Yamane breaks loose for Lady Cougars

Warden suffers a loss, Yamane shoots beyond the arc

WARDEN — Britney Yamane led the Lady Cougars against Colfax Tuesday.

The visiting Lady Bulldogs, and defending state champions, defeated Warden 69-47.

Colfax won the tip and took it to the hoop immediately, draining a three to start the game.

Casey Berg stepped up for Warden, playing solid defense in the passing lanes.

Yamane took her first three-point shot attempt early on and warmed up as the game progressed.

"Britney is running point for us this year," said head coach Todd Kisler. "I'm expecting big things from her."

Warden scored their first field goal four minutes into the first quarter.

The Lady Cougars continued to be scrappy, working under the hoop to gain possession and hitting the floor, chasing after loose balls.

At the end of the first quarter it was 22-6 Colfax.

In the second quarter, Yamane hit her first three-point shot at the six minute mark.

Yamane's score sparked a three-point field goal from Dana Bates.

A few minutes later, Colfax put Yamane on the line for two. She made both buckets and brought the score to 29-16.

"She (Yamane) had a pretty good game," said Kisler.

Warden kept fighting it out and had whittled the deficit to 12 before Colfax went on a scoring run to end the half 37-21.

The Lady Cougars came out looking rested after halftime and maintained a short-lived hold on Colfax.

The Lady Bulldogs went on a mini-scoring run that ended Warden's grasp on the quarter.

At the end of the third quarter, the gap widened to 51-32 but not before Kacie McPartland sunk a baby hook from the paint.

"I think every player had bright spots tonight," Kisler said.

In the fourth quarter, Warden continued to play ball.

The Lady Cougars put Colfax on the line and when the shot rimmed out, Ashton Stott kept the rebound in bounds for Bates to put it up for a quick score.

Late in the fourth quarter Yamane was fouled driving to the hoop and made a three-point play out of the trip to the line. She made the first free throw and missed the second but followed her own shot for the easy bucket.

Berg had the last score of the night for Warden, launching a long three with time ticking down.

"Casey came in and was great help on defense and she had that bucket at the end of the game," said Kisler. "She keeps getting stronger."