DeSales’ Robison comes through big time
Margot Robison came into Saturday’s tournament action averaging less than five points a game. She had little trouble eclipsing that.
Robison hit 6 of 8 3-pointers and finished with 21 points as the DeSales Irish beat Garfield-Palouse 53-44 to earn fifth place at the State B Tournament Saturday at the Arena. The Vikings took home the eight-place trophy.
With post Andrea Wujek in foul trouble much of the game, Robison took things into her own very capable hands.
“I just figured it was my last game so I have to give it my all,” the 5-foot-6 senior said. “I knew they’d be doubling down on everyone else, and I just thought, I usually don’t score that much, so I thought someone else needs to pick it up. Last year we got eighth place and we wanted something a little better.”
The Irish (21-8) were able keep the Vikings (24-4) at bay by getting Gar-Pal post Monica Boone in foul trouble early. Boone, who averaged 15.2 points per game coming in, scored just eight points on 4-of-12 shooting and didn’t score until midway through the third quarter.
“Monica’s a main cog in our offense,” Garfield-Palouse head coach Steve Swinney said. “When she had to sit a quarter and a half, it took us out of our game.”
With the posts in constant foul trouble, it set the stage for a Robison-Holli Holbrook shootout. Holbrook, the Vikings’ point guard, led all scorers with 24 points, 14 in the first half. She finished 8 of 15 from the floor, adding six rebounds and four assists, and had seven points and an assist during an 11-0 run that tied the game at 37 early in the fourth quarter.
But every time Holbrook was able to make a play, Robison and the Irish answered. Robison hit a 3-pointer to stop the run, and after the game was tied 42, the Irish used an 11-2 run to close it out.
“Margot could always shoot the ball,” DeSales head coach Tim Duncan said. “She sometimes struggles with her frame of mind, but we always knew she could shoot. We needed someone to take Andrea’s place, and she stepped up.”
Which isn’t to say Wujek played poorly. The senior still managed to rack up 14 points and a game-high nine rebounds despite the smallest amount of playing time she had all tournament.
“It was so great to see Margot,” Wujek said. “She’s a great 3-point shooter, and really stepped it up. I had fun playing against them. It was fun to watch Holli and Margot. It seemed like every time Holli would hit a 3, Margot would come right back and hit one.”
Robison’s timely shooting and the finishing run allowed DeSales to send off its five seniors in a way only a quarter of the State B teams can: with a victory.
“Only four teams that finish state on a winning note,” Duncan said. “I talked to the team before the game and it’s a lot easier to tell everyone goodbye after a win. Let’s go out and win this one and have a lot happier locker room and bid farewell on a positive note.”
Other teams finishing on a positive note were LaSalle (23-3), who knocked off Mossyrock (22-5) 46-38 to earn the fourth-place trophy, and Curlew (25-6), who rode the 22 points of Amanda Grumbach to a 61-39 rout of Sprague-Harrington (24-7) to earn the third-place trophy.
Mossyrock and Sprague-Harrington finished seventh and sixth, respectively.