Richardson rescues Crusaders

It was nearly a carbon copy of last year’s semifinals – same teams, same intensity – and Northwest Christian center Karl Richardson was again limited to one solid half of basketball because of foul trouble.

This time, he played the right half.

Richardson had 18 second-half points to help the Crusaders dig out of an 11-point deficit and beat top-ranked Willapa Valley 51-46 in the first round of the boys State B tournament at the Spokane Arena.

NWC (24-3) trailed 26-15 at the half with the 6-foot-3 Richardson picking up three fouls in 2 minutes, 47 seconds.

Over the last 5:30 of the third quarter, Richardson had eight points during a 17-4 NWC run, including a steal and breakaway layin for the Crusaders’ first lead since the first quarter.

“Having Karl in the middle really collapsed their defense,” NWC head coach Ray Ricks said. “That’s when the guys on the outside move the ball a little more effectively and they have a little more confidence with the ball and good things happen.”

In last year’s semifinals, Richardson picked up his fourth foul right before the Vikings went on a 16-3 second-half run on the way to a 16-point triumph.

While Richardson sat in the first half, the Crusaders shot 17 percent from the field.

“I was doing my best not to foul, but it just went the other way,” Richardson said. “It was really frustrating to sit. They were good shots and they’re good shooters, and they just have to fall and finally they did.”

During NWC’s run, the Vikings (22-3) went 2 for 8 from the field with four turnovers – another bad quarter in their first game at the Arena since a scoreless fourth quarter in last year’s championship loss.

“You’ve got to make a basket. They go 8 for 11, we go 2 for 11, that’s the game,” Valley head coach John Peterson said. “It seems like we always have a quarter when we play poorly.”

It would have been a bigger halftime cushion for the Vikings if not for the first-half efforts of NWC freshman guard Chase Ramey.

Ramey hit three 3-pointers for 13 of his game-high 22 points, accounting for all but two of NWC’s first-half points.

“We weren’t hitting our shots, and someone had to score,” Ramey said. “It was just me, and it kept us hanging in there. I was nervous obviously, but I just shot the ball, didn’t put any pressure on myself and shot it.”

Valley battled back from a five-point deficit, tying the game at 41 on Brady Langer’s three-point play. Joe Grewe’s layin off a sideline out-of-bounds play a minute later gave NWC a 45-43 lead with 1:07 left.

A subsequent defensive stop began a Crusaders parade to the line, where they converted 6 of 8 free throws.

“Our young team showed some senior leadership,” Ricks said. “Even though we only have one of them.”