GSL flexes its muscle at state

TACOMA – The Greater Spokane League’s formidable girls basketball reputation remained intact with a sweep of three State 4A opening games, including a strong effort by third-seeded Mead.

The Panthers outgunned Jackson 74-59 in the featured middle game of the three-game set. Lewis and Clark began the day with a 59-36 win over outgunned Puyallup and University completed things by scrambling past Lake Stevens 53-43.

Next up for LC’s Tigers (23-3) and Mead’s Panthers (22-6) are a pair of unbeatens. LC faces Roosevelt (24-0), a 61-27 winner over Central Kitsap, at 3:30 p.m. Mead plays Kentwood (26-0) at 5 p.m. The Conquerors beat Skyview 58-44, Courtney Vandersloot and Lindsey Moore combining for 38 points.

U-Hi (24-2) plays Bothell (16-8), a 59-41 winner over Kentlake, in tonight’s 8:30 finale.

Mead 74, Jackson 59: For players making their first state appearance in the Tacoma Dome, the Panthers made themselves right at home.

Playing loose from the get-go and led by seniors Alysha Green and Kelli Valentine, Mead matched Jackson and scoring machine Kristi Kingma point for point and their depth of contributors eventually wore the Timberwolves (21-3) down.

Green scored 11 points in the first quarter alone, en route to 18 in the game. Valentine produced a scoring outburst reminiscent of her sophomore season. She had 14 first-half points and finished the day with a team-high 23.

“That’s what seniors do,” said coach Regan Drew. “When they are winding down their careers, they do those types of things.”

That more than offset the 31 by Kingma. When she was on the floor, 6-foot-5 Alexis Olgard neutralized Oregon State recruit Brittany Eskridge, Jackson’s 6-2 post.

It was an open game from the outset and Mead showed no nervousness, matching Jackson point for point until baskets by Green and Valentine had back-to-back baskets for a 17-12 lead late in the first quarter.

“The kids are confident they can play with anybody,” said Drew. “There was no reason not to be loose. We were the No. 3 seed. If you’re nervous, hesitant or timid you’ve got a problem.”

Midway through the second quarter Valentine scored five straight and as the quarter wore down, free throws put the team ahead 39-29.

The Panthers rattled off nine points in a row after an early third-quarter lull upping the margin to 48-31.

Kingma tried to shoot the Timberwolves back into the game when Kami Clark left with a cut eyelid in the fourth quarter. But different players made clutch shots, Clark and Valentine among them.

LC 59, Puyallup 36: Depth has been a vital part of LC’s style of play. With two starters saddled with fouls on the bench, it played an even more important role in the Tigers’ tournament-opening victory.

Katelan Redmon, who got the Tigers off to a quick start in the 9 a.m. opener in the Tacoma Dome, picked up two fouls in the first quarter, two more back-to-back in the third and sat. Ula Tauala had her third in the second quarter and her fourth in the third and sat.

So LC relied on other sources and Kiki January responded. January scored a dozen points including a timely third-quarter 3-pointer that helped the team pull away.

“I do what I can,” said January. “I get the job done differently.”

Redmon scored nine first-quarter points as the Tigers zipped to a 19-5 lead, mainly with pressure that produced 17 first-quarter turnovers.

Had LC made more than 13 of the 38 shots it took in the half, said coach Jim Redmon, Puyallup might have folded.

Instead, it rallied to within five points in the second quarter before a basket by January and two by Lyndi Seidensticker, including the only 3-pointer of LC’s half, put the capper on a 28-18 lead.

The Tigers closed out the third quarter on a 13-3 run with both Redmon (who finished with 13 points) and Tauala on the bench.

They opened the third quarter with two January free throws, giving her eight of the 15 points, and a 45-23 lead that settled the contest.

“Kiki was huge today,” said Jim Redmon. “She started slow this season, but her confidence has built.”

U-Hi 53, Lake Stevens 43: It wasn’t pretty, except perhaps for the Titans’ free-throw shooting proficiency, but they advanced to the quarterfinals

U-Hi was 14 for 16 from the line in the first half and 22-29 for the game in turning back the pesky Vikings.

“Well, that one’s out of the way,” said coach Mark Stinson, at a loss for explanation. “I don’t know what it was. They’re big and we helped them by shooting into their hands.”

Lake Stevens trailed by as many as 18 points early in the third quarter, but hot outside shooting by Mary Ochiltree, who made three 3-pointers and totaled 11 points, wiped all but five of those out by quarter’s end.

The Titans got back to the line in the fourth quarter to hold the lead.

Neither team shot well in the first half, the Titans at 25 percent, the Vikings at 23.8. But U-Hi took a 17-7 quarter lead with eight of those coming on free throws and with Angie Bjorklund on the bench with two fouls herself.

Upon her return, Bjorklund made two free throws and a 3-pointer as the Titans stretched their lead to 28-12. Bjorklund scored twice more in the third quarter to make it 34-16 with 5:42 to play. Then Ochiltree got hot and U-Hi struggled to its conclusion.

Bjorklund finished with 15 points and Leah Archibald added 10.