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'Dogs run wild

North Mason beat East Jefferson on Monday

North Mason junior Adrianne Tupolo scored 35 points to lead the Bulldogs to a 54-38 win against Shelton in the girls basketball version of the Mason County Cup on Dec. 1 at the Mini-Dome in Shelton.

Coming off the Bulldogs' first appearance in districts in more than a decade, North Mason head coach Alex Fitzhugh said the game was "everything we could have asked for."

"We've got a bunch of new girls so just keeping the ball rolling from last year's success," Fitzhugh said. "I think this is the third year in a row we won the rivalry so we're just trying to keep up the success and make everybody proud in this small town."

Adrianne has been working on her game in the offseason and it showed in the opening game of the season, almost outscoring Shelton by herself.

"She's probably one of the best fast break, transition players that I've been able to coach and so when we just generate steals, it's almost impossible to stop her on a fast-break," Fitzhugh said. "Those fast break points are her bread and butter. It's crazy to think that she's only a junior in high school with the success she had last year. This year, she just gets better and better. She's using her left hand this year, once you think that she's going to reach her potential, she just keeps on going so we're working on the left this year, working on jump stops, bounce passes, things like that to try to develop her game."

The rest of the Bulldogs gained experience last year along with some of the new players that joined the team.

North Mason defeated East Jefferson 38-27 on Monday in a nonleague game in Belfair.

Fitzhugh said he's excited about the season after summer basketball. The Bulldogs lost to North Kitsap in the summer league, but North Kitsap barely defeated the Shelton team that North Mason handled with ease.

"If you're looking at it from this team beat that team and points-wise, I think the only teams that are going to stand in our way are Port Angeles in the Olympic League," Fitzhugh said.

Fitzhugh said he appreciated the opportunity to coach this team "as a kid from Los Angeles being welcomed by the community and having some success in a sport at a small school."

"It's awesome," Fitzhugh said.

North Mason (2-0) plays Kingston at 7 tonight in Kingston in the opening Olympic League game of the season. The Bulldogs will welcome a big test to Belfair on Tuesday, hosting Port Angeles at 7 p.m. in Belfair for a league contest.

Author Bio

Matt Baide, Reporter

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Shelton-Mason County Journal & Belfair Herald
Email: [email protected]

 

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