Erik Stevenson, Timberline rallied late, but Kelso secures first-round bye; Enumclaw, Federal Way both headed to the 4A state quarterfinals

Timberline High School became the latest South Sound basketball program to learn this lesson — don’t let the Kelso get an early lead.

The Hilanders will likely keep it.

That proved true again Saturday at Battle Ground High School, as sixth-ranked Kelso got out in front in the first quarter, and held the lead throughout to top Timberline, 58-51, in a Class 3A state regionals contest.

Even a rally late in the fourth quarter, propelled by Wichita State signee Erik Stevenson, who scored a game-high 31 points, couldn’t bring the fifth-ranked Blazers all the way back.

For every sudden scoring burst the Blazers had, Kelso had a defiant answer.

Shaw Anderson scored a team-high 26 points for the Hilanders, and Riley Noah added 22, including two free throws in the final 17 seconds that silenced Timberline’s try at a late comeback.

“They came out, they ran their game plan,” Timberline coach Allen Thomas said. “Anderson was really tough inside, but I thought the key to their game plan today was Riley Noah.”

Kelso never trailed after Anderson, a 6-foot-5 standout forward, threw down a baseline dunk less than three minutes into the first quarter.

And the times the Blazers did contain him — limiting him to five points in the first half, and picking the ball away several times — Noah kept the Hilanders’ offense moving.

Noah’s 13 points in the first half helped Kelso build to a 24-16 lead.

Meanwhile, the Blazers turned in a shaky first half, shooting just 5 of 25 (20 percent) from the floor. Timberline’s final of 51 points was its second-worst scoring outing of the season.

“We couldn’t get anything going from the outside, and when that happens it’s tough,” Thomas said. “And we couldn’t get to the basket.”

Stevenson scored 25 of his points in the second half — 15 in the final quarter — and the Blazers cut Kelso’s lead to four points on an Eli Morton 3-pointer early in the fourth, but Kelso answered with an 8-0 run.

Stevenson hit two of his five 3-pointers in the final 30 seconds, but Noah eliminated any doubt for Kelso with the final two free throws.

“They never folded in any moment,” Thomas said of Kelso. “They just called a timeout, came back and executed.”

Both Kelso (21-4) and Timberline (19-6) move on to the Tacoma Dome next week, but the Hilanders earned the coveted first-round bye.

Meanwhile, Timberline plays a loser-out game at 12:15 p.m. Wednesday against seventh-ranked Seattle Prep (17-10), which knocked out North Thurston on Saturday.

“We just have to regroup and get ready for the Dome,” Thomas said.

Seattle Prep eliminated Timberline last season in the first round at the Tacoma Dome, 71-53.

Winner to quarterfinals, loser to first round

No. 8 Enumclaw 54, No. 9 Skyview 44: The Hornets didn’t need to change a whole lot of what they do defensively to take down the Storm.

Peter Erickson and Kaden Anderson were the two leading scorers for the Hornets, scoring 16 and 13 points respectively.

“They are big and athletic. They are as physical as a team as we faced all year, we responded pretty well,” said Enumclaw coach Terry Anderson. “Skyview made a clear effort to keep Kaden down, so it took us a little while to settle in.”

The Storm owned the first half as they led 24-20 at the half. But signs of their offense slowing down was evident as they followed a 19-point first quarter with a five-point second quarter.

“We did a lot of what we were doing all year, trying to keep them out of the lane and contesting the shooters,” Johnson said. “We defended with better purpose and rebounded a lot better.”

In fact, the Hornet defense only allowed four Storm players to score, and leading the charge was Sammad Hector with 17 points. However, he was limited to just two 3’s in the second half.

With the win, the Hornets earn a first round bye in the state tournament and will face the winner of the Lewis and Clark-Sunnyside game at 9 p.m., Thursday at the Tacoma Dome.

No. 3 Federal Way 75, No. 4 Union 65 (OT): The Eagles have proven they are capable of winning in any given situation. In their upset win over the Titans, they had to prove they could win without their best player on the floor.

With 5 minutes, 1 second left in the fourth quarter, Federal Way’s leading scorer Jaden McDaniels fouled out of the game on a technical foul after dunking the ball after the officials called a dead-ball play.

