State 2A/1A: West Valley boys, Lakeside girls eliminated from state tournament
YAKIMA – Last weekend, the West Valley boys basketball team couldn’t finish.
Wednesday afternoon at the Yakima Valley SunDome, the fourth-seeded Eagles couldn’t get started.
West Valley’s slow start carried past halftime, and the Eagles didn’t make the most of what chances they had, falling to No. 12 Franklin Pierce 59-50 in a loser-out game at the State 2A tournament.
WV finished the season 20-5. An opening-round loss at home to CWAC district champion Selah had dropped West Valley into an elimination game.
Although the Eagles shot just 23% percent in the first half, the Cardinals could only build a 20-16 halftime lead. They extended the lead to as much as 13 in the third quarter.
Franklin Pierce never delivered the knockout punch, but countered every rally by West Valley, which at times was its own worst enemy.
“We had a problem handling the pressure and making open looks and by the end, we’re desperate and fighting,” Eagles coach Mark Hamilton said. “We have a chance to get it close and we miss a bunny to get it down to three with a minute to go.”
In that sequence, Brandon Spunich made a pair of free throws to trim the FP lead to 53-48, allowing West Valley to pressure the inbound pass and force a 5-second violation. On their own possession, the Eagles’ inbounder found an open player, but the short bank shot rimmed off.
The Cardinals took the rebound and got a layup of the other end.
West Valley couldn’t overcome the height of Franklin Pierce. At one point in the fourth quarter, the Eagles had just one player on the court taller than 6-foot. The Cardinals’ five players were all at least 6-3.
“Their length and athleticism definitely were a bother,” Hamilton said. “If you leave your feet and have to make a decision, it makes it tough.”
Will Busse led the Eagles with 16 points, Brice Abbey added 14 and Nathan Zettle chipped in 13 .
The Eagles won the Greater Spokane League 2A regular-season and district championship, and ousted second-ranked Grandview with a state berth on the line.”
“I’m super proud of what we accomplished … but it’s a tough way to end,” Hamilton said.
Cardinals senior Javon Barbee scored a game-high 29 points and added seven rebounds.
State 1A girls
No. 5 Annie Wright 71, No. 13 Lakeside 57: The Eagles (14-9) shot just 29% in the first quarter and trailed by as many as 18 points in seeing their season end.
Blakleigh White and Jillian Owen each scored 15 points for the Eagles.
Lakeside won the Northeast 1A regular-season title and was the only non-SCAC team to advance to state out of Eastern Washington.
Three Gators scored in double figures, with Aaliyeh Martin tallying a game-high 22 points. Annie Wright (20-6) advances to meet sixth-seeded Seton Catholic (19-6) on Thursday at 12:15 p.m.