Colfax, Freeman Let ‘Em Get Away

In the blink of an eye, an opportunity was seized and an opportunity lost.

The Colfax Bulldogs, seconds away from the semifinals of the girls State A high school basketball tournament, had their chances crushed by the most inopportune of circumstances in the Tacoma Dome.

A foul with 1.4 seconds remaining led to two free throws and Toutle Lake’s 54-52 comeback triumph that sent Colfax into the consolation bracket. “It’s a high to a low, which is all it is in a tournament,” said Colfax coach Dave Ebersole. “We’ve got to recover if we want to (earn a) trophy.”

In an earlier loser-out game, Freeman led by 11 points after three quarters only to be eliminated 46-42 by Coupeville. The Scotties ended the season 10-16.

Toutle Lake 54, Colfax 52

Leading 52-48 on Lizzy Mellor’s basket with 1:42 remaining in the game, the Bulldogs unraveled.

Turnovers and a missed one-and-one free-throw opportunity enabled Toutle Lake to maintain hope.

Fighting Duck Shanna Higgins tied the game with 12 seconds remaining. In their haste to get the ball up court, the Bulldogs threw it away and Mellor was whistled for a foul with time nearly expired.

That left it to Toutle’s Kelli Dahlquist to make the pressure-packed free throws that advanced her team to the semifinals of the tournament.

“We were working hard,” said Ebersole. “When it comes down to the stretch, you either make the plays or you don’t.”

The game was extremely physical and foul-filled with both teams flying up and down the court in their uptempo, get-out-of-my-way style.

Toutle got the worst of it in the first half, Colfax going to the line 23 times and leaving four Ducks in foul trouble, but held a 33-28 lead thanks to better field-goal production and 3-point baskets by Dahlquist and Cristy Cooper.

Colfax, which dominated the boards 50-38, got back into the game on the shooting of Becky VanTine and Mellor, plus a clutch 3-point basket by Angie McPherson.

The Bulldogs built a 45-40 lead early in the fourth quarter and things were looking good until, in the blink of an eye, it was over.

VanTine scored 19 points and had 14 rebounds. Mellor had 15 points and 10 rebounds.

But the Bulldogs made just 14 of 27 free-throw attempts and Ebersole admitted they didn’t take particularly good care of the ball, committing 27 turnovers.

Toutle Lake 18 15 7 14 - 54

Colfax 15 13 11 13 - 52

Toutle Lake (22-3)-Ada Weicht 7, Cristy Cooper 10, Kelli Dahlquist 11, Crystal Foster 6, Shanna Higgins 14, Heidi Adams 2, Ashlee Melton 2, Libby Gosselin 2.

Colfax (19-6)-Lizzy Mellor 15, Tara Tribbett 2, Emily Hall 7, Becky VanTine 19, Kelsie VanTine 2, Krystel Pierce 2, Joanna Baldree 2, Angie McPherson 3.

Coupeville 46, Freeman 42

The Scotties controlled their game against Coupeville for the better part of the three quarters.

Shooting by Kristi Larson, Heather Wilkerson and Lindsey Floch enabled the Scotties to build a 28-16 margin in the first half. Freeman scored nine straight points, seven from the free-throw line, in the last 3:32 of the second period. And the score was 37-26 heading into the fourth period.

Then, Freeman seemed almost too patient while the Wolves went on a 16-2 run to grab the lead for the first time since the opening 2 minutes of the game. Floch’s free throw with 43 seconds left tied the game at 42. After Coupeville took the lead on Brianne King’s basket, the Scotties’ Krista Freeman missed a baseline layin attempt and the Wolves clinched the win at the free-throw line.

Coupeville 13 7 6 20 - 46

Freeman 15 13 9 5 - 42

Coupeville (15-10)-Tina Lyness 18, Ashley Ellsworth-Bagby 11, Yashmeen Knox 2, Brianne King 7, Emily Young 4, Jamie Rasmussen 4.

Freeman (10-16)-Kristi Larson 9, Heather Wilkerson 9, Krista Freeman 2, Leslie White 2, Laura Halverson 8, Lindsey Floch 10, Morphy, Heidi Tibbetts 2.