Senator Maralyn Chase named Legislator of the Year by King County water and sewer districts

Tuesday, December 27, 2011

Senator Chase, third from right, being named Legislator of the Year
by representatives of King County water and sewer districts


Senator Maralyn Chase has been presented with the "Legislator of the Year Award" by the Washington Association of Water and Sewer Districts, Section Four, which represents the 33 independent water and sewer districts serving King County residents.

According to a Ronald spokesperson, the Senator was recognized for her efforts to "protect the citizens' right to vote on matters that directly affect their communities. Of particular note were Chase's efforts to ensure that the citizens in the City of Shoreline retain their right to vote on whether their city should purchase, own, and operate a water utility." 
"Special purposes districts are a demonstration of democracy," the Senator stated to the elected official gathered at the Ronald Wastewater District office. 
"Because of Senator Chase's clear understanding of the issue, and her strong advocacy of the peoples' right to vote on local government actions that may significantly impact their utility rates, the citizens of Shoreline will have a say in whether they want to take on millions in dollars of debt to buy a water system," said Shoreline Water District Commissioner Ron Ricker. 
According to Ronald Wastewater District Commissioner Arnold Lind, "Senator Chase is tireless in her efforts to protect the rate payer. She is being recognized for supporting an open and transparent process regarding utilities.

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Shorecrest wrestlers to compete at Eastside Catholic High School tournament Friday after placing 13th among 15 teams at Mount Baker tournament

The Shorecrest wrestling team competes in the Eastside Catholic High School Invitational tournament Friday after placing 13th among 15 teams in a tournament at Mount Baker High School Wednesday, December 21.

Gus Compton Invitational, Wednesday, December 21
At Mount Baker High School

Team scores — 1-Mount Baker 282, 2-Sedro-Wooley 214.5, 3-Meridian 117, 4-Glacier Peak 108.5, 5-Lakewood 103, 6-Forks 100, 7-Sultan 91, 8t-Arlington 89, 8t-Nooksack Valley 89, 10-Aberdeen 82, 11-Tenino 48, 12-La Conner 41, 13-Shorecrest 35, 14-Concrete 30, 15-Friday Harbor 20.


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WeatherWatcher: Power blinked and wind is coming

Another power glitch as the lights went out for about 30 seconds, then came back on around 6pm on Tuesday.. From what I've figured so far from people I've talked to, this effected the whole north end of Shoreline. I suspect it was City Light transferring the load back to the original mains that got damaged on Christmas Day.

The National Weather Service in Seattle issued a Wind Advisory at 2:55pm Tuesday afternoon. The advisory is in effect from 6 PM, December 27th, 2011 until 4 AM the next morning December 28, 2011. 

This advisory covers all of the Puget Sound Lowlands, including Shoreline, and Lake Forest Park. Winds are expected to pick up out of the south to southeast after 6pm tonight, and peak between 10pm and 2am. Winds are expected to be sustained between 20-35mph with gusts up to 50mph. This appears to be rivaling the Christmas day winds.

A wind advisory is issued when sustained winds of 30 - 39mph or gusts of 45 - 57mph are likely. Winds this strong can snap small branches, cause local power outages, and knock over small, shallow rooted, unhealthy, or dead trees.

It may not hurt to secure any loose belongings or decorations on personal properties. Stay safe!

For updates on advisories, warnings, watches, and any other weather related information, follow me on Twitter at SWeatherWatcher, or go check out my blog at Carls Shoreline Weather Blog.


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Surf's up at Richmond Beach

Or at least it was up on Christmas Day, when Jan Hansen took this photo during the wind storm. The Edmonds-Kingston ferry managed to make its runs, but very cautiously. There were no reports of actual surfers.

Surf's Up - Photo by Jan Hansen

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Stories from the Christmas Day wind storm

Clearly, some areas had more drama than others during the Christmas Day wind storm. Here are a couple of comments we have received. What's your story?

What was mild about the wind?
Exactly what was mild about wind? Gusts were 50 MPH down at Richmond Beach and in Shoreview Park there were huge gusts and it was howling. The storm was short, but in no way was it mild, it was as strong as gusts I've walked through on the Washington Coast during winter storm watches.

