagles outlasted the 10th-ranked Titans on their home court, 52-51. The loss was the first of the season by the Beamer girls in SPSL South play and tightens the race for the league title in the
second half of the season.
Beamer is now tied with the Puyallup Vikings atop the division with matching 9-1 records, but the Eagles are lurking right behind the two at 8-2.
With just 19.3 seconds remaining, Federal Way senior Jill Honrade hit a free throw to give the Eagles a 52-49 advantage. Beamer freshman Nia Alexander cut the three-point edge to just one, 52-51, on a putback with just 2.5 seconds left on the game clock.
But the Eagles were able to inbound the ball and essentially run out the clock and get the huge SPSL South victory.
Federal Way played the final couple minutes of the game without leading scorer Raven Benton on the bench. Benton, who came into the game averaging a league-best 27 points, fouled out. She finished Friday’s game with 20 points, 14 rebounds and four steals.
It looked like Beamer might run away with the game early in the second half. The Titans held a 31-24 lead before the Eagles went on a 13-3 run to take the lead for good.
Junior Megan Huff led Beamer with 17 points and nine rebounds. Bria Rice had 14 points and 10 rebounds and fellow freshman Alexander chipped in 13 points.
Federal Way also got nine points each from Kayla Smith and Mariyah Vongsaveng.
