Bulldogs tame Tigers in semis
It was a subtle change, but it was just enough.
The Garfield Bulldogs switched defenses to open the second quarter of Friday’s 72-63 State 4A girls basketball tournament semifinal victory over Lewis and Clark.
Out went their man defense, in came a 1-2-2 half-court trap.
Away went the Tigers’ hopes, lost in a sea of turnovers.
“That second quarter killed us,” LC coach Jim Redmon said. “They got the momentum when they went to the trap, we just didn’t handle it. It got them on a roll.”
The Bulldogs will take a 25-1 record into tonight’s Tacoma Dome final with Snohomish (25-1). The Tigers (25-3) will face University for a fourth time, only not in the game they wanted. Instead they will play for third and sixth places.
The Tigers built a 13-12 first-quarter lead thanks to Briann January repeatedly slashing to the basket, either scoring or passing to an open teammate. But during the first two minutes of the second quarter, the Tigers had committed three turnovers and trailed by five. By the end of the half, Garfield had scored 17 points off LC’s 14 miscues and led 36-23 and the slashing had stopped.
LC’s big two, 6-foot-1 Heather Bowman and January, had combined for 13 first-half points, but had been able to work free for only nine shots. In contrast the Bulldogs’ top scoring duo, guard Malia O’Neal and post Samantha Tinned, had 13 shots and 16 points.
“In the second (quarter), they had more help coming from off ball and I could see that,” said a tearful January when asked about the second-quarter change. “But I should have done more.”
She did in the second half as the Tigers switched defenses as well, playing almost entirely zone to slow the Garfield attack. It worked and LC slowly chipped back in. After a January layup and a Ren Mallory fastbreak hoop early in the fourth, the Tigers trailed 49-43.
Tinned, who finished with a game-high 20 points, then ran over Bowman, giving LC the ball. The Tigers immediately gave back the ball, then proceeded to do it again three consecutive times after stopping Garfield.
Finally Vivian Frieson, one of the Bulldogs’ five 6-foot players, hit an 8-footer – part of her 14 points – and 5-9 guard LaCale Pringle nailed a 3-pointer and the Tigers’ comeback hopes were dashed. Pringle finished with 13 points.
“When you are playing from behind all the time, trying to cause problems and get back into it, sometimes that will happen,” Redmon said of the Tigers’ poor decision-making after they got the lead down to six. “But turnovers have, at times, plagued us all year.”
LC finished with 21 miscues to Garfield’s 12 and Redmon handed the credit to the senior O’Neal, who wound up with 11 points, five assists and just two turnovers.
“She did a great job of demanding the ball and making us play the tempo they wanted,” Redmon said before talking admiringly of the 6-1 Tinned, a junior. “She was the best big player we’ve faced all year. She seemed to hit a big shot every time they needed it, and she rebounded like Dennis Rodman, always finding the right place to grab the ball.”
Bowman was the most prolific rebounder on the court. The 6-1 junior had 12 boards to go with her 18 points, 12 of which came after halftime when she had 10 shots. January was the most prolific passer, handing out seven assists to go with 16 points.
Despite those numbers, it will be Garfield playing in its second consecutive final.
“I got to see the Bulldogs tonight,” Garfield coach Joyce Walker said, “the team I’ve been waiting all year to see play.
“We’ve talked about playing with intensity and effort, but you can talk about it all you want. You have to play that way. Tonight we did.”
Other games
Kentlake 59, Eisenhower 56 (OT): Luv Rattler hit two 3-pointers in the final 42 seconds of regulation and scored five points in overtime as the Falcons (24-4) rallied from a nine-point deficit to eliminate the Cadets (24-4) of Yakima and advance to this morning’s game for fifth and eighth places.
Redmond 60, Gig Harbor 41: Tanna Radtke and Jackie Olson scored 14 points apiece as the Mustangs (20-7) ousted the Tides (19-9), who shot 9 of 39 from the floor. Redmond will play Kentlake this morning.
Prairie 69, Auburn Riverside 40: Katie Madison finished with 13 points and 12 rebounds as the Falcons (25-4) eliminated the Ravens (19-9) to qualify for today’s game for fourth and seventh places.
Monroe 46, Richland 44: Arizona State University-bound Kirsten Thompson totaled 15 points and 10 rebounds, and Sarah Morton’s layup at the buzzer allowed the Bearcats (23-4) to eliminate the Bombers (23-5) and move on to this afternoon’s game against Prairie.