Riverside vs. Sealth in 3A

Nichole Jackson came up big as Auburn Riverside downed previously unbeaten Meadowdale to earn a matchup with Chief Sealth in the Washington State 3A championship game.

STORY & PHOTOS BY GLENN NELSON

SEATTLE, Wash. - A year ago, Nichole Jackson was a woosey, wide-eyed mess who didn't take enough pride in her defense, at least not by Auburn Riverside standards. She even told coach Adam Barrett that she was too sick to play in a State 4A game for third place against University. On Friday night, she was a commanding presence at the point in a semifinal against the only unbeaten team in the Washington State 3A tournament.

And didn't need a barf bag even once.

Riverside's Nichole Jackson strips the ball
from Meadowdale's Eryn Jones

"It's hard to believe Nichole is a sophomore because she plays like a senior," Auburn Riverside coach Adam Barrett said after Jackson helped engineer a 52-42 victory over Meadowdale that sent the Ravens to the state championship game against Chief Sealth. "It's a big difference that year made for her."

Barrett intended to save Jackson mostly for the second half, during which he anticipated she'd have to handle the ball against Meadowdale pressure and hawk its star point guard, Eryn Jones. Instead, she started out so focused, Jackson was in during the most of the second quarter, downing a trio of three-pointers during the final 6:33 to help Riverside mount a commanding, 12-point lead. Her last two triples came back to back near the end of the half.

Then, although Jones finished with 19 points, Jackson helped keep the Meadowdale junior in check, Jones' most telling stat being her seven turnovers.

"The biggest thing Nichole has improved is her defense," Barrett said. "She's been working hard on it because nobody gave her much credit for it. She takes a lot of pride in it now."

Turns out Jackson is a pleaser. She is leading the tournament in assists with 4.0 a game. On Barrett's urging, she ratcheted up her defensive intensity. Then at her teammate and friend Stephanie Wilber's request, she reported to Bank of America Arena ready to do some damage.

After finishing her pre-walk-through shower on Friday morning, Jackson found a text message from Wilber on her cell phone. It said something like, "I need you to step up. You are the difference."

Jackson promised Wilber she would "get it done."

Nia Jackson will be important for Sealth

Afterward, Meadowdale coach Dan Taylor was a believer. Asked how he thought Riverside would fare against Chief Sealth, which last year and part of this year was nationally ranked, he flatly predicted a championship for Riverside.

"I honestly think they're going to win it," Taylor said. "They have speed, defensive intensity, fundamentals - you're talking the total package. They have sophomores and freshmen playing like seniors. And the tempo they establish ... I think Chief Sealth will have to make adjustments themselves. Auburn Riverside is far different than anything they've seen this year."

Well, yes and no. While Sealth has not played a team in the state of Washington like Auburn Riverside, they did encounter at least one similar team - Archbishop Mitty of San Jose, Calif. - at the Nike Tournament of Champions in Chandler, Ariz., right before Christmas. Sealth lost 65-53 to Mitty, a guard-oriented team led by one of the nation's best in Oklahoma recruit Danielle Robinson. The Seahawks also lost to Providence Day of North Carolina, which features guard Epiphanny Woodson, a Miami signee, and Bishop McNamara, a last-minute replacement team from California, at the TOC.

That mediocre showing on a national stage doesn't portend well for Sealth, though few teams have an answer for 6-foot-4 post Regina Rogers, who had 18 points and nine rebounds during a 70-50 victory over West Valley that amounted to little more than a live scrimmage for the Seahawks.

Rogers acknowledged Riverside's similarity to Archbishop Mitty, but said, "I have total confidence in our guards."

Sealth's overall ballhanding is not as strong as Meadowdale's, and the Mavericks coughed up 22 turnovers and seemed to lose their legs at the end. The other weakness of Sealth's is a dearth of consistent perimeter shooting, which allows opposing defenses to deploy defenders in the lane to help against Rogers and 6-3 Christina Nzekwe. Finally, the Seahawk guards will be an all-important line of defense against Riverside's transition attack.

Eryn Jones of Meadowdale

And few are going to "find" their shot against Riverside. Meadowdale is a team accustomed to moving the ball well enough to find open looks for its shooters, but found few against Riverside. In fact, the Mavs made only two shots outside the lane during the first half.

"It's their defense," Taylor said of Riverside. "If you don't make the right adjustments as an individual in the way you shoot, it's going to take you out of it."

Meadowdale did a good job of containing Riverside's top two scorers, Wilber and Katie Grad, who combined to make just six of 23 shots. That's the good news. The bad news is that it didn't matter as Jackson stepped up with 12 points, all on three-pointers, and Ireti Amojo got her jumper going for another 14.

Jackson's contribution was invaluable. She says she must've eaten some bad pizza and ended up vomiting all night and showing up to the University game feeling weakened. This year, they'll be no pizza and no butterflies, in case that's really what churned her stomach.

"I'm excited for (Saturday)," Jackson said.

One year - just 365 days - and it's a completely different story, and outlook, for Auburn Riverside.

Coach Adam Barrett (arms raised) celebrates with the Riverside fans

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3A Tournament Scoring Leaders
1. Stephanie Wilber, Auburn Riverside, 22.3
2. Alyssa Shoji, Issaquah, 18.3
3. Eryn Jones, Meadowdale, 18.0
4. Jazmine Foreman, Hudson's Bay, 17.7
5. Chene Cooper, Lakes, 16.5

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3A Tournament Rebounding Leaders
1. Ashley Grater, East Valley, 13.3
2. Chioma Amaefule, Auburn Mountainview, 12.3
3. Kelly Brons, White River, 11.3
4. Brittany Tillman, Lakes, 11.0
5. Andrea Goins, Kennedy, 10.5

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3A Tournament Assists Leaders
1. Nichole Jackson, Auburn Riverside, 4.00
2. Mercedes Wetmore, Auburn Riverside, 3.00
3. Chene Cooper, Lakes, 3.00
4. Chelsea Lockhart, Kennedy, 3.00
5. Lauren Mathews, Skyline, 2.67

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Friday's Results
Issaquah 48, East Valley 47< br> Auburn Mountainview 42, Mount Vernon 35
Skyline 59, Hudson's Bay 42
Seattle Prep 59, White River 45
Semi: Auburn Riverside 52, Meadowdale 42
Semi: Chief Sealth 69, West Valley 50

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Thursday's Results
Issaquah 47, Capital 36
East Valley 48, Kennedy 47
Auburn Mountainview 53, Bellevue 41
Mount Vernon 57, Lakes 49
Auburn Riverside 63, Skyline 52
Meadowdale 69, Hudson's Bay 59
Chief Sealth 60, Seattle Prep 36

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Wednesday's Results
Chief Sealth 55, Mount Vernon 32
Seattle Prep 69, Lakes 54
West Valley 43, Auburn Mountainview 41
White River 62, Bellevue 54
Meadowdale 55, Kennedy 40
Hudson's Bay 49, East Valley 31
Skyline 65, Capital 38
Auburn Riverside 71, Issaquah 50

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