Montesano stumbled in its first-round game of the 1A State Tournament, going ice cold from the floor in a 51-37 loss to King’s (Seattle) on Saturday at Tumwater High School.
The fourth-seeded Bulldogs (19-5 overall) never found an offensive rhythm in going scoreless for just over three minutes of the opening frame to trail 13-9 after one quarter of play.
Monte trailed by as much as 20-9 early in the second before freshman forward Evanjillie “Jillie” Dalan scored in the paint off an assist from senior guard Maia Young to cut the Knights’ lead to 20-11 with 4:35 to go in the half.
But in a theme that was prevalent throughout the game, when Monte attempted a run, King’s responded.
Knights freshman guard Kaleo Anderson responded with a pull-up jump shot on the next possession and Monte would never get closer than nine points as King’s took a 24-14 lead at halftime.
“I thought early on we weren’t looking inside and when we did, we didn’t make shots,” Montesano head coach Mark Mansfield said. “It seemed like we got kind of in a hurry.”
In the second half, Montesano’s shooting woes continued.
The Bulldogs trailed 31-14 after a King’s 7-0 run to start the half before finding some much-needed offense later in the quarter.
Down 34-19 after a three from King’s sophomore Catherine Ellard, the Bulldogs went on a 7-0 run sparked by a three from senior guard Jordan Karr.
Monte senior guard Jaiden King followed with an offensive rebound and putback and a basket in the paint by Jillie Dalan put Monte to within 10 at 34-26 with 13.4 seconds left in the period.
But once again, King’s had an answer when Ellard hit a three with a second left on the clock to make it a 37-26 game heading into the final eight minutes of play.
Despite Anderson being on the bench for most of the second half with four fouls and the Knight’s cooling off from the field, Monte was unable to bust through the proverbial door that King’s left open.
Monte would cut the deficit to eight on two separate occasions in the fourth quarter but were unable to get any closer in suffering the loss.
PHOTO BY FOREST WORGUM Montesano’s Mikayla Stanfield (10) puts up a shot during a 51-37 loss to King’s in a 1A State Tournament game on Saturday at Tumwater High School.
“Defensively, we didn’t have the same energy that we’ve had the past couple games, just as far as flying around and we didn’t talk as much,” Mansfield said. “I thought we came out in the third quarter and did a lot of good things, but if we got a turnover, we couldn’t score, or if we did score, they’d hit a big shot. … Give them credit, they hit the shots and we didn’t.”
Jillie Dalan led Monte with 12 points and 10 rebounds while King scored 11 points and had 10 rebounds for the Bulldogs, which shot 15 of 67 as a team (22.3%), including 3 of 20 from the 3-point line (15%) and 4 of 16 from the free-throw line (25%).
Monte was also outrebounded 36-27 – a rarity for the Bulldogs this season – and had just eight steals as a team.
Monte was also banged up as senior star forward McKynnlie Dalan and King were both injured on the same play in the fourth quarter, with Dalan hitting the floor hard and coming up with a bloody nose and King going down with a sprained right knee.
Both returned to the game but just a few mintutes later Monte senior guard Vanna Prom had to leave the game in the final minute with a bloody nose after contact in the painted area.
Mansfield addressed the physical nature of the game.
“It was very physical. We like to think we’re a pretty physical bunch, but it seemed we didn’t react quite as well to that tonight,” he said. “It’s frustrating when things aren’t going your way and you feel like you are getting held and there is no call. … We banged them around, they just had the answer tonight.”
With the loss, Montesano missed a chance to skip ahead to the quarterfinals and will face No. 12 Seattle Academy in a Round of 12 elimination game at 12:15 p.m. on Wednesday in Yakima.
Montesano defeated the Cardinals 60-45 back on Jan. 21.
King’s 13 11 13 14 — 51
Montesano 9 5 12 11 – 37
Scoring: King’s – Anderson 15, Ellard 15, Francisco 11, Cramer 4, Siers 4, Reimer 1, Bahnmiller 1. Montesano – E. Dalan 12, King 11, Prom 4, Young 3, Karr 3, Stanfield 2, M. Dalan 2.
