WALLA WALLA, Wash. Casey Poe joined her fellow Whitman College senior art majors on the department's annual visit to New York City's museums last week, which meant that the preseason honorable mention all-American point guard missed the Blues' first three games of the season.
But Poe kept an eye on her team.
"I was at M.O.M.A.," Poe said, "switching back and forth between looking at art and watching the games on my phone."
Her view on Friday was closer and her attention undivided. With Poe switching venues from the Museum of Modern Art to Sherwood Athletic Center, Whitman rolled past Walla Walla University 81-42 on the first day of the 12th annual Kim Evanger Raney Memorial Classic.
"I'm so happy to be back," said Poe, who led all scorers with 21 points on 8-for-13 shooting. "I really missed the girls. I wanted to make sure I was in a groove with them, because I felt like I needed to catch up to their level."
In the Blues' third consecutive victory, Poe's perimeter perspicacity supplemented what is inexorably evolving into one of the top frontcourts in the region. Whitman's four most-experienced frontcourt players -- small forward
Sierra McGarity, power forwards
Maegen Martin and
Makana Stone, and post
Emily Rommel -- combined to make 21 of 26 shots, score 49 points, grab 20 rebounds and dish 11 assists.
"I think we have a really strong frontcourt," said Rommel, who had 12 points, four assists and a blocked shot. "We hope to keep that constant. It's nice to have several people we can rely on."
Once again, that ensemble includes Poe. She had three assists and three blocked shots and an enthusiastic welcome.
"It was nice to have her back," Whitman head coach
Michelle Ferenz said. "We're still down a couple of kids, but it's good she's back. She shot the ball well."
"This felt more like the whole squad," added Rommel. "It was a good opportunity to work as a team. We're still trying to figure out who we are. We're trying to emphasize passing, from all positions."
McGarity had five of the Blues' 21 assists. The bench accounted for seven. Many of Whitman's best looks resulted from interior collaborations, high post to low post or baseline to baseline, and meant easy, high-percentage looks. Stone was 8 for 9 and Martin 6 for 7 from the floor.
"We have very unselfish frontcourt people. They look for each other," Poe said. "They talk. They cut, they find each other, they run the floor."
Whitman's significant frontcourt advantage -- in skill, height and experience -- explained its 46-14 halftime lead. The Blues' top four bigs -- Rommel, Stone, McGarity and Martin -- combined for 36 points, 12 rebounds, seven assists and three steals over the first 20 minutes.
No one in the quartet missed more than one field goal attempt; combined, they were 15 for 17 from the floor.
The Blues cooled off in the second half after shooting 63 percent (19 of 30) in the first. Ferenz ladled minutes generously and experimented with defensive looks after halftime.
"We threw some new things out there that we've been working on," she said. "At times we played well, at times we didn't."
Carolina Montes scored 18 points and had six of the Wolves' 14 field goals as Walla Walla University (2-1) suffered its first loss of the season.
Whitman (3-1) hosts Evergreen State College at 4 p.m. Saturday to wrap up the Classic, its final home game of 2017.
