The No. 3-seeded Sehome girls basketball team took a step forward in the 2A District 1 tournament, outscoring No. 6 Squalicum 32-19 in the second half to earn a 50-38 first-round victory at home Friday night.
In her first-ever playoff game, junior post Natalie Brewer propelled the Mariners to the win with a game-high 16 points — dropping in 11 in the second half — to send Sehome to the district semifinals.
“She’s a dynamo,” Sehome coach Kim Stensgar said of Brewer. “She’s a stick of dynamite that, when lit, can absolutely change a game, and I’ve been waiting for this game for her.”
Sehome is ahead of schedule from a year ago when the Mariners suffered a two-point first-round loss at the hands of Anacortes before being eliminated two games later.
Now the Mariners are one win away from securing a regionals berth for the first time since 2015.
Squalicum was led by 13 points from junior guard Mari Binning, as senior wing Callie McEachran added 10.
The Storm now have a tougher road out of districts, needing three-straight wins in the loser-out consolation bracket.
“We didn’t give up when our shots weren’t falling. It seemed a little bit like we couldn’t catch a break on even just a lay-in,” Squalicum coach Jenalyn Brown said. “I’m optimistic that with some rest and encouragement, those shots will fall in our next game. It doesn’t make me too concerned.”
A combination of stark defense and poor shot selection by both teams resulted in a low-scoring first quarter, concluding 9-6 in favor of Sehome after Brewer drilled a buzzer-beating 3-pointer.
Sehome, opening up a five-point lead late in the second quarter, held an edge the entire period before McEachran sank an energizing triple with 1:31 left in the half to give the Storm the lead.
Squalicum ran up a 9-0 run before the Mariners responded, and the Storm entered the second half leading by one.
Brewer re-gifted Sehome the lead — this time for good — via free throws two minutes into the second half, and junior guard Emmy Hart knocked down a 3-pointer to push the Mariners’ lead up further.
Outscoring Squalicum 19-13 in the third quarter, Sehome entered the fourth quarter with a seven-point edge. The Mariners skated to victory from there, fueled by key halftime adjustments.
“[Sehome] moved to a 3-2 [zone defense], which was a good idea. That 3-2 hurt us,” Brown said. “We have plays for a 3-2, and we usually execute them well … when shots aren’t falling, that’s tough. It makes for a rough game.”
The defensive adjustments were a point of emphasis in the locker room, Brewer said, but even she didn’t expect her own offensive explosion that sealed it for her team.
“Even the first time we played [Squalicum] earlier in the season we were behind, and we showed up,” Brewer said. “We knew that we had to move the ball; we had to get perfect shots. We knew cutting was wide open because the middle was open every time.”
That defensive effort led to fast break points, Stensgar added, which is the Mariners’ bread and butter.
“We’re a team that loves to get out and run, and get some points in transition,” Stensgar said. “When we can do that, it sends a close game to now all of a sudden we have an eight or 10-point difference.”
Hart added 10 points while fellow junior guard Madi Cooper finished with nine for the Mariners.
Sehome moved to 16-4 overall on the season, advancing to the 2A District 1 semifinals at Mount Vernon High School on Monday, Feb. 13.
The Mariners will play No. 2 Burlington-Edison (16-5, 12-3 NWC) at 5:30 p.m., in a rematch of a game Sehome lost 59-43 during the regular season.
Squalicum fell back below .500 at 10-11 but remain alive in the chase for a regionals bid. The Storm will face No. 7 Lakewood at home on Feb. 13 for a chance to advance to the consolation semifinals.
Score by quarter
| Team | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | Total |
| Sehome | 9 | 9 | 20 | 12 | 50 |
| Squalicum | 6 | 13 | 12 | 7 | 38 |
