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Stadium contains Clover Park's Rice in 44-33 win

For Stadium girls basketball, winning its fourth game this season has a special meaning.

The Tigers beat Clover Park 44-33 Tuesday night, getting to 4-4 on the season. Last season, Stadium won just three games all year. Needless to say, head coach Cal-Jean Lloyd Wagner is elated with the progress her team has made.

“For us, it’s a great building win as we just try to improve and continue to grow and build the program,” she said.

Keeping Zykera Rice in check

Clover Park’s Zykera Rice pulls up for a three.

Clover Park might be a 2A school, but it has D1 talent in senior guard Zykera Rice. A Gonzaga commit, Rice was the biggest challenge for Stadium on Tuesday.

The Warriors’ offense operates through Rice, who finished the game with 15 points. Lloyd Wagner knew that Rice would get her shots, it was just a matter of making them contested. The Tigers did a good job of that, as she finished 4-for-20 from the field and 1-for-10 on three-point attempts.

Six of her 15 came at the free throw line, where she was 6-for-13.

“It’s just a matter of basic basketball fundamentals defensively,” Lloyd Wagner said of containing Rice. “Just to make her take tough, difficult shots.”

Stadium sophomore Vanessa Higgins talks about Clover Park guard Zykera Rice and getting the win tonight

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Stadium dominates third quarter

Rice picked up her fourth foul early in the second half, forcing her to sit on Clover Park’s bench. In the third quarter, Stadium outscored Clover Park 10-1.

Switching from zone defense to man-coverage was the catalyst in dominating the quarter, according to Lloyd Wagner.

“I think we just have a little bit more aggressive personality when we’re playing man versus the zone,” she said. “So when we can get into it, it usually does pretty good for us.”

Perhaps Stadium’s third quarter lead could have been larger if leading scorer Vanessa Higgins didn’t get into foul trouble herself. She scored five of Stadium’s 10 third-quarter points before heading to the bench less than halfway through the period.

“I just had to help my team out from the side [and] support as best as I could by not being in the game,” Higgins said.

She finished with 18 points and fouled out with 2:18 left in the game. Rice fouled out with 2:37 left.

Vanessa Higgins scores two of her 17 for Stadium. Tigers beat Clover Park 44-33 tonight

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