Rogers goes to state; trip 1st since ’75

RICHLAND – The Rogers Pirates have not been to the state basketball tournament since 1975, so it was only fitting that they waited until the final minute of Friday night’s 3A Eastern Regional championship game to secure that long-awaited berth.

“It’s been a long, long time, but it was definitely worth the wait,” said Rogers coach Tim Wood, whose team defeated the Shadle Park Highlanders 61-55 to earn a trip to the Tacoma Dome and set off a wild celebration of players, coaches and fans at Hanford High School.

“To come back the way we did was no surprise because our kids our grinders. This is the way we’ve played the last two weeks. These kids refuse to give up.”

The Pirates (12-13) trailed by 11 points at halftime and were down 48-41 after three quarters before Jesse Vaughn decided it was time to take over the game. The 6-foot-5 senior forward scored 15 of his 19 points in the fourth quarter, including a drive down the lane with 1:21 remaining to give his team its first lead of the game and one it didn’t relinquish.

“I struggled with my shooting, but everybody just told me to stick with it,” Vaughn said. “But it’s not just me. This is about a team with a lot of heart. Everybody contributed and that’s the way it’s been all season. That’s why we’re cutting down the nets and why we’re going to state.”

So are the Shadle girls, who were sharp early and late and just good enough in between to defeat West Valley (Yakima) 44-35 and earn their first state berth since 2000.

“What an awesome deal for these girls. I’m so pleased,” said Highlanders coach Chad Dezellem, whose team improved to 19-5. “Tonight, we did what we’ve been doing all season. We played tough defense, boxed out; we just played a great all-around game.”

The North Central girls, meanwhile, won’t be going to Tacoma next week, but they gained what should be plenty of valuable experience down the road. The Indians (3-22), who feature six sophomores, four freshmen and a junior, lost to Hanford 69-36 in an elimination game.

The Shadle boys (19-5), who defeated Rogers twice during the Greater Spokane League season, can take the back door to state with a victory today against West Valley-Yakima in a 3:45 p.m. game.

On Friday, the Rams had to sweat it out against CBBN-rival Sunnyside until the final 30 seconds before prevailing 54-47.

The Highlanders, no doubt, will look for another strong effort from WSU-bound guard Anthony Brown, who finished with a game-high 25 points and seven rebounds against Rogers. But Brown could not take advantage of his opportunities late, missing a pair of free throws with 43 seconds to play and his team behind 56-54. A free throw by Zach Nelson and a basket by Pat McCabe gave Rogers a 59-54 lead with 25 seconds left.

“We just kept battling,” Vaughan said. “I think the best way to describe this team is that we have a lot of heart. We don’t get rattled when things aren’t going our way.”

Dillon Franklin scored 15 points and Nelson finished with 14 for the Pirates. Matt Barnes was the only other Highlander in double figures with 10 points before fouling out.

Girls

Shadle Park 44, West Valley-Yakima 35: The Highlanders took command early, building a 20-7 lead at the 5:44 mark of the second quarter before settling for a 25-16 halftime lead. The Rams had no answer for Shadle freshman forward Aleisha Hathaway, who scored 10 straight points for her team during one stretch, totaled 14 before intermission and finished with a game-high 18.

“She sure doesn’t play like a freshman, she plays more like a senior,” Dezellem said. “We needed somebody to step up and score, and she came off the bench and gave us a huge lift.”

Despite Hathaway’s first-half outburst, West Valley hung tough and twice pulled to within one point in the second half, the final time at 33-32 with 5:52 remaining. But the Highlanders answered with a 7-0 run on baskets by Kendra Knutsen and Chelsea Chandler, and a 3-pointer from Lindsay Niemeier, to take control for good.

Bianca Pope finished with 10 points and a game-high eight rebounds for Shadle Park. The Highlanders also enjoyed a big advantage at the free-throw line. They were perfect on eight attempts while the Rams made only 1 of 13. West Valley will play Hanford at 2 p.m. today for the region’s second berth to the state tournament.

Hanford 69, North Central 36: The Indians never discovered their shooting touch, sinking only 9 of 51 attempts (18 percent) from the field. Sophomore Savannah Kolterman made just 1 of 10 shots but converted 11 of 12 free throws to finish with a game-high 13 points. Sophomore Tara VanWeerdhuizen and freshman Hailey Markhan-Patti added seven apiece.

The Falcons, who led 18-6 after one quarter and 40-21 at halftime, were led by 6-2 junior center Laura Hughes with 15 points and 12 rebounds. Hanford outrebounded North Central 54-33.