University triumphs in regional opener
Although it was somewhat of an off night for the University Titans, it was a rather successful evening for the Greater Spokane League.
The Titans took a 20-6 lead after the first quarter and Angie Bjorklund broke another record as the University girls basketball team thumped an overmatched Wenatchee squad 68-36 Tuesday night at the 4A Eastern Regional tournament at U-Hi.
Elsewhere, Lewis and Clark, Mead and Shadle Park all won as the GSL swept Columbia Basin League teams in the opening round.
Shadle will face a familiar foe in the LC Tigers, while Mead will once again square off with U-Hi.
The teams meet in the semifinals at 4 and 5:30 p.m. Friday, respectively, at Kennewick’s Toyota Center.
Walla Walla and Pasco will play at 4 p.m. and Moses Lake and Wenatchee will play at 5:30 p.m. in loser-out games.
University 68, Wenatchee 36: On this night, it was the Titans’ stubborn defense that stood out, as U-Hi (21-2) held Wenatchee (13-12) to six points in the first and third quarters and limited the Panthers to 35 percent shooting from the field.
“That’s what you have to hang your hat on in the playoffs is defense,” U-Hi coach Mark Stinson said. “We had a few lapses, but overall I think we did a real nice job on the defensive end.”
The Titans forced 19 turnovers and limited the Panthers’ leading scorer, freshman Dani Hallberg, to 10 points.
Not that it would have made a difference, but Wenatchee was just 3 for 10 from the line.
Clearly, the Titans weren’t hurting for points.
But it wasn’t their best offensive effort.
The Titans were just 6 for 26 from 3-point range and finished 29 for 71 from the field, missing more open shots under the basket than any coach would prefer.
“Sometimes the open shots are the hardest ones to make,” Stinson joked. “The game didn’t have a lot of flow and I have to give Wenatchee credit. They did a nice job of taking us out of our rhythm.”
Carrying U-Hi in the first half was Dara Zack.
The senior wing had 11 of her 17 points in the first half and finished 8 of 13 from the field with a game-high 15 rebounds to notch the double-double. She also had three steals.
Bjorklund tied Crystal Lee’s (Central Valley) regional tournament all-time career scoring record of 194 points (set from 1995-97) with 1 minute left in the first quarter.
She broke the record in the second quarter on a breakaway layin that gave the Titans a 27-17 lead.
The senior guard, who scored just six points in the first half, finished with 22 points on 9-of-14 shooting, led the Titans with four assists and four steals, and pulled down 13 rebounds.
“As a team I thought we could have played better,” Bjorklund said. “We’ll take this game and learn from it, and hopefully come out stronger in our next game. We can’t play like that again. Every game counts now.”
The Titans dominated on the boards, outrebounding the Panthers 47-28.
Freshman guard Dakota Schiermeister added nine points for the Titans.
Lewis and Clark C 62, Walla Walla 40: Katelan Redmon led all players with 25 points and finished with eight rebounds as the Tigers (21-2) rolled past the Blue Devils (16-7) at LC.
The Tigers collected 14 steals, led by junior guard Brittany Kennedy’s six.
Lyndi Seidensticker contributed 12 points and Kennedy added eight for LC.
Melissa Eastman scored 24 points to lead Walla Walla.
Mead 61, Moses Lake 46: The Panthers (19-5) overcame a nine-point deficit after three quarters, outscoring Moses Lake 28-4 in the fourth quarter for the win.
Four Panthers finished with double-digit scoring.
Alysha Green led all players with 19 points. She also had seven rebounds, six assists and four steals.
Kami Clark added 15 points for Mead. Jazmine Redmon finished with 13 and Kelli Valentine scored 10.
Marielle McKean finished with 14 points to lead the Chiefs (20-3).
Shadle Park 43, Pasco 41: Lexi Bishop finished with 15 points and Lexie Pettersen added 13 as the Highlanders (16-8) topped the CBL No. 1-seeded Bulldogs.
Bishop and Pettersen had eight rebounds apiece in the win.
Danielle Walter led the Bulldogs (21-2) with 12 points.