Full court pressure defense and hot shooting from Jessica Denmon, Meitra Smollack and Jasmine Chong have given the Oak Harbor girls basketball team two straight victories to open the 2006/07 season.

On Dec. 6, Smollack scored 16 points, including three from 3-point range, Chong had 12 and Denmon hit for 10 as the Wildcats picked up a 59-37 win on the road at Lynnwood.

In the first home game of the season Friday against Cascade, Denmon hit four 3-pointers and scored a total of 18 points, and Janay Baeyen had 14 as the Wildcats whipped the Bruins 56-38.

The first half of the game against Cascade was closely contested.

Oak Harbor held a 15-7 advantage after the first period of play and were up 26-21 at halftime.

Cascade narrowed the margin to just two points on a couple of occasions in the second period, but the Wildcats always seemed to come back with a key basket to increase the margin.

The Wildcats employed a pressure defense from nearly the beginning of the game and by the third quarter, the Bruins had worn down.

“I felt like in the second half we just got a little bit tougher and a little bit smarter,” Oak Harbor coach Brett McLeod said. “The baskets started falling and our defense started picking things up.”

The Wildcats outscored the Bruins 30-17 in the second half including a 10 point, 18-8, advantage in the fourth quarter.

“Our team did very well. We got some good assists and some good shots tonight,” Denmon, who is just a freshman, said.

“It was really awesome,” Smollack, who had eight points in the game, said. “I think this year we are coming together as a team. It’s not just one person doing everything, it’s the whole team and I think that is going to help us out a lot.”

Danica Russell scored eight points and Cori Hendricksen had four points coming in off the bench.

“We had some great play from our bench and our depth and conditioning really helped us tonight,” McLeod said.

Danielle Love led Cascade with 15 points.

The Wildcats return to action tonight, hosting Arlington in a 7 p.m. game.

Oak Harbor 56, Cascade 38

Cascade 7 14 9 8 — 38

Oak Harbor 15 11 12 18 — 56

Cascade (38) — Love 7 0-4 15, Condotta 2 0-0 4, Gross 3 2-4 8, Morris 1 0-0 2, Nelson 1 1-4 3, Shattuck 0 0-1 0, Eslick 1 0-2 2, Hayden 1 0-2 2, Molenda 0 0-0 0, Joyce 1 0-0 2. Totals 17 3-17 38.

Oak Harbor (58) — Denmon 7 0-2 18, Baeyen 5 2-2 14, Thiel 1 0-2 2, Russell 2 4-8 8, Smollack 4 0-0 8, Chong 1 0-0 2, Hendricksen 2 0-0 4, Smith 0 0-0 0, Jackson 0 0-0 0, Cooper 0 0-0 0. Totals 22 6-14 56.

Three-point goals — Cascade 1 (Love); Oak Harbor 6 (Denmon 4, Baeyen 2).