Lauren Jackson, Storm keep up Emerald City hoops hype

By Jayda Evans | Seattle Times • Published July 04, 2008

Just call Lauren Jackson a woman possessed.

Saddened by news that Seattle’s other pro basketball team, the Sonics, are relocating after 41 years, the Storm All-Star kept the hoops electricity high in Seattle as she led the Storm to a 84-71 win against New York at KeyArena.

Clay Bennett, the self-proclaimed "man possessed," began relocating the Sonics to his native Oklahoma City on Thursday. He sold the Storm to local ownership in January.

"I actually felt like fighting it out to bloody play well and get the win," Jackson said. "You sort of get in that mood, and nothing can really stop you."

Jackson has struggled lately, shooting below 30 percent from three-point range and averaging a modest 18.9 points after leading the league in scoring last season (23.5).

The two-time MVP had a discussion about her game with coach Brian Agler last week, and the two decided she needed to return to her signature inside game to rebuild her confidence. The strategy worked as Jackson drove to the basket and took dump passes from guard Sue Bird for a game-leading 12 points in the opening quarter.

By the final buzzer, Jackson, a 6-foot-5 power forward, scored a season-high 33 points and had seven rebounds as the Storm improved to 9-1 at home. Seattle (10-7) hosts Minnesota (9-8) on Saturday.

"She’s great down there," said Bird, who got into the offensive flow in the second half with the pick-and-roll and finished with a season-high 23 points. "You could kind of see (New York) deciding what they were going to give up."

Bird’s contributions meant Jackson, who was named to her Australian Olympic team Thursday, didn’t have to carry the team alone - though she clearly dominated.

Liberty forward Shameka Christon said her team’s failure was in its defense.

"Defense is all about you wanting to stop a player more than they want to score," she said. "They wanted to score more. I’m not taking anything away from them, but we could’ve been a lot better on defense. We just were not there."

The Storm sought redemption for a 14-point loss suffered in New York (8-8) in June. Seattle could only score six points in the opening quarter then and crumbled under the young Liberty’s aggressive, full-court press.

A different Seattle team hit the cushy KeyArena court, however.

The Storm only briefly allowed the Liberty within single digits of its lead when Christon nailed a three-pointer over center Yolanda Griffith to make the score 74-67 with 3:40 remaining in the game.

NOTE

-Storm forward Swin Cash was notified that she would not be named to the U.S. Olympic team. Cash, a 2004 Olympian, tried to make an impression this season after injuries and coaching conflicts caused scattered production while playing for Detroit the past two years.