LC, U-Hi plan another party

For the fifth time in three seasons, Lewis and Clark and University’s girls basketball teams will meet in postseason, with tonight’s game determining the District 8 4A championship for the second straight year.

LC’s second-half pressure, inspired by Hanna Rothstrom and Ula Tauala, wore down Gonzaga Prep 58-40 on Thursday at Central Valley. In the second game at CV, U-Hi outscored the host Bears 20-2 midway through the first half during a 67-41 victory.

“We should just practice together, we play each other so much this time of year,” said U-Hi coach Mark Stinson about LC.

Wins assured both teams home games Tuesday in the first round of the ConAgra Foods/LambWeston Eastern Regional.

The remainder of that tournament, which qualifies three teams to the State 4A tournament, will be played next weekend in Kennewick.

In tonight’s games at CV, Gonzaga Prep (18-3) and CV (14-8) will play at 5:45, with LC (20-2) and U-Hi (18-3) scheduled for 7:45.

LC 58, G-Prep 38: The Tigers got a dose of their pressure medicine early and trailed the hot-shooting, turnover-inducing Bullpups by eight points late in the first quarter.

G-Prep caused 10 first-quarter turnovers and made four 3-pointers for the 18-10 lead.

Thereafter, LC outscored G-Prep 48-20, limiting the Bullpups to 13 second-half points.

“I just think we played hesitant and it was to their credit,” said Tigers coach Jim Redmon of G-Prep. “They get into you and for a half had us on our heels.”

The game turned around on several fronts. G-Prep’s shooting touch departed in part because of the Tigers’ full-court pressure.

Heather Bowman scored nine straight points in the third quarter during a stretch in which LC outscored the Bullpups 14-0.

When Bowman went to the bench in foul trouble, Katelan Redmon stepped in for three baskets in the paint. Then Rothstrom and Tauala stepped up.

“I thought they absolutely brought the energy and the rest came along for the ride,” said Redmon. “Once we started rolling it just kind of took over.”

Rothstrom, playing for the first time in two games because of a painful ankle sprain, bounced around as if it never happened. She grabbed rebounds and broke up one pass after another.

Tauala had a couple of steals and scored three clutch second-half baskets. The first, a 3-pointer, gave LC a 40-30 lead.

“We didn’t do anything other than I told the girls they were playing tight and needed to loosen up,” Redmon.

U-Hi 67, CV 41: The Titans trailed 12-9 but went on a 20-point tear, with 16 of those divvied up between Angie Bjorklund and Dara Zack.

Bjorklund finished with 24 points, 15 rebounds and five assists, while Zack scored 14 points and had 12 rebounds.

All told, the Titans had a 45-25 advantage on the boards.

“If (Tennessee women’s coach) Pat Summitt is right that rebounding wins championships, we need to do a good job on those,” said Stinson.

U-Hi worked the 30-second clock, and hit 54 percent from the field. That minimized CV scoring chances and the Bears only scored two consecutive baskets one time during the second half.