Tall trees were bending
The area west of Meridian between 200th and 205th had power out for ~5 hours yesterday as well. A part of a tree fell on a fence in a neighbor's yard = no more fence. Nobody was home at the time. First, cable TV goes out. A couple of minutes later, a scary, powerful (unprecedented) whoosh of wind, tall trees bending ~30%, 2 minutes or so later, a lesser gust, 2 minutes or so later, a lesser gust, power goes out, then it attempts to go back out, high pitched sound, cut off.

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Shorecrest girls take undefeated record into Tuesday home game with Edmonds-Woodway after 51-36 victory over Meadowdale Dec. 22

The Shorecrest girls' basketball team takes its undefeated record into a Tuesday home game with Edmonds-Woodway after a 51-36 home victory over Meadowdale Thursday, Dec. 22.

Shorecrest takes an 8-0 overall record (5-0 Wesco 3A) into the 5:30 p.m. game with Edmonds-Woodway (4-4 overall, 2-2 Wesco 4A South). Junior varsity teams from the two schools meet at 3:40.

In Shorecrest’s 51-36 victory over Meadowdale, the Scots led 14-9 after the first quarter, 26-21 at halftime and 38-25 after three quarters before easing to victory in the final period. Senior India Matheson led Shorecrest with 17 points, followed by fellow senior Bri Lasconia with 13. The Shorecrest junior varsity lost to Meadowdale, 66-32.

For the season, Lasconia leads the Scots with 108 points in eight games for an average of 13.5 points per game. 

Shorecrest 51, Meadowdale 36
At Shorecrest High School, Thursday, Dec. 22

 
Meadowdale-    9 12   4 11 -- 36
Shorecrest-      14 12 12 13 -- 51

Shorecrest Scoring
Points
Onyie Chibuogwu
7
Allison Jones
5
Janie Uppinghouse
4
Annie Schlachter
3
Mickey Greenburg
2
India Matheson
17
Brianne Lasconia
13
Kathryn Lindsey
0
Haley Magaoay
0
Keegan Monson
0
Lindsey Shattuck
0
Shorecrest Season Scoring:
Player

Games

Points

P/G
Brianne Lasconia

8
108
13.5
India Matheson

8
106
13.3
Onyie Chibuogwu

8
72
9.0
Janie Uppinghouse

8
68
8.5
Mickey Greenburg

8
23
2.9
Annie Schlachter

7
17
2.4
Allison Jones

7
16
2.3
Keegan Monson

8
12
1.5
Lindsey Shattuck

7
7
1.0
Haley Magaoay

4
2
0.5
Kathryn Lindsey

6
1
0.2


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Clearing out stuff after Christmas

Scrabble tile jewelry
from SandisLists
We all get those presents - and sometimes we're the ones giving them. Pink dishrags with peace symbols - eyesore or whimsey - it's in the eye of the beholder.

If your eyes are not ready to behold pink dishrags on a daily basis, Goodwill has a donation bin for you. It is located behind the Goodwill store at 14500 15th Avenue NE and the hours are Monday - Saturday: 8:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m. and Sunday: 9:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.

There are pick up locations for other organizations that help people as Goodwill does. 

Deseret Industries at 17935 Aurora Avenue North in Shoreline. 206-542-9447. If you have a bag or two you can leave it with a clerk at the front counter. If you have a car load, drive in from Aurora, go behind the building and back up to the loading dock.

St. Vincent de Paul used to have a truck in the Shoreline Park 'n Ride at 192nd and Aurora.

Remember that these organizations doesn't have the capacity to handle things that are torn, stained, broken, or dirty. For that, join Freecycle and confess the imperfections in your offer. Chances are your object will find someone who doesn't mind cleaning or repairing.

Freecycle North King County has almost 3,000 members.  The goal of Freecycle is to "rehome" unwanted items and keep them out of the landfill.  You offer an item to the mailing list, people tell you they want the item and you arrange for them to come pick it up.  It's almost like having someone clean your garage for you.



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Book Review by Aarene Storms: Bluefish

By Aarene Storms,
Youth Services Librarian
Richmond Beach Library, KCLS

Bluefish by Pat Schmatz

Travis is a loner at a new school in a new town. He figures it will be like the old place, except the old place had his dog Rosco and this place doesn't. To his surprise, the new school has a few things the old one didn't have, including a smart, loud-mouthed girl called Velveeta and a reading teacher who is not going to give up on Travis.

