Hustling McGree leads La Salle into semifinals

When two rivals square off as many times as La Salle and Sunnyside Christian’s girls basketball teams, players and coaches alike know what to expect. Skill and execution get thrown out the window, and desire makes the difference.

Molly McGree wasn’t gonna let anyone get in her way.

McGree scored four points in the final 38.6 seconds and added a slew of key hustle plays in the final 21/2 minutes, willing La Salle to a 41-37 victory in a State B quarterfinal game at the Spokane Arena.

“McGree’s a great kid and a tough competitor,” Lightning coach Todd Kent said. “She always seems to step up in the fourth quarter; she always seems to step up in big situations.”

McGree took over a tight game in the closing minutes, diving in between three Sunnyside Christian players to force an alternating possession in the Lightning’s favor, pulling down a pair of offensive rebounds and coming up with a key blocked shot.

As with any time two teams play each other for the fourth time in a season, the game started out sloppy. La Salle (23-2) was the first team to really get anything going, as McGree and Theresa Anderton hit back-to-back baskets to give the Lightning an early 6-1 lead.

“We’ve played them three times before, and we knew they were gonna come out really strong,” McGree said. “We worked hard, we worked as a team and we knew we had to get it done.”

Sunnyside Christian head coach Al Smeenk’s teams have long been known to get to the free-throw line, and that’s exactly how the Knights (19-7) responded. They went to the line 14 times in the first half, led by Emma Newhouse’s eight attempts, and held a three-point lead midway through the second quarter.

But unlike in past performances, SC couldn’t convert at the line. Five times the Knights went to the line for two shots in the second quarter, and five times they hit just one of two.

“Obviously, free throws are important, but it also depends on who goes to the line,” Smeenk said. “We had some younger girls that were working hard, but they weren’t our best free-throw shooters.

Meanwhile, La Salle converted in transition, as well as in their half-court offensive sets. The Lightning took over the game with a 7-0 run late in the second, capped by Monica Schneider scoring inside over four Knights defenders to take a four-point lead.

SC tied the game early in the third on a Tori Van Wingerden basket inside, but Jasmine Stohr hit a free throw and Monica Schneider added a breakaway layup a minute later to give the Lightning a lead they would not relinquish.

The victory also gives the Lightning their first semifinal trip in their four State B appearances.

“I’ve been here three years in a row, and we haven’t won a game on the second day,” Kent said. “It felt great to get an opportunity to get us over that hump.”

Mossyrock 62, Shoreline Christian 61: In the late game, Lexi Belcher overcame a 5-of-16 shooting performance to hit all six of her free-throw attempts in the fourth quarter, and Corina Allen hit two free throws of her own with 36.2 seconds left as Mossyrock earned its first State B semifinal appearance since 1992.

Colleen Woods gave Shoreline Christian (25-3) a chance with a pair of 3-pointers in the fourth quarter, and Julia DeKoekkoek put the Crusaders ahead with two free throws with 56 seconds left.

But Allen’s free throws held up for the Vikings (25-1), as Woods and Tess Hodges each missed potential game-winning shots in the final 25 seconds.

Mossyrock and La Salle will meet in a rematch of last year’s fourth-place game, which the Lightning won 46-38.