Reserves Key Win For Wv; Eagles Play For Trip To State

Unfazed by an early nine-point deficit, West Valley rode super-subs Tony Kopp and Bret French to the finals of the 3A regional boys basketball playoffs.

The Eagles, the only Frontier League winner in four games Thursday, defeated Eastmont 57-43 and will play West Valley-Yakima tonight at 8 at Eastern Washington University for a state berth.

It will culminate a four-game day during the double-elimination tournament that concludes Saturday and ultimately sends two boys and two girls teams to Seattle.

In girls games, Eastmont defeated Colville 61-38 and West Valley-Yakima beat Sunnyside 49-41. The WV-Yakima boys (18-4) edged Ellensburg 44-39.

Colville plays Sunnyside (13-12) in a 2 p.m. loser-out opener at EWU, followed by the Eastmont-Ellensburg (17-8) boys loser-out contest at 4.

WV-Yakima girls (21-2) play Eastmont at 6 p.m. for the first girls state spot.

WV-Spokane 57, Eastmont 43

Kopp hit two 3-point baskets in the last 10 seconds of the third quarter to break Eastmont’s back.

His second came from near midcourt at the buzzer and gave the Eagles a 45-33 lead.

On the first basket, he said, “We were going for the last shot, but I was wide-open and took it.

“I’d have been yelled at if I missed.”

On the second, he said a referee inadvertently knocked the ball loose from a Wildcats guard. John Focht batted the ball to him and he stroked down his buzzer-beater.

But he said, “It’s defense I love to play. If I score, I score.”

His defense and the work of French midway through the first quarter enabled WV to rally as the teams traded 11-2 runs.

The Eagles applied full-court pressure when the pair entered the game. Kopp’s defense countered Eastmont quickness and French, generously listed at 6-foot-2, hauled down three offensive rebounds and scored two baskets to tie the game.

The teams were separated by a point or two either way until the third quarter when Jason Hollifield hit two uncontested 3-point baskets in the first 4 minutes. Kopp finished things off at the end with his two long-range baskets.

Kopp was the team scoring leader with 14 points. French added eight points and six rebounds.

“Tony probably has the best feet defensively on our team,” said coach Jamie Nilles. “Tonight he hit some big shots and took the wind out of their sails. And Frenchy played his tail off.”

Focht, whose job it was to guard 6-9 Cam Wattling, neutralized his foe well until the fourth quarter, while adding 10 points and eight rebounds.

“The bigger the challenge the more fun it is,” Focht said.

Eastmont 13 10 10 10 - 43

West Valley 13 12 20 12 - 57

Eastmont (16-8) - Spies 0 0-0 0, Brandt 0 0-0 0, Stevens 0 0-0 0, Bryant 0 0-0 0, Sellers 1 0-0 2, Babst 4 1-1 9, Thomas 3 5-5 11, Hannah 1 0-0 2, Coon 1 0-1 2, Peterson 0 0-0 0, Weller 1 2-2 4, Wattling 5 3-6 13. Totals 16 11-15 43. West Valley (20-2) - Kopp 5 2-2 14, Sly 3 0-2 7, McIntyre 2 0-1 4, Pecht 3 1-2 7, Hamilton 0 0-0 0, Gordon 0 0-0 0, Harris 0 0-0 0, Focht 4 2-4 10, Hollifield 2 1-2 7, Allen 0 0-0 0, French 4 0-1 8, Bullock 0 0-0 0. Totals 23 6-14 57.

3-point goals - Kopp 2, Sly, Hollifield 2. Total fouls - Eastmont 18, West Valley 18. Fouled out - None. Technicals - None.

Eastmont 61, Colville 38

Last year’s fourth-place team at the State 3A Tournament may have graduated much of its scoring punch, but it didn’t show against Colville.

Eastmont used superior size to build a 12-point halftime lead and put the game away with an 18-8 margin in the fourth quarter.

The Wildcats dominated the boards behind 6-foot-3 senior Courtney Johnson and got its offense from senior guards Stacey Brownlee and point Tami Summers to overrun Colville.

Brownlee scored a game-high 19 points and Summers pitched in 16, almost exclusively from the field.

Karlie Pein, with nine points, and Audrey Adams, with seven, were the most effective Colville players.

Eastmont 15 15 13 18 - 61

Colville 10 8 12 8 - 38 Eastmont (21-3) - Evenhaus 0 2-2 2, Such 0 0-0 0, Boughton 0 0-0 0, Spies 2 0-1 5, Reinbold 1 0-2 2, Summers 8 0-0 16, Brownlee 8 2-4 19, Johnson 3 0-0 6, Tomco 2 0-0 4, Bromiley 1 0-0 2, Duncan 1 3-4 5, Throneberry 0 0-0 0. Totals 24 5-9 61. Colville (15-7) - Tripp 0 0-0 0, Adams 3 0-0 7, Shaw 0 1-2 1, A. Meinhold 1 2-4 4, McConnell 1 0-0 2, T. Meinhold 0 0-0 0, Fondell 2 0-0 4, Kroiss 1 0-0 2, Sinn 0 3-4 3, Doolin 1 0-0 2, Pein 4 1-2 9, McGrane 2 0-0 4. Totals 15 7-12 38.

3-point goals - Spies, Brownlee, Adams. Total fouls - Eastmont 14, Colville 10. Fouled out - None. Technicals - None.