Rubber match goes to U-Hi

For Angie Bjorklund, the third meeting between her University Titans and the Lewis and Clark Tigers this year for the eastern regional girls basketball championship was about enjoying the moment.

“We just came out from the beginning and said let’s have fun,” she said. “We didn’t come out scared or too intense.”

Two teams with mutual respect and an abundance of talent came ready and relaxed to produce an amazing, entertaining and record-setting show in their third meeting this season.

The Titans, with an 81-71 overtime victory won their first title in the ConAgra/Lamb Weston tournament at Gonzaga University in three finals appearances, prompting coach Mark Stinson to remark that they needed practice in cutting down nets.

It was the highest scoring game in the 18-year history of the tournament and produced several other marks as well, not to mention showcasing some of the best players in GSL history.

To mention three, Bjorklund’s 37 points were just three off the single-game record of 40 set by Central Valley’s Courtney Hepton in 1992. She made all 13 of her free throws to tie the single-game mark as University hit 34 of 36 tries from the line. And her 85 tournament points were seven off the record.

Her sister Jami scored 23 more. Foul-plagued from the game’s outset, she got 20 of them in the second half. She was perfect in 11 trips to the free throw line.

For LC, Briann January finished with 26 points, including seven of LC’s 11 3-point baskets. She tied the single-game record with nine assists and set a tourney record with 22.

University’s 224 points in three games was a regional record. The old mark, 206 by Kennewick in 2000, was also surpassed by LC’s 212.

But the game wasn’t entirely about individual stars or records. It was about key contributions throughout both lineups that served to make this game the thriller it was.

“Our bench all year has been exceptional,” said Stinson. “Sometimes they play a lot, sometimes they don’t. But I always have confidence in them.”

Sub Kara Crisp’s 3-point basket, after LC had rallied to take a 52-49 lead in the fourth quarter and two free throws by reserve post Janna Erickson a minute later were huge while Jami Bjorklund was on the bench with her fourth foul.

LC’s Ula Tauala scored nine second-half points. And the biggest at the time was Jade Peone’s bank with 4 seconds left that sent the game into overtime.

Overtime, however, was all U-Hi. After Jami Bjorklund scored to break the 67-67 tie, U-Hi made 12 of 14 free throws to salt the game away.

“The big issue,” said a disconsolate Tigers coach Jim Redmon, “was we had a hard time guarding them one on one. They did a nice job of spreading it out. They did a nice job on the boards. And when you have a 34-8 imbalance in foul shots, you have a problem.”

LC took an early five-point lead and both Jami Bjorklund and Tonya Schnibbe took an early seat with two fouls apiece in the first quarter.

But five Titans scored, led by Angie Bjorklund, to go up 18-13 after a quarter. The Tigers rallied back behind Heather Bowman and January. Free throws by Emily Kuipers and Angie Bjorklund put U-Hi back ahead at halftime. Angie Bjorklund had 20 of U-Hi’s 31 points.

Three 3-point baskets by January brought the Tigers back in the third quarter before U-Hi’s two subs came through in the fourth.

“I can’t think about it,” said Crisp of her 3-pointer for a 52-all tie. “I’ve got to shoot or I’ll get benched.”

Erickson’s free throws were sandwiched between two scores by Angie Bjorklund for a lead that held up until Peone’s shot.

Jami Bjorkund scored 12 of her points in the game’s final 1:35 of regulation and in overtime and had a huge rebound and made two free throws with 13 seconds.

In the loser-out, winner-to-state games, Gonzaga Prep and Mt. Spokane saw their seasons end.

Eisenhower 70, Gonzaga Prep 57

Second-chance points by the Cadets (23-2) were the difference as they earned their first trip to state since 1993.

Ike scored 22 points following offensive rebounds, while the Bullpups (19-7) managed just one putback in the game. Still, it took a 16-2 run by the winners during a 6-minute span in the third quarter that carried over into the fourth to put the game away.

Richland 58, Mt. Spokane 40

By the time the Wildcats scored, 5 minutes into the game, they were staring at a 16-point deficit. Getting back into the game against a much more physical and active team proved next to impossible given the fact that except for a stretch late in the second quarter, aggression went uncalled.

Mt. Spokane didn’t get its first field goal until 1:16 remained in the first quarter and trailed by as many as 20 points in the first half.

Eight free throws in the final 2:55 of the second quarter and another to start the third got the Wildcats as close as 11. Richland (22-3) started the fourth quarter with a 7-1 burst to end any chances of a comeback.