Ilwaco freshman guard Taylor Morrison (10) intercepts a pass from Fort Vancouver before leading another breakaway. "Taylor and Sophia play the top of our zone and it’s intended with her speed to get some breakaway lay-in attempts," said head coach Ned Bittner.

ILWACO — By her fourth breakaway of the first period, Ilwaco guard Taylor Morrison (10) had nobody in her path as she glided to the hoop for a layup, a trio of exasperated Fort Vancouver defenders trailing several steps behind, too far to contest her shot.

It would end up being an early night for the speedy freshman, who scored seemingly at will along with teammates Sophia Bittner (3), Ana Petry (34) and Nora Soule (4) as Ilwaco (2-2) opened a 37-3 first-half lead over visiting Fort Vancouver (1-4), where the Lady Fishermen ultimately cruised to a 55-31 non-league win over the Trappers.

Lady Fishermen start fast

Originally scheduled for a 6 p.m. tip, the game was delayed by about an hour as the visiting team arrived late on their two-hour drive from Vancouver. It wasn’t immediately clear if it was a scheduling error or if the Trappers got trapped in traffic, however they found themselves facing a hungry home team that was aggressive and ready to play from the opening tip.

Only minutes into the game, Morrison was well on her way to a double-double after dropping in her third breakaway steal and layup, giving the Lady Fishermen an early 19-3 advantage over the Trappers, who compete in the 1A Trico League.

Over the next eight minutes, it somehow got worse for the hapless Trappers, who were competitive in the their four opening games, including a 31-24 win over Hudson’s Bay. Ilwaco held Fort Vancouver scoreless in the second period, as other Lady Fishermen began to chip in, including junior Sophia Bittner (3) and sophomore Nora Soule (4), who scored the final four points of the half to give Ilwaco a staggering 37-3 advantage.

“The girls definitely came out ready to go,” said Ilwaco head coach Ned Bittner, who watched his team even their overall season record at 2-2 after narrow losses to Mossyrock (42-39) and Naselle (65-59) earlier in the week, followed by a win at Wahkiakum (45-42).

“I was concerned with three games in one week and having to wait an hour until Fort Vancouver showed up, but the girls handled things well.”

Overall Bittner was pleased with how the team has bounced back from an 0-2 start.

“All the girls have improved a ton this past week,” he said. “Taylor and Sophia play the top of our zone and it’s intended with her speed to get some breakaway lay-in attempts. The girls do a good job of finding her in transition. Ana and Nora do a great job rebounding and getting outlets to Sophia and Taylor to get the break going. We will take the 2-2 start in the early season, as the two losses were by three and six points.”

The Lady Fishermen will have a few days to rest before their next game, when they host Warrenton (0-3) on Dec. 21.

“We have also had a couple girls out the last two games, so our rotation has been cut short,” Bittner said. “Luckily we don’t play until the 21st at home against Warrenton.”