It could be talent and athleticism that makes the Washougal girls basketball team’s defense so good.
But the Panthers point to something else.
“I think most of it is mentality,” Washougal junior Skylar Bea said. “We’re all pretty athletic, I think. But you have to put your mind to it that you’re going to get the ball and stop them.”
Washougal’s dominating defense was on full display in a 75-31 win over Woodland on Wednesday.
The Panthers allowed just eight points in the first half, during which they forced 23 turnovers. Washougal players collected 17 steals, many of which led directly to baskets on the other end.
“Defense always leads to offense,” sophomore Samantha Mederos said. “The steals get us going into the fast break. That’s what we feed off of. It creates the energy.”
After capping last season with the program’s first Class 2A state title, Washougal faced many questions heading into this season.
Would a team with just one senior be able to replace unanimous 2A state player of the year Beyonce Bea? Now a starter for Idaho as a freshman, Bea averaged a team-high 17.5 points.
Without a definitive go-to scorer, Washougal’s answer has been its defense. In many ways, that defense has been better this season for a Panthers team that is 15-2 and ranked No. 4 in the 2A RPI rankings. Washougal has allowed an average of 39.6 points per game, below the 41.1 points allowed last season.
That defense has also led to as much offense as last season. The Panthers are averaging 58.4 points per game compared to last season’s average of 58.1 points.
Before this season, Washougal coach Britney Ervin hinted that this team, while young, would have the talent and quickness to make life miserable for opposing offenses.
“There’s a lot of good energy and the girls are willing to sell out for each other,” Ervin said. “We’re smaller and we’re faster.”
That effort has fueled Washougal’s defensive intensity. But effort alone doesn’t equal success. There’s a reason the Panthers can be so disruptive on defense, especially getting their hands into passing lanes, without committing fouls.
That reason is hours of drills and defensive-focused repetition in practice. Much of that teaches how to be in the right position so a player doesn’t have to reach and risk a foul.
“We do a lot of drills — zig-zags, one-on-one drills so that we get our feet moving,” Skylar Bea said. “You have to keep your feet moving and our hands up.”
What results is a disruptive dance, a kind of mayhem with a method.
“We work so hard on defense every day in practice,” Mederos said. “When the game comes, everything just clicks to make this happen.”
