State B news

Home sweet home-court
East Side teams dominate in tournament openers

Christopher Anderson - The Spokesman-Review Tekoa-Oakesdale's Jessica Teal, left, and North Beach's Jessica Preisinger struggle for rebound during their open-day game.

By Steve Christilaw - Correspondent

Through the first eight games of the 24th girls State B basketball tournament, the team that traveled the least to get to the Spokane Arena won, making some wondering which they needed more, a tournament program or a road map.

Tekoa-Oakesdale and Valley Christian, the champions of the Southeast and Northeast districts, respectively, were hardest on cross-state opponents. The Nighthawks led 55-24 through three quarters, coasting to a 59-38 victory. The Panthers rolled past Shoreline Christian 71-39.

"I really think sleeping in your own bed is a big, big factor," Tekoa-Oakesdale coach Paul Voorhees said. "Our kids didn't even miss school today -- they were in class all day and we came up by bus. That's a huge plus."

No team from west of the Cascade Mountains advanced into today's quarterfinals. Just two Western Washington teams, King's West, from Bremerton, and Mt. Vernon Christian, scored more than 40 points (48 and 45, respectively).

Republic, a 59-49 winner over Pateros, plays Sunnyside Christian, which bounced Bush 44-31, at 3:30 in the first of four quarterfinal games. Almira/Coulee-Hartline, 50-31 victors over Willapa Valley, meets LaCrosse-Washtucna, 57-48 winners over King's West, at 5.

Valley Christian meets Waterville, a 52-38 winner over Mossyrock, at 6:30, and Tekoa-Oakesdale plays Wilbur-Creston, 59-45 winners over Mt. Vernon Christian, in the 8 p.m. finale.

Today's loser-out games: Pateros vs. Bush (9 a.m.), Willapa Valley vs. King's West (10:30), Mossyrock vs. Shoreline Christian (noon), and North Beach vs. Mt. Vernon Christian (1:30 p.m.).

"We had a chance to get a lot of kids into the game and rest our legs a bit," Voorhees said. "Since we play such an up-tempo game, that's going to help us -- we have four games to think about."

The Nighthawks, knocked out of the playoffs in the Whitman County League tournament a year ago, showed no signs of tournament jitters, roaring out of the blocks to take charge of the game early.

"It's funny," senior point guard Betsy Smart said. "I was walking in with one of my teammates who had never played here and she said she was so nervous. I told her I wasn't -- that this was just another game."

Smart, a four-year starter for Tekoa-Oakesdale, is playing in her third state tournament. She had 10 points and nine rebounds in just 25 minutes of play. Katie Driscoll, also a senior, tossed in 18 points to lead all scorers in the game. Sophomore Michelle Faunce added 14 points. Nicole Timpson scored 17 points to lead North Beach, with Wendy Helsley contributing another 12. Just five players scored for the Hyaks, three of them starters.

In Wilbur-Creston's win over Mt. Vernon Christian, Cherie' Dreger tossed in 21 points and grabbed 11 rebounds to lead the Wildcats into the quarterfinals. Sophomore Baily Cox added 12 points and grabbed eight boards.

"One of the things about playing a tournament like this, where you're concentrating on scouting reports, is that you forget to do what it is that you do best," Wilbur-Creston coach Jim Cox said.

"We play kind of a mixed-up match-up on defense, but it seems to work for us."

Valley Christian, despite its victory, was clearly pained. The team lost Kristen Lanker to an ankle injury.

"That was a costly win," Valley Christian coach Rick Biel said. "Not just losing a player of Kristen's ability, but she's also our leader. She's the one who rallies the troops."

Lanker's teammates gathered around their fallen teammate after the final buzzer, taking turns giving her hugs of encouragement, not wanting to leave the floor without their leader.

Junior Carli Smith was a force at both ends of the floor, pulling down a game-high 19 rebounds, 10 on the defensive end, and scoring 21 points on 8-for-10 shooting from the field.

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