ALEC DIETZ | THE CHRONICLE Raymond guard Megan Kongbouakhay scores on a layup against Davenport in the first round of the Gulls’ 50-42 victory over Davenport in the 2B State Tournament at W.F. West on Saturday.
Raymond 50, Davenport 42
Raymond punched its ticket to Spokane with a 50-42 victory over Davenport in the first round of the 2B State Tournament on Saturday in Chehalis.
The Seagulls (20-6) got off to a rough start, trailing 16-7 after one quarter and Pacific League MVP Karsyn Freeman on the bench with two quick fouls.
But with some solid bench play from freshmen Kassie Koski and Ava Baugher and senior Alia Enlow, the Gulls were able to flip the script and take a 23-19 lead into halftime.
Raymond took advantage of some Davenport turnovers in the third quarter to maintain the lead and made 6 of 7 free throws down the stretch to earn the elimination-game victory.
Freeman led Raymond with 18 points with freshman guard Megan Kongbouakhay scoring 10 points to go along with four rebounds.
Junior Kyndal Koski had eight points and went 5 of 6 from the free-throw line in the fourth quarter.
Raymond went 17 of 52 from the floor (33%), including 14 of 19 from the charity stripe (74%) and outrebounded Davenport 29-25, 12 being on the offensive glass.
“Never in my wildest dreams at the start of this season would I have thought we would win 20 games, let alone be one of the 12 heading to Spokane,” Raymond head coach Jason Koski said. “I’m glad our team proved me wrong.”
No. 12 Raymond takes on No. 5 Adna in the Round of 12 at 7:15 p.m. on Wednedsay at the Spokane Arena.
Davenport 16 3 14 9 – 42
Raymond 7 16 13 14 – 50
Scoring: Raymond – Freeman 18, Kongbouakhay 10, Ky. Koski 8, Ka. Koski 6, Williams 5, Enlow 3. Davenport – n/a.
RYAN SPARKS | THE DAILY WORLD Willapa Valley senior Grace Huber (14) is fouled by Orcas Island’s Bethany Carter during the Vikings’ 51-30 win in a 1B State first-round game on Saturday in Tumwater.
Willapa Valley 51, Orcas Island 30
The Willapa Valley Vikings picked a fine day to have one of its best showings of the season.
The Vikings played well on both ends of the floor en route to a 51-30 victory over Orcas Island in a 1B State first-round game on Saturday in Tumwater.
Tied at 12-all after one quarter, the Vikings (18-7) took control of the game with just under four minutes to go in the first half after two free throws from freshman guard Lauren Matlock followed by a three from fellow freshman Rilyn Channell, staking Valley to a 23-17 lead.
After an Orcas Island three from Sofia Mahoney-Jauregui, Willapa Valley scored the final seven points of the half, highlighted by a second Channell three as the Vikings took a 30-20 lead into halftime.
In the third quarter, the Vikings’ defense held Orcas Island (12-12) to just one point while the offense helped to turn the game into a rout.
“When we came out in the third, we just extended our lead because it was still kind of a close game at half and we were kind of worried,” Valley senior point guard Brooklyn Patrick said. “But we went into the half really confident and pumped up. … We all shot the ball and shared the ball a lot. … And once one shot went, they all fell.”
Valley standout senior Grace Huber and Patrick connected on a bucket with nine seconds left, with Patrick feeding the ball to Huber in the paint for a 42-21 lead heading to the fourth quarter.
RYAN SPARKS | THE DAILY WORLD Willapa Valley point guard Brooklyn Patrick (20) sends a pass ahead to Hadlee Russell during the Vikings’ 51-30 win over Orcas Island in a 1B State first-round game on Saturday in Tumwater.
The Vikings opened the fourth with a free-throw line jumper from Hadlee Russell – her third of the game – to go up 44-21 and capped the period with a Patrick three followed by a Kylee Fluke free throw to earn a trip to the Spokane Arena.
