With the first three playoff spots already clinched in the North Region division of the NWAC, EvCC was looking to grab that fourth playoff seed. The Trojans began the game with a two game lead holding onto that fourth spot in the division.

The EvCC offense started strong in this game going on a 19-5 run to open things up. This was a breath of fresh air for the Trojans since their last two games featured poor offensive performances. The 14 point lead was a good cushion for the Trojans early in the game, but that lead was short lived. Skagit Valley started penetrating and opening up shots for their outside shooters, this would lead them on an 11-3 run closing the gap between both teams.

The run by Skagit Valley brought the deficit down to a six point lead 22-16. The EvCC defense was solid but the combination of Mandy Hayes and Jordyn Turner was even stronger. The both of them for Skagit Valley had nine points at halftime. Claire Fyfe was the leading scorer for the Trojans with nine points also.

Both teams played a competitive first half with strong defense and good offense. With the Cardinals closing the gap, Everett clung onto a two point lead at halftime 34-32.

EvCC shot 47.8% from the field going into halftime, while Skagit Valley shot 41.4%. However, the Cardinals shot better from the three point line with 45.5% and the Trojans shooting 33.3%.

The second half for EvCC wasn’t nearly as kind to them. The Trojans continued to play good defense, but their offense was non existent in the second half.

EvCC would shoot only 14.3% from the field going 3/21 the entire second half. With the Cardinals shooting 47.4% in the second half, that shows how tough the Trojan defense played. EvCC would stay within striking distance the rest of the way, but they couldn’t string together a run to put them over the hump.

The Cardinals extended  the lead to 12 points in the fourth quarter and win the game by a score of  63-54. Jordyn Turner would lead Skagit Valley with 17 points and 7 rebounds, while Breezy Shore for the Trojans finished with 16 points and 6 rebounds respectively.

After the game Head Coach Chet Hovde spoke about the recent struggles “consistency is the name of the game and we can score 20 points against anybody and then just go cold the next minute. We have to be more consistent.” Shore, the leading scorer, also talked about what is needed in taking the next step to get the team going. “We have to go hard in practice every day and keep the ball moving. To be able to make the playoffs we have to compete hard and go 100%, hopefully we can turn that over into a game.”

The Trojans next game is in Olympic, which is a must win game for EvCC with a playoff birth on the line. The game is on Saturday, Feb. 20, 2016, at 2:00 p.m.