Read this book for the wonderful, complex characters and the complex relationships between each of them...and be ready to cheer in triumph at for at least one of them.

As Travis' grandpa would say, "no sex, no drugs. Only rock 'n roll." This book doesn't need any more than that!

Highly recommended for grades 6 and up.
The events may not have happened; still, the story is true. --R. Silvern


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Shorewood swimmer, Shorecrest diver, two Shorewood relay teams win spots on all-Wesco-3A girls’ swimming team

Shorewood swimmer Annika Stenfjord, Shorecrest diver Domonique Griffin and two Shorewood relay teams have won spots on the all-Wesco-3A team.

Stenfjord joined with teammates Alicia Hovorson, Megan Ransom and Anni Hecker on the all-Wesco-3A 200-yard relay team, and Stenfjord, Ransom and Hecker joined Nicola Gerbino on the 400-yard relay team. 

Shorewood finished fifth in the State 3A 200-yard freestyle relay in November and sixth in the 400 relay.



All-Wesco-3A Girls’ Swimming First Team


200-yard Freestyle: Annika Stenfjord, Jr. Shorewood
500 Free: Christenson, Sr. Glacier Peak
200 individual medley: Ciara Hu, Sr. Oak Harbor
100 Backstroke: Wunderlick, Jr. Glacier Peak
50 Free: Keane, So. Meadowdale
100 Free: Keane, Meadowdale
100 Butterfly: Ciara Hu, Oak Harbor

100 Breaststroke: Christenson, Sr. Glacier Peak

Diving: Domonique Griffin, Jr. Shorecrest

200 Free Relay: Shorewood (Stenfjord; Alicia Hoverson, Sr.; Megan Ransom, Jr.; Anni Hecker, Jr.)
200 Medley Relay: Glacier Peak (Wunderlick; Christenson; Cooley; Russell)
400 Free Relay: Shorewood (Stenfjord; Ransom; Nicola Gerbino, Fr.; Hecker)



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WeatherWatcher: Christmas Day storm signals end of dry spell

December 26th 2011, 4:00 pm. Included today:

  • Christmas Day wind event
  • End of our December dry spell
  • Next week's outlook
  • Weekly weather data

Highlights:

  • Christmas Day, December 25th: We had a strong frontal system move through. The national weather service may have been on vacation, and didn't realize they needed to issue a wind advisory until it was already here.

A wind advisory was issued at 11:53 AM, Christmas day, right at about the peak of the wind event. The strongest gusts recorded in Shoreline were at the Central Market station and at the Shorecrest High School station, both recording a peak wind gust of 37mph. 

Home Education Exchange center (formally known as the North City ES weather station) was down due to the power outage during the storm. Most of the north half of Shoreline was without power Christmas Day. Power in the North Ridge/Echo Lake neighborhood went out at 11:54 AM, and was restored around 3:00PM, with the exception of more localized areas. My weather station located in North Ridge was also without power. Backup batteries allowed for data collection until about 1PM, before those went dead. Other area wind gusts recorded outside of Shoreline were between 50-60mph, mostly Downtown Seattle and south.

  • Christmas day wind/rain signals the end of our dry spell, as I previously discussed in my ENSO status and outlook (see previous article)
  • Next week's outlook:

We will be bombarded by a series of storms, almost a storm a day for the next 5-10 days. Several wind events are likely similar to the one on Christmas Day. National Weather Service has in fact already issued a wind advisory for the northwest interior for tonight through Tuesday morning, Edmonds is under that advisory, however Shoreline and Lake Forest Park are not. Given that we are on the border of that advisory, I suspect we will see possible damaging winds again tonight, especially on exposed bluffs along the shorelines, especially the Richmond Beach area.

