Dayton Rallies To Best Gar-Pal

Southeast B

Since guiding Dayton to the B-11 football title, senior Matt Talbott has struggled to find his shooting touch in basketball.

The old feel returned Friday, as Talbott rescued his team with 12 fourth-quarter points to lift Dayton past defending district champion Garfield-Palouse 73-69 in the District 9-B championship game at Washington State University’s Friel Court.

“I was just thinking about playing defense,” said Talbott, who finished with 16 points.

Dayton (24-1), fifth at the State B Tournament last year, clinched a return trip.

”(The rally) was just from the poise, I think, our team had out there,” said Talbott, who averaged six points per game.

Gar-Pal (21-3) meets Whitman County League nemesis LaCrosse-Washtucna (16-10) at 8:30 tonight for the district’s other state berth. L-W topped Asotin 71-69 to end the Panthers’ season at 14-10.

The girls’ district title, for the second consecutive year, belongs to St. John-Endicott. Behind sophomore Tricia Lamb’s 25 points, the Eagles (22-2) defeated Pomeroy 55-43. SJE heads to state for the third consecutive year, looking to improve on last year’s fourth-place finish.

Pomeroy (17-6) meets Tekoa-Oakesdale (18-9) at 7 tonight for the second state berth. T-O eliminated Gar-Pal 53-47.

Boys

Dayton 73, Gar-Pal 69 Senior forward Will Hutchens had a mediocre night, but sophomore reserve Mike Gembala stepped in and contributed 14 points. Talbott scored the first five points of the fourth quarter to give Dayton a lead it didn’t relinquish.

“I can’t say enough about the character of this team,” Dayton coach Jay Webber said. “Remember, these kids were also down 15-0 at the football championship.”

Dayton’s loss this year came against Reardan, when several of the Bulldogs were busily preparing for the Kingbowl.

Gar-Pal played the aggressor most of the way, limiting Dayton to one shot per possession and receiving 11 first-half points from seniors Rob Tiegs and Beau Hilty-Jones.

The Vikings led 37-27 with 1:25 left in the first half, but when Talbott made a 3-pointer just before the buzzer, Dayton was within three.

Still, Dayton centers Jeff Skeeter and Jeremy Hubbard had three fouls apiece, and Hutchens, who finished with 16, was facing Tiegs’ stiff defensive pressure.

Gar-Pal built the lead to nine points in the third quarter behind Hilty-Jones, before Dayton responded. One of the sparks was a four-point play by sophomore Clay Hutchens, Will’s brother.

Hilty-Jones scored 22 and Tiegs 18.

Dayton 21 14 16 22 - 73 Garfield-Palouse 18 20 14 17 - 69

DAYTON Lyonnais 4, C.Hutchens 4, Rundell 3, Skidmore 0, Steinhoff 0, Skeeter 10, W.Hutchens 16, Gembala 14, Talbott 16, Hubbard 6.

GARFIELD-PALOUSE Lawton 0, Hill 5, Hilty-Jones 22, Colfield 10, Fox 4, Tiegs 18, Thurston 3, Coles 7.

LaCrosse-Washtucna 71, Asotin 69 The Wildcats opened a 13-point halftime lead and used Troy Nealey’s 12 points in the fourth quarter to fight off the Panthers, who scored 49 second-half points in a loser-out game.

Wildcat Corey Goll scored 38 points, including 14 in the first quarter. The Panthers were led by Rob Teasley’s 27 points, six from 3-point range.

LaCrosse-Wash. 19 14 15 23 - 71 Asotin 14 6 25 24 - 69

LACROSSE-WASHTUCNA Nealey 12, Ledbetter 10, Bryan 3, Wigen 3, Goll 38, Kinch 1, Rouleau 4, Whitman 0.

ASOTIN Broenneke 0, West 5, Smithwick 2, Way 3, Farmer 24, Teasley 27, Erickson 6, Butler 2.

Girls

St. John-Endicott 55, Pomeroy 43

The Eagles’ 7-0 run early in the second quarter gave them a 19-10 lead and Pomeroy never recovered.

The Eagles’ main concern after that was slowing down 5-foot11 senior center Carrie Low, who had a game-high 27 points - all in the final three quarters.

“We didn’t get pressure on their guards,” SJE coach Lorin Carlon said. “They were just standing there, getting the ball to (Low). She’s the toughest post player in our district.”

Junior Brook Warren did all of Pomeroy’s scoring in the first

quarter - eight points - but wore down noticeably and scored just two more.

Eagles junior Andee Schmick scored 12 of her 14 in the first half, then concentrated on defense and passing to Lamb.

St.John-Endicott 11 20 13 9 - 55 Pomeroy 8 11 11 13 - 43

ST. JOHN-ENDICOTT Simpson 6, Bafus 0, Lamb 25, Garrett 6, Holt 4, Schmick 14, C.Kile 0, Miller 0.

POMEROY Sharp 0, Bergshmeider 0, Geiger 0, Henry 0, Gwinn 0, Wren 0, John 4, Martin 0, N.Heytvelt 2, Low 27, Warren 10, G.Heytvelt 0.

Tekoa-Oakesdale 53, Garfield-Palouse 47 The Nighthawks were led by Brandi Peringer’s 20 points and Sally Palmer scored seven of her 11 points in the fourth quarter to hold off the Vikings. Michelle Kennedy led the Vikings with 15 points, including three 3-pointers.

Tekoa-Oakes. 12 12 13 16 - 53 Garfield-Palouse 11 12 14 10 - 47

TEKOA-OAKESDALE Crider 2, Bruce 2, Palmer 11, Hay 6, Peringer 20, French 2, Brandt 10, Brown 0.

GARFIELD-PALOUSE Kennedy 15, Pfaff 2, Wroe 0, Coles 8, Main 12, Roper 5, Brown 3, Broughton 2.