First-time charm

YAKIMA – Talk about a first impression.

Playing in its first state tournament, Colton advanced within one win of a state championship game with a 49-38 victory over Pateros in the State 1B girls basketball tournament Thursday at the SunDome.

The Wildcats aren’t the only area team within reach of a state title. Tekoa-Oakesdale and Sprague-Harrington joined Colton and Sunnyside Christian in the semifinals with respective victories. Colton and Sunnyside Christian square off at 4 p.m. today, and S-H plays T-O at 7:30.

Meanwhile, Inchelium, Garfield-Palouse and Cusick remain alive in the consolation bracket.

Colton 49, Pateros 38

As a team – and a school and a community – that has zero experience with being in this position at a state basketball tournament, Colton can attribute its success to the Wildcats’ up-tempo offense and a favorable draw.

Colton (22-5) raced ahead 16-8 by the end of the first quarter and appeared to convince the Nannies that they needed to hoist a bevy of 3-point attempts to keep pace. Pateros made only 7 of 26 attempts from beyond the arc, however, and was 12 for 56 overall (21.4 percent).

“That’s how we play every game – we run,” said Rochelle Druffel, who scored 12 points. “Our job is to tire out the other team and keep pushing the ball.”

Alisa Moehrle scored 13 points for Colton, which outrebounded Pateros 48-31.

Wildcats coach Clark Vining admitted his team has benefited from a draw in which Colton has played one team with a losing record and another that finished second in its league. Sunnyside Christian projects to be the Wildcats’ strongest foe thus far.

“Sunnyside Christian is a pretty solid ballclub,” Vining said. “They have a great tradition and have been here, how many times? I know it’s more than once.”

Tekoa-Oakesdale 37, Curlew 26

T-O’s zone defense baffled the state’s top-ranked team, and Shelby Puckett and Kelsi Graffis scored 10 points apiece to lead the Nighthawks into the semifinals.

The Nighthawks (19-7) held Curlew to seven points in the second half. Cougars Nichole Miller and Amanda Grumbach combined to average nearly 33 points per game entering the tournament, but T-O held Miller to nine points and foul-plagued Grumbach to four.

“The game plan was to stop (Miller) and Amanda Grumbach,” said Graffis. “We worked so hard. It was intense in practice. Coach (Greg Faunce) was in our ears, ‘Pick it up, pick it up.’ It gets us going.”

Curlew led 10-7 after the first quarter, but the Nighthawks rallied to seize a one-point lead at halftime (20-19). The Cougars closed within 27-24 early in the fourth quarter on Miller’s layin, but T-O responded with five straight points – including Jessica DeGon’s crucial 3-pointer – to turn away the threat.

Puckett grabbed 11 rebounds.

Sprague-Harrington 71, Mary Knight 34

Roni Jo Mielke scored 21 of her game-high 24 points in the first half, and the Falcons looked like the title contender they’ve been predicted to be.

S-H led 47-11 at halftime and outscored the Owls 31-4 in the second quarter. S-H coach Ed Shields said Mary Knight scored “16 or 17 points” against the Falcons’ starting lineup.

Mielke made 4 of 5 3-pointers. Backcourt mate Natalie Deking made 8 of 13 shots and finished with 18 points.

Sunnyside Christian 66, Inchelium 57

The method to Inchelium’s madness made it one of the most feared teams remaining in the winner’s bracket.

What Inchelium coach Rod Hergesheimer defines as “32 minutes of organized chaos” eventually led to the Hornets’ undoing, however, as fatigue doomed their effort in a tough loss in the state quarterfinals.

Inchelium (18-6) still can place as high as fourth with two more victories. The Hornets play Pateros today at 12:30 p.m. in a loser-out game.

Inchelium led the entire game until Marlene Van Wingerden’s putback gave Sunnyside Christian its first lead at 49-48 with 6 minutes remaining in the game.

Chenise Pakootas led Inchelium with 12 points.

Garfield-Palouse 56, Taholah 30

Gar-Pal kept alive its hunt for state hardware, capitalizing on a dominant second quarter.

The Vikings (15-10) outscored Taholah 20-9 in the second quarter to stretch its lead to 27-15 at halftime. The Chitwhins turned the ball over 26 times, sabotaging their effort to come back in the second half.

Katie Redman and Courtney Shoemaker paced Gar-Pal with 13 points apiece. Bridget Bower added seven points, eight steals, eight rebounds and four assists.

Cusick 47, Neah Bay 37

Amanda Smith tallied 11 points, 15 rebounds and seven blocked shots to spur the Panthers to victory in a loser-out contest.

The Panthers held Neah Bay to 13-for-76 shooting (17.1 percent) and outrebounded the Redskins 70-47. Cusick’s Elisha Edmiston had 11 rebounds.

Smith scored seven points in the first half to give Cusick (12-14) a 23-17 lead at halftime.