Falcons roll to state berth
Roni Jo Mielke scored a game-high 38 points, leading Sprague-Harrington to a 67-43 win over St. John-Endicott Friday in a District 9 1B girls playoff game at Colfax High School.
With the win, the Falcons are guaranteed a spot in the state tournament.
Mielke went 12 of 14 from the free-throw line and scored 14 points in the decisive fourth quarter.
Katlyn Lowman tossed in seven points and Jackie Lowman and Natalie Deking added six points apiece for Sprague-Harrington (21-3), which quickly jumped ahead 22-9 in the first quarter.
Senior Ellen Miller tallied a team-high 15 points for the Eagles (11-14), who are finished for the season. Miller ends her high school career with 1,180 points.
In other tournament action, Bridget Bower scored 15 points as Garfield-Palouse topped Tri-Cities Prep 54-31 at Colfax Elementary, earning the Vikings a spot in the state tournament. Garfield-Palouse (15-9) jumped out to a quick start, outscoring the Jaguars (7-17) 11-2 in the first quarter and 13-6 in the second. Courtney Shoemaker chipped in nine points and Elisha Lopez and Emily Boone added eight points apiece for the Vikings. … Garfield-Palouse will meet Sprague-Harrington today at 1 p.m. to determine the third and fourth seeds to the state tournament. Tekoa-Oakesdale (16-7) and Colton (20-4) will play at 4 p.m. to decide the championship and the top two seeds from the district.
Boys
Warren Miller scored a game-high 25 points as St. John-Endicott beat Tekoa-Oakesdale 68-55 at Colfax High School, earning the Eagles a trip to the state tournament. Phillip Luft tossed in 11 points and Jeff Lust added 10 for St. John-Endicott (13-12), which outscored the Nighthawks 24-13 in the fourth quarter to put the game away. Alex Hovde tallied a team-high 16 points and Casey Cook added 15 for Tekoa-Oakesdale (18-6), which is finished for the season. … In other tournament action, Tri-Cities Prep will be heading to the state tournament for the first time after beating Rosalia 61-44 at Colfax Elementary. Andrew Ott scored a game-high 21 points and added 10 rebounds and five blocks to lead the Jaguars, who outscored the Spartans 15-6 in the decisive fourth quarter. Drew English tallied a team-high 14 points to lead Rosalia (12-13), which is finished for the season. Tri-Cities Prep (18-6) will face St. John-Endicott today at 2:30 p.m. to determine the third and fourth seeds to state. LaCrosse-Washtucna (11-14) and Liberty Christian will meet at 6:30 for the championship and the top two seeds to state. … The 16-team state tournament begins Wednesday morning at the Yakima SunDome.