Lake Washington girls solve Sumner test in MLK holiday basketball, 3 takeaways

FEDERAL WAY, Wash. - Another big test. Another high-mark passing grade for the Lake Washington girls basketball team.

The Kangaroos, ranked No. 5 in Class 3A, knew that facing Sumner, ranked No. 3 in Class 4A, was no easy task.

Junior guard Paige Citron made sure Lake Washington finished strong, draining a pair of timely 3-pointers early in the fourth quarter as the Kangaroos downed the Spartans, 47-40, on Monday at the MLK “The Dream” Showcase at Federal Way High School.

Lake Washington is the three-time defending Class 3A state runner-up. Its performances like Monday that could help them break through for the school’s first state title after three consecutive losses in championship games.

"Getting (a team like) Sumner this late in the season, win or lose, we knew was going to be so beneficial for us," Lake Washington coach Jeff Wilson said. "We graduated six seniors last year, including our starting five. We have six new players on this team. So, getting those younger girls built for this moment is huge going forward."

Citron, who has played in the last two 3A title games, helped the Kangaroos shake off Sumner (14-1) and hand the Spartans their first loss of the season. She converted a pair of dagger 3-pointers to start the fourth quarter just 28 seconds apart, sinking one with 6:15 remaining - and another just 28 seconds later for a 41-34 cushion.

Sophomore Ashley Uusitalo led the Kangaroos with 14 points and ninth grader Julia Benthin chipped in 10 points. Citron finished with eight points.

Here are three takeaways from the Lake Washington-Sumner game:

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KANGAROOS HANDLE SUMNER PRESSURE

Wilson knew his team was facing a tough defensive unit in Sumner, which made the triumph that much more gratifying.

“We talked about it the last few days, that Sumner does such an incredible job of getting great ball pressure and never giving up,” Wilson said. “Everybody kind of knows that around the state. They play so hard. They’re relentless. And we feel like the way our guards handle the ball, and the way on a daily basis we’re working on handling pressure, we’re kind of built to handle that pressure.”

Lake Washington (12-3) hiked its late lead to 45-34 but had to withstand one last push from the Spartans, and for the most part, passed that test even though its lead shrunk to 45-40 with 43.8 seconds to go.

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PAIGE CITRON READY FOR SPOTLIGHT

Citron never backs down when the 5-foot-8 point guard sees a moment to shine.

Citron was the clutch catalyst with her timely 3-pointers in Monday’s win. She understands winning time and how important it is to remain positive in tough games.

“I was super hyped," said Citron of stepping up in a clutch moment. “I don’t think I’ve ever said, ‘Let’s go!’ in one game more than I did this game. Yeah, I was super hyped.”

Citron also took on most of the ball-handling duties down the stretch.

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MISSED OPPORTUNITIES HAUNT SUMNER

Cold shooting and untimely turnovers were Sumner’s biggest enemy in the fourth quarter and likely cost them in Monday’s showdown of powers.

It also didn’t help that the Spartans started the game 2-of-14 from the floor and that point guard Lainee Houillon sat out 10-plus minutes of the first half with two fouls.

Houillon, who entered the game with a team-best 16.3 points per game, tallied just one point in the first half. Houillon had nine points in the second half for 10 total. Ninth grader Kawehi Borden led Sumner with 11 points.

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