District 8 3A girls: Kamiakin beats top-seeded Mt. Spokane for district title

It’s tough to enter the playoffs without your point guard.

Top-seeded Mt. Spokane was uncharacteristically ragged with the ball – especially early – and second-seeded Kamiakin (20-2) topped the Wildcats (12-10) 59-51 in the girls District 8 3A championship game at the Spokane Arena on Thursday.

Oumou Toure scored 21 points and Alexa Hazel added 14 for the Braves.

Aspyn Adams, who took over point duties from her twin sister Averi – out for the balance with an injury – led the Wildcats with 22 points and Emily Nelson added 13.

Mt. Spokane will face Kennewick in the second-place game for a berth to regionals on Friday at 3 p.m. at the Arena.

“We’re going to come out and play hard tomorrow,” Mt. Spokane coach David Pratt said. “We want to go. We want to keep playing and I know our kids want to keep playing. Kennewick is going to bring it so we’ll be ready to go.”

Kamiakin, rated No. 5 in 3A in WIAA’s RPI calculations, came out of the locker room hot and scored the first six points of the game while Mt. Spokane had trouble breaking the Braves’ pressure.

Toure made a contested layup and hit the free throw to give Kamiakin a 9-2 lead and Rylie Clark’s 3-pointer made it 18-7.

“You’re not going to win games when you turn the ball over that many times,” Pratt said. “We turned the ball over way more than we’re used to. Credit to their defense, but we just chucked it.

“We have kids that haven’t been in this position before. I don’t want to take anything away from (Kamiakin’s) pressure.”

Still, Pratt had praise for Aspyn Adams.

“She’s awesome,” he said. “We lose our point guard to a year-ending injury and Aspyn has been taking on that role and still scoring big numbers.”

The Wildcats warmed up and chipped away. Alyssa Powell converted a three-point play and Mt. Spokane trailed 20-15 after one.

Kamiakin scored the first two baskets of the second quarter but the Wildcats used a seven-point spurt, capped by a 3-pointer by Powell, to get within two midway through the second.

Kamiakin responded with a 10-3 run and went into intermission leading 36-26.

Toure earned her fourth foul with just more than 6 minutes left in third and was forced to the bench and Mt. Spokane mounted a charge.

Emma Main drained a 3-pointer and Adams made three consecutive free throws and a layup to draw the Wildcats within two with just more than 2 minutes left in the quarter.

Again, Kamiakin punched back. Jayden Williams scored inside, then Hazel made another 3 and a layup to put the Braves back up by nine at the end of the third.

But Toure picked up a basket and a pair of free throws to start the fourth quarter and Regan Clark’s short jumper made it 53-41.

Adams drilled a pair of 3-pointers to cut the deficit to six with 2:33 remaining, and Sammie Maher’s layup made it 55-51.

Again, Toure hit a short jump shot to get it back to six with 1 1/2 minutes left and Mt. Spokane didn’t have another run.

“Every time we tried to make a run, we’d do something that would end up going in their favor,” Pratt said.

“We battled. We were in the game three or four times down the stretch and had opportunities to come back and win it. We’d just turn it over or miss a shot.”

Kennewick 52, North Central 51: Reilyn Davis hit her only basket of the game – a banked-in 3-pointer with time expiring – and the fourth-seeded Lions (14-9) edged the No. 3 seed Indians (13-12) at the Arena.

Aislin Fiander led Kennewick with 15 points and eight rebounds.

Quincy McDeid led North Central with 19 points and Adria Blocker added 10.