Cheney Girls Limp Into Semis Hoots, Getz Injured In Win Over Chief Sealth

Semi-healthy for the semifinals.

Limping into the Final Four.

Whatever one calls it, the Cheney Blackhawks are one win away from the championship game of the girls State AA basketball tournament.

To reach the final, Cheney must deal with injuries to starting point guard Anna Getz and starting center Jenny Hoots.

Both limped around as the third-ranked Blackhawks (25-0) outlasted seventh-ranked Chief Sealth 49-43 in a Thursday night quarterfinal at the Tacoma Dome.

Cheney plays at 8 p.m. tonight against Franklin (20-5), the third consecutive Metro League opponent for the Blackhawks. The Quakers feature UCLA- bound Takiyah Jackson, the all-time tournament scoring leader.

“We’ll probably have to double- and triple-team her, and let the others try to beat us,” said relieved first-year Cheney coach Marty Jessett.

Jessett’s comments came moments after the tournament trainer scolded him for letting Hoots play in the second half. Hoots, who scored eight points in the first 5 minutes to start Cheney toward a 20-6 lead, sprained her left ankle with 2:45 remaining in the half.

Hoots, who substituted in and out during the second half, scored just one basket after the break. But it was a crucial shot: a short turnaround with 1:48 that gave Cheney a 47-40 lead.

Getz tweaked her right knee with 45 seconds left in the third quarter and Cheney ahead 42-28. With Getz out, the Seahawks (22-5) went on a 12-2 run. Getz returned midway through the fourth quarter and stabilized the offense.

Getz also hit the most talked-about shot of the tournament right before the halftime buzzer. Lilly Siatunuu of Chief Sealth made two free throws with 0.6 seconds left in the half. Cheney inbounded to Getz, who overhanded a swished from an announced 83 feet away.

“That was a huge lift before half, giving us a 10-point lead,” Jessett said.

Cheney overcame the injuries with solid defense, a rebounding edge of 47-29 and backup play from junior Christine Reagan.

Reagan, spelling Hoots for more than 15 minutes, scored nine and had six rebounds.

“I’m glad I had an ‘on’ game,” Reagan said. “After I scored my first basket, I figured I could play with any of them.”

“Christine came in and gave us huge minutes,” Jessett said. “She’s been doing that all year, but just not in pressure situations.”

Hoots, Erin Soliday and Lisa Anderson scored 10 apiece for Cheney. Anderson drew the defensive assignment on freshman flash Sheila Lambert (25.5 ppg), and held her to 14.

“Coach told me to take away her left hand … and not to let her penetrate,” Anderson said. “Watching her in (Wednesday’s) game, they didn’t deny her the ball.”

Melissa Krogh made up for Hoots’ moments on the bench by snaring a game-high 10 rebounds.

“Cheney is a great team,” said Seahawks coach Carmen Martinez. “They’re 25-0 for a reason.

“When we watched them play Lakeside (Wednesday), we said, well, we’ll just do this, this and this. But we never got into that rhythm.”

Chief Sealth shot 23 percent from the floor. The Seahawks play Aberdeen this afternoon in a loser-out game.

Chief Sealth 6 13 9 15 - 43 Cheney 16 13 13 7 - 49

CHIEF SEALTH Ortega 1 0-0 2, Fotualii 0 0-0 0, Clinton 0 0-0 0, Siatunuu 4 7-9 17, Keni 0 0-0 0, Talamaivao 3 1-2 7, Neumann 0 3-4 7, Lambert 6 0-1 14, Bass 0 0-0 0. Totals: 14 11-16 43. CHENEY Soliday 3 3-4 10, Getz 2 1-5 6, Richer 0 0-0 0, Anderson 4 2-4 10, Krogh 1 2-2 4, Reagan 4 1-2 9, Hoots 5 0 -0 10. Totals: 19 9-17 49.

3-pointers - Siatunuu 2, Lambert 2, Soliday, Getz. Total fouls - Chief Sealth 18, Cheney 17. Fouled out - Talamaivao, Hoots.