“We did it last year, but I feel it was even better this year because I’m a senior now and it was all on the line today,” Patrick said. “That last quarter, I was just waiting for the time to run down and it took forever, but I’m ecstatic.”
Huber and Patrick scored 11 points apiece, with Huber getting a double-double with a game-high 16 rebounds and Patrick having her usual fill-the-stat-sheet type of game with two rebounds, six assists and five steals.
“She sold popcorn at halftime,” Willapa Valley head coach John Peterson quipped about Patrick. “She must have, she does everything else for us.”
Valley got at least five points from six different scorers as Matlock (49 points, 2 rebounds), Russell (7 points, 6 rebounds), Channell (7 points, 3 rebounds) and senior post Gaby Quezada (5 points, 5 rebounds) all made significant contributions to the Vikings’ victory.
“I’m just so proud of my kids defensively and we ran a different offense than we’ve ever run before,” Peterson said, noting his team’s balanced scoring. “That wins. … In a pressure situation, with a young team, I’d say that’s pretty darn good.”
No. 12 Valley will face No. 5 Inchelium in a Round of 12 elimination game at 12:15 p.m. in Spokane.
“I’m just so thrilled for the kids and honestly, I’m thrilled for me too,” said Peterson, who cited his junior varsity kids for helping to win the game with their effort at practice. “I won’t lie, (going to Spokane) is a big deal for me. I enjoy that and I’m just really proud of the kids.”
Orcas Island 12 8 1 9 – 30
Willapa Valley 12 18 12 9 – 51
Scoring: Oracas Island – Ashcraft 10, Mahoney-Jauregui 9, Carter 6, Rios 3, Spinner 2. Willapa Valley – Huber 11, Patrick 11, Matlock 9, Channell 7, Russell 7, Quezada 5, Fluke 1.
Freeman 47, Hoquiam 19
Hoquiam struggled to find any offense in suffering a 47-19 loss to No. 9 Freeman in a 1A State first-round game on Friday in Spokane.
Hoquiam’s offense was dormant, going scoreless in the first quarter and managing just nine points in the second half en route to the season-ending loss.
“Well our defense traveled with us, but our offense went into early hibernation at the wrong time,” Hoquiam head coach Chad Allan said. “This was a tough match-up for us as Freeman’s length matched with aggressive athleticism made it tough to find offensive opportunities. Defensively, the team followed our strategy and kept them off-balance enough to score below their average. … All of our offensive weaknesses were exposed.”
The No. 9 Scotties (19-5) led 16-0 after the first quarter and 25-10 at the half.
Hoquiam (15-9) scored three points in the third period as Freeman took a commanding 40-13 lead into the final quarter.
Hoquiam was led by senior guard Graci Bonney-Spradlin with 10 points.
The Grizzlies went 4 of 32 from the field (12.5%) and 9 of 24 from the free-throw line (37.5%) while committing 30 turnovers and being outrebounded 50-34.
“I have nothing but pride and love for our players. They had every opportunity and reason to give up at any time during the challenges of the game, but they chose to keep rising and competing without giving up. We were outsized, out manned and out experienced, but this group embraced the opportunity and showed not all wins are on the scoreboard,” Allan said. “We would like to thank all of the amazing fans who traveled across the state, our exceptional band for traveling all day to bring the energy, our cheer team and everyone who supported this group of young ladies. The final loss of the season always stings, but the memories made along the journey last a lifetime. Special thank you to our four seniors (Bonney-Spradlin, Ashlinn Cady, Ella Folkers and Chloe Kennedy) who had to courage to lead our program into uncharted waters of the state basketball tournament. Thank you for taking me along for the memorable ride,”
Hoquiam 0 10 3 6 – 19
Freeman 16 9 15 7 – 47
Scoring: Hoquiam – Bonney-Spradlin 10, Folkers 4, Kennedy 4, Gordon 1. Freeman – Goldsmith 16, Phelps 7, Crowley 7, Berglund 5, Chadwick 4, Semp 1.
