Dynamic duo leads Curlew
Nichole Miller has had every kind of defense possible thrown at her over the past three years, according to Curlew head coach Dan Miller, Nichole’s father.
Constant double- and triple-teams are the norm for the Cougars’ junior center, and she has blown through them all to the tune of 34 points and 15 rebounds in the first two games of this year’s State B basketball tournament.
“When in doubt, get them in the paint,” Dan Miller said, “and Nichole is one of the toughest you’ll ever find in the paint.”
Friday’s semifinal at the Spokane Arena would be no different, as Miller scored 22 points and hit all 10 of her free-throw attempts as Curlew cruised to a 56-40 victory over St. John-Endicott, lifting the Cougars to their first state title game since winning the A/B title in 1977, the year before the first State B girls tournament.
“I think we came out flat today and didn’t get the start we needed to, and we ran into a solid, solid team,” SJE head coach Don Kemper said. “Their shots were falling; we were getting some good looks in the first quarter and they didn’t fall, and we just dug ourselves into a hole.”
Curlew rebounded from a pair of their own flat starts in their first two tournament games, mixing up its lineup and riding on the heels of forward Amanda Grumbach and Miller, who improved to 36 for 36 from the free-throw line in seven State B games. The duo combined for 13 of Curlew’s 16 first-quarter points, capped by Miller’s bank shot inside over the collapsing SJE defense, to give the Cougars an eight-point lead after 8 minutes.
“I think the fact that we had a chance to play for the championship sparked this team to come out more intense and hard, and it helped out,” Grumbach said. “Moving the ball around and cutting, which is something we don’t normally do, finally came together.”
The second quarter was more of the same, as Curlew took advantage of three first-half fouls by center Kristy Curtis and guard Ellen Miller, who scored a season-low nine points. The Cougars hit all seven of their free-throw attempts in the quarter, including four straight by backup center Mackenzie Wilson, to build a 17-point lead.
SJE finally started to build some momentum without Miller and senior point guard Sydney Gossard on the floor to close the half, scoring five straight points in 31 seconds. Jodi Heitstuman started the run with a three-point play, then Jamie Hedlund hit a bank shot on the right side of the lane to cut SJE’s deficit to 12 at halftime.
“We started getting our energy where it should’ve been. We didn’t play with confidence in the beginning, and Curlew did.” Kemper said. “They took it to us.”
The momentum would shift again 41 seconds into the second half when Ellen Miller picked up her fourth foul. With the Whitman County League’s leading scorer on the bench and Curtis hobbling on a knee she reinjured in the first half, Curlew managed to hold serve throughout the third quarter and put the game out of reach in the fourth.
Gossard and Nicole Scheuerman hit back-to-back 3s to bring the Eagles within 10 points, but Grumbach found Wilson and Kyanne Somday in the same spot next to the basket on back-to-back plays, and April Barkley hit a 3 from the right side for a 17-point lead with 1:42 left.