Gonzaga Prep girls take fourth at state

Saturday was no small consolation for the Gonzaga Prep girls basketball team.

The Bullpups overcame foul trouble to hold off the Inglemoor Vikings 67-59 to capture fourth at the State 4A tournament in the Tacoma Dome.

Gonzaga Prep’s two tallest players fouled out and the Bullpups found themselves with an all-guard lineup for the final 4 minutes.

The Bullpups proved size is overrated.

A handful of times 5-foot-7 and 5-5 guards Wendy Gregory and Kayla Leland found themselves matched up with Inglemoor’s 6-4 Deja Strother.

The Vikings tried to take advantage of the mismatches, and the Bullpups (24-4) took their best shots.

A 3-pointer pulled Inglemoor within 61-59 with 38 seconds remaining. But a pair of free throws from Leland, Laura Stockton and Lauren Weir helped the Bullpups close things out and end with their best finish in school history.

“We’re proud. It’s the best our school’s done,” said Hannah Caudill, who had 11 points and six assists.

Caudill said her team has practiced all season on shrinking – a defensive term, she said, where guards double down on posts.

“We have a pretty small lineup as it is,” Caudill said.

The lack of size sometimes limits the Bullpups offensively, too. That’s where 3-point shooting was critical.

Caudill and Leland made 3 of 6 from beyond the 3-point arc. Leland, who comes off the bench, finished with a game-high 19 points.

Stockton finished with 16 points, six rebounds and six assists.

G-Prep was 24-0 against teams other than state finalists Mead (three losses) and Arlington (state-opening loss).

“It’s amazing the year these girls have had without arguably one of the best players in the league,” G-Prep coach Mike Arte said, alluding to the loss of senior Madison Wright to a knee injury in late December.

3A

Kamiakin 47, University 36: The Braves (17-9) topped the Titans for a third time this season in the game to decide fourth and sixth places.

Sira Toure led Kamiakin (17-9) with 21 points, five rebounds and three assists.

Kamiakin opened a 13-10 lead after the first quarter, and the Braves added to the margin over the next two quarters.

Freshman Brooke Bailey led U-Hi (15-12) with 11 points and senior Kayleigh Valley had eight points, a game-high 17 rebounds and four steals.

2A

Wapato 43, West Valley 37: The Wolves relegated the Eagles to sixth place with a late push at the Yakima SunDome.

The Eagles led as late as the 3:32 mark but only scored one point the rest of the way.

Darian Gasseling’s lay-up with 1:44 remaining gave Wapato a four-point lead in a game that featured 11 lead changes and seven ties. 

Erin Higbie led West Valley with 12 points and 17 rebounds.