Kiara Stone scores 34, No. 11 Bellarmine Prep advances to quarterfinals with win over No. 6 Davis
Bellarmine Prep has added another double-digit win to this Class 4A state playoffs run.
Last weekend, the No. 11 Lions posted a convincing 30-point victory against No. 14 Mount Si in the regional round.
Wednesday afternoon in the Tacoma Dome, just a few miles away from their school campus, the Lions rolled past another opponent, upending No. 6 Davis, 63-53, in an opening-round, loser-out contest to advance to Thursday’s quarterfinals.
Statement made.
Again.
“We knew coming in we were going to be the underdogs being No. 11, and we knew that … in our hearts, we’re not 11,” Bellarmine guard Kiara Stone said. “So, we just were coming to make a statement to everybody here and ourselves to know that we’re still in the competition with everybody else.”
Bellarmine never trailed during the contest, and led by as many as 12 points more than once in the second half, the last time on a basket from guard Keiara Curtis early in the fourth.
Davis went on an 11-3 run during the next three minutes after that shot to cut the lead as close as 53-49 on a Tia Campbell 3-pointer with 3:10 to play, but the Lions responded quickly.
Curtis added another bucket on Bellarmine’s next trip up the floor, and Stone scored the Lions’ final seven points — on a 3-pointer and four consecutive free throws following a foul and technical foul — to put the game out of reach.
After Curtis poured in a game-high 31 points against Mount Si last weekend, Wednesday it was Stone’s turn. She turned in a career-best 34 points to lead all scorers, and added five rebounds, a pair of assists and four of the Lions’ 11 combined steals.
Curtis finished with 10 points, three assists and three steals. Guard Jada Travis and forward Taylor Teeple each posted a team-high eight rebounds, while Travis also added six assists in a balanced effort for the Lions.
Bellarmine (22-7) certainly appears to be clicking at both ends of the floor entering the final weekend of the season.
“I think it helps when we all have a common goal, and everybody is working on it at practice and outside of practice and we’re all just coming together to really see that we really can compete with all of these top teams, regardless of what we’re seeded,” Stone said.
Esmeralda Gaindo scored a team-high 14 points for Davis, while Shaela Allen-Greggs had 12 points and nine rebounds. The Pirates’ season ends at 19-4.
The Lions move on to play No. 4 Eastlake at 3:45 p.m. Thursday in the quarterfinals — with the same goal.
“Same thing as today,” Stone said. “Make a statement. But, we kind of got all of the jitters out today, so now we can kind of play our poised game. That wasn’t even really our full game, so I think tomorrow we can play a lot more poised and just come out with that win.”
The Lions have already faced Eastlake once before this season, midway through a no-loss January at the 2023 King Showcase at the ShoWare Center in Kent, and posted a 49-45 win.
“I’m really looking forward to that game, and see what we bring to that,” Stone said.
This story was originally published March 1, 2023 at 6:20 PM.