With the Eagles leading 63-60 with just 24 seconds left in regulation, Union’s Zach Reznick drained the game-tying 3-pointer from the left wing to send the game into overtime.

In overtime, after jumping out to an early 69-65 lead, Federal Way went on a 6-0 run in the final minutes to put the game away for good.

The Eagles move on to face the winner of the Curtis-Davis game at 7:15 p.m. Thursday in the Tacoma Dome.

Mount Rainier Lutheran 57, Garfield-Palouse 55: For the second time since the 2011-12 season, the Hawks are moving on past the regional round of the state tournament.

With the win, Mount Rainier Lutheran moves on to face Pomeroy at 12:15 p.m. Wednesday at Spokane Arena.

The win comes as a breath of fresh air for the Hawks as they previously lost three of their past four games.

Girls Basketball

Top Performer: Georgia Lavinder, White River

Scored 24 points in loss to East Valley

Winner to quarterfinals, loser to first round

No. 2 East Valley 75, No. 5 White River 62: The Hornets couldn’t keep up with the Knights as Genesis Wilkinson dropped 27 in the game.

“The big key is that we missed some shots that we would normally hit, they did a good job on the board,” said White River coach Chris Gibson. “Wilkins is a big kid, they did a nice job.”

Wilkinson was easily the high scorer of the game and used her length offensively. However, Georgia Lavinder’s quickness would not go unnoticed as she would score 24 for the Hornets in her own right.

Kara Marecle would also throw in 14 to help out, but not much more offense was generated.

“We tried to press them and throw different looks,” Gibson said. “They shot the ball really well in the 3rd quarter, hitting nine field goals.”

Though the loss is not what the Hornets were wanting before they entered the state tournament, they still have their tickets punched to the SunDome in Yakima.

However they have a tough road ahead of them as their first opponent is Black Hills. The game tips off at 2 p.m. on Wednesday, at the SunDome.

Winner to first round, loser out

No. 10 Washougal 55, Fife 38: Sometimes, when a defense is executing at its best, there’s nothing the other team can do about it.

The Trojans were just on the wrong end of a solid defensive performance from the Panthers. With the loss, their season comes to an end after a 15-win season.

The Trojans struggled in the postseason going just 1-3 through districts and regionals, and it was the Washougal full-court press that concluded Fife’s impressive season.

“They turned up their press a little bit and we didn't handle it,” Fife coach Shane Patrick said. “We knew it was coming at some point we just didn't execute.”

The Trojans started the game well behind Christina Willis, who finished with 18 points. But the Panthers went into halftime on a 21-9 run, capturing the lead and momentum.

“Willis is just full of energy,” Patrick said. “She's a spark plug for us.”

Fife drew closer in the third quarter, but each time it made a run, Washougal was there to close it down. Patrick said the loss, while painful, is all the motivation the Trojans need to go beyond the regionals next season.

“We are fairly young team,” Patrick said. “And getting exposed to the big stage will help us in years to come.”

Winner to quarterfinals, loser to first round

No. 1 Colton 72, Mt. Rainier Lutheran 17: The eighth-seeded Hawks struggled against the No. 1-ranked Wildcats.

Mount Rainier Lutheran, who suffered just their second loss in the last eight games, surrendered the most points it had given up to any opponent all season in the loss to Colton.

Behind Emily Schultheis’ 15 points, The Wildcats got out of the gate on a 21-2 in the first quarter and ended the first half on a 46-7 run. Claire Lyons and Isabella Foxley each had five points for Mount Rainier Lutheran.

Despite the tough loss, the Hawks already punched their ticket into the state tournament. So they will have a chance to rebound from the Colton loss as they face the No. 9 seed Entiat at 9 p.m. Wednesday at Spokane Arena.

Mount Rainier faces a Tigers squad that hasn’t lost a game since Dec. 21.

This story was originally published February 25, 2018 at 1:34 AM with the headline "Erik Stevenson, Timberline rallied late, but Kelso secures first-round bye; Enumclaw, Federal Way both headed to the 4A state quarterfinals."