Weather data for December 17th - 23rd:

  • High temperature: 48.7°F (Saturday)
  • Low temperature: 26.4°F (Thursday)
  • Rainiest day: 0.16 inches (Sunday)
  • Total rainfall: 0.20 inches
  • Warmest day: 42.4°F (Friday)
  • Coldest day: 32.8°F (Thursday)
  • Average temperature: 39.3°F

Warmest and coldest days are based on average temperature of the entire day, starting at midnight. All other averages are based on the whole week. All weather data unless otherwise noted is sourced from Carl's Shoreline Weather Station.
Twitter: SWeatherWatcher

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Photos requested for "King Tides"

Monday, December 26, 2011

According to our News Partner KING 5, King Tide is the term for unusually high tides which occur 
"when the sun and moon’s gravitational pull reinforce one another. The Washington state Department of Ecology says the tides 'offer a glimpse of how rising sea levels from global climate change could affect the state’s coastal areas.'"
The Department of Ecology is asking for people to share their photos documenting these tides. 

They offer the following tips for taking photos:
  • To better illustrate the impacts of the high winter tides, we recommend taking photos in areas where the high water levels can be gauged against familiar landmarks such as sea walls, jetties, bridge supports, dikes, buildings, roads or other infrastructure.
  • Please do not include people in your photos
All the information is on their website.

Here is the schedule for King Tides in Puget Sound
  • December 27th - 8:00 am – 8:15 am
  • December 28th - 8:00 am – 8: 45 am
  • December 29th - 8:00 am – 9:00 am
  • January 13th - 8:00 am – 8:45 am
  • January 14th - 8:00 am – 9:15 am
  • January 15th -8:30 am – 10:00 am
  • January 16th - 9:00 am – 10:30 am
  • January 17th - 9:30 am – 11:30 am
Please send a copy of your photo to the ShorelineAreaNews for publication.  Identify where your photo was taken.  It does not have to be in Shoreline, as long as the photographer lives in Shoreline, Lake Forest Park, Kenmore, Mountlake Terrace, Edmonds, or Lynnwood.  (Address and contact info requested).


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Another fire in Ridgecrest

Shoreline Fire fighting fire on second floor of Ridgecrest  townhome
Photo by Carl Dinse

By Patty Hale

Monday evening December 26, 2011 about 8:00 pm, the Shoreline Fire Department responded to another fire in the Ridgecrest Neighborhood. (see previous story)

The ladder truck was able to connect directly to the fire area
Photo by Patty Hale

A bookcase went up in flames while residents of a townhome located in the 600 block of NE 165th were entertaining guests for dinner. The newer building had a fire suppressing sprinkler system, as called for in City of Shoreline building codes. It went off just like it is supposed to.

Fire personnel stated "We have never had a fatality in a building that has a sprinkler system."

Shoreline Firefighter at Ridgecrest fire
Photo by Patty Hale

The dinner guests, residents and cat all escaped unharmed, but extensive clean-up will be required due to water damage.

And while the sprinkler system may have dampened the flames, it didn't dampen the spirit of the holiday season.

The lights on the Christmas tree in the front window are still aglow.

Lights are still aglow on the Christmas Tree
Photo by Patty Hale



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No mail delivery on Monday

Post offices are closed today, Monday, December 26, 2011 observing the Christmas holiday.

Same situation next Monday, January 2, 2012, observing New Year's Day.

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Shorewood Culinary Arts dinner with guest chef Peter Levine, January 26 at Shorewood


For more information, see the Shorewood Culinary Arts webpage

For reservations for this dinner, contact Elspeth Payton
Be advised that tickets sell quickly.

The dinners are planned and supervised by the guest chef, assisted by Shorewood Culinary Arts students. Proceeds help fund the Culinary Arts program.




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All power restored in Shoreline, LFP

According to Seattle City Light, Seattle City Light crews restored service to the last customers affected by Christmas Day’s windstorm by 2:30 a.m. today, December 26.

Seattle City Light experienced multiple outages throughout its service territory, starting about 11:15 a.m. yesterday, December 25, when a cold front moved through the area causing wind gusts of 50 mph. At the peak of the windstorm approximately 18,000 customers were without power.



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Christmas Day wind storm and power outages

Two downed lines on 15th NE
Photo by Steven H. Robinson

Area residents preparing for Christmas Day were startled when a mild wind storm with gusty winds was followed by flickering lights and a power outage just before noon on December 25, 2011.

