State 1A girls: Lakeside features classic sisterhood

The sister act is performing to rave reviews at Lakeside (Nine Mile Falls) High School.

The next stop: the Yakima Valley SunDome, where the Eagles girls basketball team will try to steal the show at the State 1A tournament.

The Lakeside roster includes three pairs of sisters, all of whom get into the act for one of the most dominant prep teams in the region. The Eagles are 22-1 and ranked third in the state going into today’s quarterfinal game against Lynden Christian.

And why not? At Lakeside, families that play together, win together.

“The chemistry is nice, on and off the court,” coach Jeff Pietz said. “The sisters, they also embrace the other kids into that family atmosphere.”

The Eagles’ stat sheet shows balance: Seven players average at least four points a game.

The headliner is still senior forward Jocelyn Cook-Cox, a four-year starter who leads the Eagles in points (12.8) and rebounds (6.0), but the sisters form a stellar supporting act:

• Junior guard Shaye Swannack averages 7.2 points and has 52 assists, while her younger sister Sienna, a freshman, is the second-leading scorer with 7.8 a game and also has 69 steals. They’re the daughters of former Reardan coach Bob Swannack.

“She’s worked hard to improve her game,” Pietz said of Shaye Swannack, the Eagles’ starting point guard for three seasons. And Sienna? “We knew that she was good, but she’s really stepped up and proved her worth,” Pietz said.

• Senior forward Stefanie Marikis averages 4.2 points, 3.6 rebounds and her sister Sonja, a sophomore is scoring 5.3 points a game. “Stephanie goes all the little things to help us, and Sonja’s been a big contributor all year long,” Pietz said.

• Senior starting forward Jackie Mahowald, a state triple jump champion, averages 2.7 points and 3.7 rebounds per game. Her sister Joelle, a sophomore, looks to be a future star on a team that has four senior starters.

Besides the sisters, other key players are guards Kelsey Jones (6 points a game and 47 steals), Lindy Jacobson (6.5 points) and Callie Best (53 steals), who has signed to play soccer next year for Gonzaga.