Freeman girls suffer tough loss in semis

YAKIMA – With their state championship dreams on the line the Freeman Scotties found themselves in the worst spot of all – standing and watching while an opponent was in control.

With no time left on the clock the Scotties could only stand and watch as Seattle Christian sophomore Lexi Peterson’s free throw gave the Warriors a 43-42 semifinal win in the State 1A girls basketball tournament in the SunDome.

Freeman (25-1) will play Connell (23-3) in the third-sixth place game at 3:30 today. Seattle Christian will play Granger for the title at 7:30.

The game was a fierce battle in which the Scotties dominated most of the stat sheet categories, battled back from a large first-quarter deficit (10-0 this time) for the third straight night and led for long stretches of the second half.

Yet it hinged on one bang-bang sequence in the final 3 seconds.

Carly Heinen – the Scotties savior the first two games with her heady play and uncanny instinct for having the ball in her hands when a big shot was needed – had tied the game with 10-foot jumper from the right side of the key with 4 seconds remaining.

As the Warriors scrambled to get the ball and move upcourt, a collision in front of the Freeman bench left Peterson tangled up with Heinen as the clock reached zero.

Peterson toed the free-throw line and while the collective composure of the Freeman squad began to crumble, she coolly drilled the first of a double-bonus free-throw opportunity.

Peterson had missed the front of a 1-and-1 with 26 seconds remaining that set up Freeman’s final sequence.

Junior Megan McIntyre led Freeman’s offense with 16 points and 10 rebounds. Heinen had 12 points and eight rebounds and leading scorer MacKenzie Taylor pulled down a game high 13 rebounds.

Kara Kogle led SC with 14 points, and Megan Collier added nine.

Freeman coach Ashley Taylor was unsure if the understandably inconsolable Heinen thought the Scotties needed to get the ball back because they trailed or if she was again trying to make something happen for the team.

“There was a miscommunication,” Taylor said outside a somber Freeman locker room. “If someone has to be blamed, blame me.”

Taylor noted that her squad committed just 13 turnovers – the team goal is 12 – and outrebounded the much taller Warriors by a whopping 25 boards when the team goal is to outrebound the opponent by 10.

Boys

Brewster 59, Lake Roosevelt 48: Wade Gebbers scored 25 points as the Bears (23-6) eliminated the Raiders (16-10), their Caribou Trail League neighbors.

Ed Wolfe had 15 points and three assists for the Raiders, who were 2-3 against Brewster this year.