CHEHALIS – Neither team got any respect at home during the regular season, so no wonder neither was in any hurry to go home for the rest of the girls basketball playoffs.
The grit and resilience of the River Ridge Hawks was matched in whole by North Thurston’s Rams, and only an opening-game run by River Ridge – which North Thurston couldn’t get all the way past – was the difference in the Hawks’ 56-54 victory Tuesday night in a loser-out Class 2A Southwest bi-district game at W.F. West High School.
North Thurston, which had trailed by as many as 17, fought its way to even-up with two straight baskets by senior Chelsey Kindle, the second a putback with 1:28 left in the game to tie the score at 52.
River Ridge senior Kyahri Adams responded with the last four points of the game on a free throw and a three-point play on a strong move to the basket, and the Hawks escaped with the victory that earned them the No. 3 seed to the regional round of the 2A state tournament.
The Hawks move on to face Port Angeles at 4 p.m. Saturday at Mount Tahoma High School. North Thurston ended its season 17-6.
“This has been a close-knit team, very resilient,” River Ridge coach Jackie Robinson said. “They were calm. I thought the leaders stepped up and made plays when they needed to be made.”
Robinson praised his seniors – Adams (14 points), Necy Wade (12 points) and Chloe Cummings (4 points)– before lauding the seniors on the other sideline.
“I’ve coached against those seniors for four years, and I knew they would scratch and claw,” Robinson said. “I respect every one of them, and they know it.”
North Thurston coach Mike Harn could not disagree. His seniors – Catie Mets (14 points), Elyssa Quiquocho (11), Kindle (eight), Hannah Niles (seven) and Haley Harn (six) – each had a part in the drama.
“It would have been easy, when you’re down by 17 to a team like River Ridge, to give in,” Harn said. “That showed a lot of heart. Our whole philosophy is built on heart.”
These teams know each other well – they split in two previous meetings this season, each winning on the other’s home court – and the early moments showed a lot of energy but few points.
River Ridge opened the scoring with 3-pointers by Catriece Baker and Adams and Rebecca Stevenson basket to make it 8-0.
Two free throws by Woolf at the halfway point of the period, and a pair of late baskets by Mets, one a 3-pointer, helped the Rams pull to 14-9 at the end of one.
River Ridge took its biggest lead at 31-14 on a 3-pointer and a lay-in by Wade, who had seven points in the quarter. But the Rams countered with the final eight points of the half, including three driving baskets by Mets and a bucket down low by Kindle, to make it 31-22 at the half.
Olympic 48, Fife 36: Fife’s season ended one game from qualifying for the regional round of the state tournament as the Trojans (14-13) fell to Olympic in a 2A West Central District loser-out contest.
Olympic will face Blaine High in the regional round Saturday.
BOYS BASKETBALL
North Thurston 62, Washougal 56: Ben Broeker stepped up with 30 points for the Rams, who survived a second-straight close game with the Panthers of Clark County, winning at W. F. West.
The Rams advance to a 6 p.m. Friday game against White River at Mount Tahoma in the regional round of the Class 2A state tournament.
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