CHEHALIS — Locked in a tightly contested loser-out regional matchup, Taholah’s girls learned they had some depth to rely upon when the need was there.
On Saturday night, that need was pressing and the Chitwhin reserves responded.
Against Northwest Yeshiva of Seattle, Taholah overcame foul trouble to two of its biggest scorers to run away late for a 65-55 Class 1B regional girls basketball contest at Chehalis High School.
The win for Taholah (17-5) sends it to the state 1B tournament in Spokane for a loser-out first-round contest. The Chitwhins will take on Almira Coulee-Hardline at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday.
“We’ve always been a second half team; but tonight, to have our bench players come out and play their roles so well was a big thing,” junior forward Nettie Mail said. “It is crazy. We had eighth graders step up tonight and prove they can play varsity. We really came together tonight.”
Taholah and Northwest Yeshiva couldn’t get away from each other in the first half. The teams were so close on the scoreboard and in stats that a 33-31 halftime lead for Taholah seemed just and fair.
The Chitwhins bolted from the locker room with a 10-1 run to start the second half. When Kayla McCrory nailed a 3-pointer for a 43-32 lead, it was the largest margin of the game.
However, seconds earlier, juniors Denise Curleybear (18 points) and Mail (15 points) left the court for the Taholah bench with four fouls each.
“We didn’t blow teams out, we gave our bench players plenty of playing time,” Taholah head coach Karl Braden said. “Tonight, it showed. Coming from that playing time, they really helped us out in this game. Then, in the fourth, we came together and played as a team to get it done.”
With a freshman and two eighth graders (Niamya Curley-Sailto, Makeah McCrory and Angel Ancheta) on the court, the Chitwhins held on. The Lions had to work for their points, needing offensive rebounds to register baskets to trim the deficit.
In the end, it was a 12-3 Northwest Yeshiva run to end the quarter. In reality, Taholah dodged a possible turning point in the contest and finished with a 46-44 lead after three.
Once Mail and Curleybear returned to the court in the fourth quarter for Taholah, it was just a matter of time. The duo powered an 11-2 run early to reestablish that 11-point margin and the Chitwhins never trailed by less than nine for the remainder of the contest.
“We just read their defense,” Mail added. “They were jumping out hard on our three-ball shooters and we were able to fake and drive to the basket.”
Sisters Tamar and Avital Jacobson were the driving offensive forces for Northwest Yeshiva, scoring 23 and 22 points, respectively.
NW Yeshiva 17 14 13 11 — 55
Taholah 16 17 13 19 — 65
Northwest Yeshiva (55) — A. Jacobson 23, Weiss 2, T. Jacobson 22, Sandorffy, Hemmat 8, Broches. FG — 24-72 (.333) FT — 7-16.
Taholah (65) — Curleybear 18, K. McCrory 5, N. McCrory 6, Mail 15, Ancheta 6, Ralston 2, Grover 10, Curley-Sailto 3. FG — 28-58 (.483). FT — 3-5.