In a wind storm that moved from south to north, bringing down branches and trees, over 17,000 Seattle City Light customers in King County lost power. Those in south King county had shorter outages, from one to five hours, but Shoreline and Lake Forest Park residents were in for a longer siege.

In a scene more reminiscent of past Thanksgiving days, Christmas dinner plans were revised, scrapped, postponed, and transferred to homes with power. Church services were postponed.  Morning services had some dramatic moments. One minister had just proclaimed from the pulpit that he was going to do something spectacular - when the power went out.  

At the worst of the outages, 18,000 customers were without power. By 4 pm, that number was down to 4,000, most in Shoreline.

Power outage in the Ridgecrest Neighborhood Christmas Day December 25th about 11:45am.
Taping off the area to keep pedestrians from harm
Photo by Steven H. Robinson

Police block the lane so crews can work.
15th NE between NE 163rd and 165th.
Photo by Steven H. Robinson

In a major line on 15th NE by Hamlin Park, damaged by tree limbs, police and fire fighters had to divert traffic while lines were restored. The work was done by about 6 pm, about an hour after the surrounding area had power restored.

Tree fall. Photo by Carl Dinse.

A tree came down on this home in north Shoreline.  Most of the damage is in the rear.  Owners were not home at the time, so no one was hurt.

By 7pm the total number of county outages was 4,000, with most still in Shoreline.

9:30pm City Light map of most power outages

On this map, captured at 9:30pm, the major power outages are shown in red, but there were four other places with small outages:
  • 15th NW south of Richmond Beach Road - 1am 12-26
  • Firlands Way at N 196th - 2am 12-26
  • About 28th NE and NE 179th Ct - 1am 12-26
  • Beach Drive NE at about NE 159th



11:15pm map of City Light power outages.

By 11:15pm, there are 13 separate outages affecting 502 customers, most all in the Meridian Park neighborhood.

For future power outages, call or check online:






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Christmas Lights on the fence

Saturday, December 24, 2011

North City fence on N 168th - Photo by Jerry Pickard

The fence says it all - Merry Christmas everyone!

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Christmas Lights - N 169th

Photo by Jerry Pickard

Jerry Pickard found this brightly lighted home in North City on N 169th.

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December Shorewood Swing dance and jazz performance a smashing success

Updated 12-30-2011 11:28pm

Photo by Dance-It!

The Shorewood Big Band Dance held at Shoreline Community College on Friday December 9, 2011 was a smashing success!

The Shorewood Jazz Band, directed by Dave Johnson. Photo by Dance-It!

The event featured swing jazz music performed by the Shorewood and Einstein jazz bands, as well as SCC Jazz trio. 

Photo by Dance-It!
The dance sold out again with over 300 guests swing dancing and enjoying the music. Dance-It! Instructors provided lessons to the crowd.

Photo by Dance-It!

The event raised funds for the Shorewood Jazz band students so that they can attend the Fullerton California Jazz festival and Disneyland in March, as well as other regional jazz festivals this year.

SCC Jazz Trio. Photo by Dance-It!

Shorewood High School Bands are under the direction of Dave Johnson, Einstein Middle School Band director is Frank Halferty, and Shoreline Community College Professor of Music is Doug Reid.




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State Board of Education elects two new members

State Superintendent of Public Instruction Randy Dorn announced the winners of two State Board of Education elections.

The winner for Western Position 3 was Kevin Laverty. 

For Eastern Region Position 1, no candidate received more than 50 percent plus one of the total votes cast in the initial election. In a runoff election in early December, Cynthia McMullen defeated Steve Dal Porto.

Both elected board members will begin their terms January 9, 2012.

The Washington State Board of Education is responsible for strategic oversight of the public K-12 system. It meets regularly to explore policy implications for schools, to advocate for best practices, to engage the public in discourse about the state education system, and to anticipate future challenges that lie ahead and provide strategies for how those challenges might be met.

The board is composed of 16 members:
  • two members from the eastern region of the state, elected by public school directors;
  • three members from the western region, elected by public school directors;
  • one member, at large, elected by approved private schools;
  • the superintendent of public instruction;
  • seven members appointed by the governor; and
  • two student representatives selected by the state board itself.


