A stifling defensive performance unveiled by the Sammamish Totems girls basketball squad paid dividends against the Franklin Pierce Cardinals.

The Totems, who surrendered a meager 10 points in the first half of play, cruised to a 57-27 win against the Cardinals in a non-league contest on Jan. 3 in Bellevue.

Totems’ head coach Anna Forge was impressed with her team’s attention to detail on the defensive end of the floor. The Totems roster, which consists of seven sophomores in their second year on the varsity squad, continues to improve.

“We have a lot of speed since we got that new freshman class last year. We’ve just really been working on honing in our angles and looking at where we can shoot the gaps in terms of passing lanes,” Forge explained. “It is starting to click for us and is obviously paying off.”

The Totems improved their overall record to 7-6 courtesy of the win against Franklin Pierce.

“We’ve already doubled our wins from last year. I’m really proud of the girls and how much work and effort they’ve put in. They’ve really bought in this year and it’s showing. They are finishing games now. We’re just getting a lot better,” Forge said.

Forge said the Totems haven’t been to the Class 2A state tournament since 2015 and wants that to change.

“We got to get back to state. That is the goal. You see those banners over there?,” Forge said while motioning toward the east end of the gymnasium. “We’re looking to put some banners up there. That is what our long term goal is.”