SJE boys, ACH girls in title games

YAKIMA — Warren Miller scored 22 points, and St. John-Endicott rallied to beat Moses Lake Christian 44-41 at the Class 1B boys state basketball tournament and earn a spot in the championship game. The Eagles (16-11) trailed the entire game until Miller’s basket with 2:05 to play in the third pushed SJE ahead 33-32, giving the Eagles a lead they wouldn’t relinquish. Miller, who scored 14 of his points in the second half, scored eight points in the fourth quarter as SJE kept Moses Lake Christian (19-6) at bay with three free throws in the final 13.8 seconds. SJE will meet third-ranked Sunnyside Christian in today’s championship. Miller, who made 8 of 12 shots, also pulled down 10 of SJE’s 35 rebounds. Joe Timofeyev scored 15 points and Stephan McNamara added 13 for the Lions. In a girls semifinal, Nikki Osborne scored 16 points, and third-ranked Almira/Coulee-Hartline shrugged off a sluggish performance to beat Pateros 48-28. The win sends the Warriors (23-3) into Saturday’s championship game against top-ranked and defending champion Colton. ACH trailed until midway through the third quarter when Osborne scored to break a 19-all tie. The Warriors pulled out to an eight-point lead early in the fourth, but didn’t pull away until a 13-0 spurt that pushed them ahead 41-26 with 3:54 to play. Madeline Isaak added 13 points for ACH. Osborne led the rebounding effort with 12. Casey Stennes and Jamie Bruno led the Nannies (18-7) with nine points each.