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Playful Geometry exhibit at Gallery at Towne Centre

The Gallery at Towne Centre Presents:
Playful Geometry
Featuring artwork by Joan Keith and Ellen Witebsky
January 3 – February 18, 2012

Winter’s short days can be dark and dreary; what better way to brighten your world than with art? “Playful Geometry,” opening January 3 at The Gallery at Town Center, will be the Gallery’s first show of the new year, and features the whimsical, colorful and bold works of Joan Keith (painting) and Ellen Witebsky (photography).

Witebsky’s series, “A Playful Nature,” invites viewers to see the familiar from a new perspective, and explores our compulsion to make changes to the natural world and the objects in it.

Keith’s pieces inspire imagination, with their simple shapes and pure colors speaking to our primitive nature.
Whether your aim is to purchase or simply to view these dramatic works on display, we hope you’ll come by! The new exhibit runs January 3 to February 18, 2012, alongside our enticing array of ongoing works on sale from eighty local artists.

The Gallery, operated by the Shoreline-Lake Forest Park Arts Council, is located on the inside lower level of the Lake Forest Park Towne Centre, 17171 Bothell Way NE, Lake Forest Park, WA 98155. Hours are 12 to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. 

Chard - by Ellen Witebsky

"While I consider myself a serious photographer and digital artist (I am a 2007 graduate of the Photographic Center Northwest), I love quirky. I want my art, above all, to make people – including me – smile. Sometimes my sense of quirkiness is reflected in the subjects that I photograph. Sometimes it’s in the angles and perspectives from which I capture them. And, sometimes – as in A Playful Nature – I engineer it into my images. But, for all their quirkiness, my images never lose their beauty, their sensuousness, their pure esthetic. My art reflects not only how I see the world, but who I am."


Dreams Are Toys II - by Joan Keith

Joan Keith
"I delight in painting geometric shapes with bright colors. I strive to work these elements into a rhythmic dance with animation, balance, and harmony. Pure color and geometric shapes, I believe, can speak to our primitive side, inspiring spiritual and intellectual thought, yet evoking simple playfulness."


The Shoreline-Lake Forest Park Arts Council is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization whose mission is to nurture all of the arts in the community through programs and events, arts education, advocacy, and support for artists and arts organizations. Proceeds from the Gallery at Town Center help fund these programs and events.




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Shorewood boys take 6-1 record into holiday break following 60-51 home victory over Glacier Peak Thursday

Shorewood guard Gage Carroll drives the lane and drops in a soft lay in against Glacier Peak defenders.
Photo by Wayne Pridemore.  See more game photos by Wayne Pridemore.


The Shorewood boys’ basketball team takes a 6-1 overall record (5-1 Wesco 3A) into its holiday break after a 60-51 victory over Glacier Peak Thursday.

Shorewood returns to play in a tournament in Arizona, Tuesday through Thursday, December 27-29, 2011 before returning to Wesco 3A play January 3. 2012 with a game at Meadowdale.

In Shorewood’s 60-51 home victory over Glacier Peak, the Thunderbirds trailed 17-14 after the first quarter but took a 27-22 lead at halftime, 44-37 after three quarters and 60-51 at the end.
Junior center Josh Hawkinson led the Thunderbirds with 18 points.

Hawkinson has scored 97 points in five games for an average of 19.4 points per game, 

Shorewood 60, Glacier Peak 51
At Shorewood High School, Thursday, Dec. 22

Glacier Peak    17  5 14 15 -- 51
Shorewood      14 13 17 16 -- 60



Shorewood Scoring


Points

Semir Kadiric
8

Yonathan Michael
4

Taylor Freeman
3

Josh Hawkinson
18

Gage Carroll
14

Ben Andrews
12

Chris Giles
1


Shorewood Season Scoring:
Player

Games
Points
P/G
Josh Hawkinson

5
97
19.4
Ben Andrews

7
91
13.0
Gage Carroll

7
82
11.7
Semir Kadiric

7
73
10.4
Taylor Freeman

7
34
4.9
Yonathan Michael

6
12
2.0
Phil Mar

5
9
1.8
Zane Hopen

6
9
1.5
Levi Diaz

5
5
1.0
Chris Giles

6
5
0.8
Anxhelos Pere

5
4
0.8




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