Tarsiuk Regains Shooting Touch -- No. 10 Royals Hammer Conks With Treys

KENT - Alissa Tarsiuk's shot went from in the bank to in the tank. Her one-time swagger was perilously close to a stagger.

Kent-Meridian Coach Derek Powell had a simple cure: keep shooting.

Tarsiuk obliged. She shot before practice. She shot after practice. She spent three hours in the gym Saturday looking for that lost touch.

And last night she found it, in a big way.

Tarsiuk tossed in a school-record seven three-pointers - including one from well beyond half court just before the first-quarter buzzer - as the 10th-ranked Royals handed host Kentwood its first South Puget Sound League North Division loss of the season, 67-49. Both teams are tied for first in league play, along with Enumclaw, at 6-1, and 11-2 overall.

After missing her first three-point try, Tarsiuk nailed 7 of 9 en route to a career-high 24 points. One of those misses was another half-court try to end the first half.

"She just didn't miss anything," Kentwood guard Tiana Pye said. "Everything went in for her."

For a time, it seemed as though nothing was going in for Tarsiuk, who has signed with the University of Pacific.

"I've just finally been getting my confidence back," she said. "I've been shooting after practice. I've been getting my stroke. . . . Powell told me every time I get the ball and I'm open, to square and shoot, so I did that. It's really helping me, because my teammates have been getting me the ball. They know I can shoot it. I've got my confidence back and they know I can make it."

And she's not the only K-M player with the touch. As a team, the Royals buried 12 of 25 three-point attempts, compared to Kentwood's 2 of 7. Kentwood, which has not beaten K-M since 1993, led 35-34 early in the second half when Tarsiuk made a pair of threes to start a 16-0 run. After hitting 13 of 21 shots in the first half, the Conquerors suddenly went cold, sinking just 1 of 11 tries in the third period.

When Pye's three-pointer cut what had been a 15-point deficit to 52-41, Katie Watson took over for the Royals, scoring nine unanswered points. And the last of Tarsiuk's three-pointers stretched the lead to 64-41.

Tarsiuk finished with 13 rebounds, four assists and three steals. But it was Watson who continued to impress Powell after piling up 16 points and five steals.

"She's been our best player," Powell said of the 5-foot-9 senior. "She's going to make somebody a great collegiate player, and nobody's looking at her right now."

The Royals won despite an off night by 6-2 senior Emma Haywood, who has signed with Montana State. She had just six points and two rebounds before fouling out. Once again, K-M's depth made a difference. Powell substituted four and five players at a time and got at least 12 minutes from nine girls.

"They just kept on bringing in a fresh five," Pye said.

Kentwood, on the other hand, relied on a half-dozen players. Stacie Lukkes led a trio in double figures with 17 points. Stacey Welch had 15 and Pye had 11.

Other games

At Enumclaw 84, Tahoma 67 - Enumclaw broke Tahoma's press and outscored the Bears 21-11 in the third period after leading 36-31 at halftime. Jacqueline Bennion kept Tahoma (3-4 SPSL North, 8-5) competitive, scoring 32 points and pouring in 24 of Tahoma's 25 in the fourth quarter. Kristin Poe had 28 points, 13 rebounds, five assists and five steals for the Hornets (6-1, 9-4). Lue Turner collected 13 points and 10 rebounds, and Jaclynn Moergeli

Kentlake 49, at Kentridge 39 - Heather Huffmann poured in 27 points and pulled down 14 rebounds for the Falcons (2-5, 4-10) in an SPSL North victory. Cori Hamblin grabbed 11 rebounds for Kentlake. Tiffany Berry led Kentridge (0-7, 0-14) with 13 points and six rebounds.

Auburn 55, at Auburn Riverside 38 - Ashley Agarpao scored 17 points and the Trojans (4-3, 8-6) held the Ravens (1-6, 2-10) to nine total points in the second and third quarters. Agarpao scored 10 of her points in the first quarter, which ended 16-16. Cherron Davis scored 14 for Auburn Riverside, including a 6-for-6 performance at the foul line.

Spanaway Lake 58, at Federal Way 49 - The Sentinels outscored Federal Way 21-13 in the fourth quarter to break open a SPSL South Division game. Cheritta Sargent led all scorers with 25 points for Spanaway Lake (2-7 league). Wendi Janway, in her second game since returning from a broken finger, led the Eagles (4-5, 5-8) with 17 points.

At Decatur 48, Curtis 37 - The Gators led 11-3 after one quarter and 24-9 at halftime of an SPSL South game. Sara Henry, a 5-foot-10 post, led Decatur (5-3, 8-5) with 11 points and Barbara Blocki added six points, eight rebounds and five steals. Anne Giddon of Curtis (6-4 league) had 11 points.