La Conner Weekly News - Your independent hometown award-winning newspaper

They have height. They have length.

Now the La Conner High Lady Braves are building depth.

And that depth was on display in a big way when La Conner swept back-to-back games at Landy James Gym last weekend.

Joanie Benson and Kayla Hagen each made important contributions off the bench as the Lady Braves routed Concrete 61-37 on Friday and romped past Sultan 56-29 Saturday night.

Benson scored a game-high 19 points, shooting five-of-nine from behind the three-point arc, while Hagen led the victors with four steals to go along with two points in the NW2B win over Concrete.

Benson added 10 points, including a pair of treys, and Hagen chalked up three assists in La Conner’s non-conference triumph against Sultan.

“We’ve been developing some really good depth,” La Conner head coach Scott Novak told La Conner Weekly News afterward. “We’ve been getting some great contributions off the bench. It’s so nice to be able to go the bench and keep things going.”

Biruktawit Hasenbalg also drew praise from Novak.

“She’s been playing real well off the bench,” he said. “Biruktawit, Kayla, and Joanie are all having good years for us.”

Pretty much everyone, in fact, is having a good year for the Lady Braves, who improved to 5-1 going into this week’s play.

Senior post Ashley Watkins, a strong presence in the paint, joined Benson in double figures for La Conner in the Concrete game. She finished with 11 points, while also pulling down nine rebounds and passing off five assists.

Matty Lagerwey added nine points for the Lady Braves and, like Benson and Nakiya Edwards, extended the Concrete defense with jumpers behind the trey line.

Ditto Nakesha Edwards. She totaled eight points and drained a pair of treys.

The Lady Lions were led by Jaycelyn Kuipers, who netted a game-high 21 points.

But Kuipers and Concrete suffered through a third period that saw the visitors manage just three points. By then, the Lady Braves had opened up a comfy 38-20 lead.

La Conner benefitted from balanced scoring in the Sultan game, as well.

Nakiya Edwards had 21 points, all but six coming from three-point range.

Justine Benson and Joanie Benson scored 10 points apiece, with Watkins adding another nine.

La Conner bolted to an early 19-8 lead and never looked back.

As for looking ahead, the Lady Braves are eyeing today’s, Wednesday’s, 4 p.m. home tipoff with undefeated Orcas, which is 4-0.

La Conner resumes action Dec. 29 and 30 at the Port Townsend Invitational Tournament.