Falcons reach final

YAKIMA – Natalie Deking’s patience has been wearing thin the past three days, let alone the last 12 months.

Sunnyside Christian – more specifically, one loss against Sunnyside Christian – apparently has had a lingering effect on Sprague-Harrington’s diminutive shooting guard.

“I’ve wanted to play them the whole tournament,” Deking said Friday, just minutes after S-H secured a berth in the State 1B girls basketball tournament title game. “I’d rather play them more than anybody. This is something I want.”

Deking and teammate Roni Jo Mielke combined for 34 points to lead the Falcons to a 47-34 victory over Tekoa-Oakesdale in the state semifinals at the SunDome.

S-H (24-4) gets a shot at avenging last year’s first-round loss when it squares off against the Knights for the state championship tonight at 7. Last year’s loss against Sunnyside Christian was the Falcons’ only defeat during a 29-1 campaign that resulted in a fifth-place finish at state.

“It will be an amazing game,” said Mielke, who scored 19 points against T-O and all of the Falcons’ seven points in the first quarter. “Both teams have to come to play and duke it out.”

T-O appeared to be up to the challenge in the semifinals, but S-H buckled down on defense in the second half to seize control. The Nighthawks (19-8) scored only 12 points in the final two quarters and couldn’t sustain a 22-21 halftime lead. It was the Falcons’ third victory over T-O this season.

Deking scored 12 of her 15 points in the second half, and her three 3-pointers in the third quarter put S-H firmly in front. Her third 3-pointer gave the Falcons a 37-27 lead with 43 seconds left in the period.

T-O pulled within seven (39-32 and 41-34) in the fourth quarter, but the Nighthawks converted only one field goal – and five total points – in the final 8 minutes.

Shelby Puckett and Kelsi Graffis scored 10 points apiece for T-O, which plays Colton in the third-place game at 3:30 p.m.

Sunnyside Christian 60, Colton 41: Colton did what it could to stymie Sunnyside Christian’s top scorer, but the Knights showcased their depth in cruising to the semifinal victory over a Colton team enjoying its first trip to state.

Sunnyside Christian’s first 34 points were scored within 15 feet of the basket or at the free-throw line. Hilary Bosma buried a 3-pointer – the Knights’ first perimeter bucket of the night – with just less than 3 minutes left in the third quarter to give Sunnyside Christian a 37-23 lead.

Colton (22-6) rallied to close within nine points twice in the fourth quarter, but the Knights continued to hammer away in the post. Sunnyside Christian (22-3) scored four times in the lane and added five free throws in the final period to put the game away.

“We knew coming in that was their game,” Wildcats coach Clark Vining said. “They’re not a team that shoots a lot of 3s. They keep pounding away inside until they get something accomplished. We knew it would happen, but they just did a good job.”

Tori Van Wingerden scored 30 points in the Knights’ quarterfinal win, but Colton held her to seven points on 2-for-10 shooting. The Wildcats, however, couldn’t account for role players Jacqui Roberts and Brittany den Hoed (13 points apiece) or Melanie Van Wingerden (12 points).

Colton’s showdown with Tekoa-Oakesdale in the third-place game will be the fifth meeting between the two teams this year. The Wildcats are 2-2 against T-O.

“It’s a huge challenge,” Vining said. “They know exactly what we do, and we know exactly what they do. I expect a low-scoring grinder. It will be a test of wills on the last day.”

Inchelium 42, Pateros 37: Senior Chelsi Pakootas tossed in a team-high 14 points, and Inchelium’s consistent play helped the Hornets assure themselves of returning home with a trophy.

Inchelium (19-6) will face Curlew at noon today to determine the event’s fourth- and seventh-place finishers.

Pakootas made 4 of 10 shots from the floor and all six of her free throws. Destiny Christianson added 10 points, and freshman Chenise Pakootas added 11 rebounds for the Hornets.

Inchelium scored 12 points in each of the first three quarters to build a 36-31 lead and allowed Pateros (16-9) only six points in the final period.

Pateros’ Michelle Bruno led all scorers with 20 points, including four 3-pointers.

Curlew 83, Mary Knight 36: Curlew’s Kady Kirkendall dominated with 27 points and 10 rebounds, and the Cougars’ successfully rebounded from a frustrating loss one night earlier.

Curlew (24-2) had its 22-game winning streak snapped in the quarterfinals Thursday. There was no risk of defeat against Mary Knight, however. The Cougars jumped ahead 18-4 in the first quarter and led 44-15 at halftime.

Kirkendall made 12 of 18 shots, including 3 of 4 from beyond the 3-point arc. She snared six offensive rebounds and dished out four assists.

Nichole Miller added 16 points, and Amanda Grumbach had 12 for Curlew.

Garfield-Palouse 42, Cusick 24: Gar-Pal has served as the tournament’s resident early bird, playing all three of its games in the 9 a.m. time slot. The Vikings have grown into the role and used a stout defensive effort to smother Cusick in a loser-out game.

Gar-Pal (16-10) led 20-10 at halftime and didn’t allow Cusick to score more than eight points in any quarter. The Panthers (12-15) made only 6 of 36 shots (16.6 percent).

Shealyn Weagraff paced Gar-Pal with 12 points. Amanda Smith scored 10 points for Cusick.

The Vikings play Entiat for fifth and eighth places today at 9 a.m.