Women's hoops rivalry thriller goes to Everett in OT

EVERETT, Wash. — Edmonds College (6-11, 2-3) pushed Everett Community College (4-15, 0-5) to overtime, but eventually fell 58-56. The Tritons held a 14-point lead in the third quarter but the Trojans clawed back. Edmonds had a strong defensive effort, notching 10 steals overall.

Edmonds opened the first quarter by establishing early control, with Kiani Hoolulu's two free throws at 8:32 starting a scoring run. Darcie Gonzalez added to the momentum with a steal and subsequent jumper by Hailey Mata, pushing the lead to 4–0. Hoolulu's three-pointer, assisted by Gonzalez, at 5:40 extended Edmonds' advantage to 9–3. Ava Uusitalo's layup at 2:20 increased the lead to eight points, marking the largest margin of the quarter. Edmonds maintained their strong defensive presence, limiting the Trojans' opportunities and closing out the quarter ahead 15–7.

Gonzalez helped Edmonds maintain their lead with an early 3-pointer assisted by Uusitalo at 9:24. The Tritons then expanded their advantage to 10 points when Taylor Blancaflor hit a 3-pointer with 4:25 remaining, courtesy of an assist from Hoolulu. Despite a push from Everett, including a 3-pointer from Myah Galdeira, Edmonds kept pace and closed the quarter tied 12–12, holding onto their overall lead at 27–22.

Edmonds established control early in the third quarter with a quick five-point surge, highlighted by Payton Fleishman's layup and subsequent 3-pointer, assisted by Gonzalez and Uusitalo, respectively. This stretch extended Edmonds' lead to 33–19 by the 7:43 mark. Despite Everett's response, which reduced the gap, Edmonds maintained their advantage with key defensive rebounds and a timely free throw conversion from Blancaflor. The quarter concluded with Edmonds holding a narrow edge at 34–31.

The Tritons maintained their lead with crucial contributions from Mata, who hit a key layup at 2:26 to extend their advantage to six points. Despite a late surge from the Trojans, who tied the game with a 3-pointer with 1:39 remaining, Edmonds regained control when Gonzalez scored a layup with 59 seconds left, assisted by Mata. The game reached a tense conclusion as Everett equalized again with two free throws at 48 seconds, but neither team managed to break the deadlock, ending the quarter tied. The game concluded with a final score of 48–48.

Overtime saw Edmonds making a late push to close the gap, sparked by Gonzalez's layup at 2:03, assisted by Mata. Despite trailing 55-48, Edmonds narrowed the deficit to two points as Blancaflor converted a critical layup at 1:01 with help from Fleishman. Uusitalo further tightened the contest with a layup at 0:07, bringing Edmonds within two. However, Everett maintained their edge through successful free throws by Galdeira in the closing seconds. The game concluded with Everett securing a 58-56 victory.

Gonzalez led the team with 19 points and collected 12 rebounds while also recording four steals. Mata contributed 11 points and completed a perfect 4-for-4 from the free-throw line. Uusitalo added five assists and grabbed nine rebounds. Hoolulu scored eight points, sinking two 3-pointers and adding two steals.

Next up is another road test at Olympic College (12-8, 3-3) on Wednesday. Tip off is scheduled for 7 p.m.