Ridgeline held to season-low in loss to Eastside Catholic; Gonzaga Prep advances to quarterfinal | State girls basketball

The Ridgeline girls team has qualified for state the past three seasons but hasn’t survived the regional round to actually get to Tacoma Dome. By virtue of their District 6 3A championship this season, the Falcons were awarded the No. 3 seed to state, automatically qualifying for the trip across the state.

It’s a good thing, too, because the regional round tripped them up again.

Sa’Fine Sampson led three in double figures with 17 points and sixth-seeded Eastside Catholic knocked off the Falcons 54-36 at West Valley High School on Saturday.

Freshman Raquel Dunnam and sophomore post Amy Nduka finished with 12 points apiece.

Ridgeline (19-5) now faces a Round-of-12 loser-out on Wednesday. Eastside Catholic (17-6) advanced to a quarterfinal on Thursday.

The Falcons – who have two seniors, one junior and seven freshmen on the roster – averaged 62.8 points per game this season and were held to their season low in points. Junior Grace Sheridan led Ridgeline with 19 points. Senior Madi Crowley finished with 11.

“When you don’t run what you practice, good things aren’t going to happen,” Ridgeline coach Freddie Rehkow said. “I thought we had a chance early, and we just go 0 for 11 in the first half on 3s and we just put shots up too quick to give ourselves a good chance.”

Rehkow thought Eastside Catholic – and the 6-foot-4 Nduka – did a good job on defense, but that his young Falcons spent more time shooting themselves in the foot.

“They did a good job defensively, to be honest, but I just felt like we didn’t shoot the ball well at all. You know, we didn’t even really give ourselves really good looks, like we normally do,” he said. “We had (Nduka) outside for a few times, you know, kind of coming off the ball screens, and we just didn’t take advantage of it early. And so, yeah, she just gets to sit in the paint and guard the key.”

It did not start well for the Falcons. The Crusaders scored the first nine points of the game while Ridgeline committed turnovers and missed shots. They finally got on the board with a contested layup by Sheridan with two minutes left in the period, but Eastside Catholic led 11-4 after one.

It didn’t get any better in the second. Nduka banked a 3-pointer from the top of the key, then powered her way through the paint for a layup. EC outscored Ridgeline 12-7 in the period and led 23-11 at halftime.

The Crusaders opened the third with a 10-3 run to make it a 19-point lead. Sampson had six in the quarter and EC led 39-21 after three.

Sheridan and Crowley combined for 13 points in the fourth, but it was too little, too late.

“We’ve got to get things straightened out,” Rehkow said. “And Wednesday we have to play our style of ball or the season’s over.”

4A

Gonzaga Prep 64, Woodinville 60: Junior Aylah Cornwall scored 22 points, drawing within four points of 1,000 in her career, and the fifth-seeded Bullpups (22-1) built an eight-point lead late and held off the fourth-seeded Falcons (24-4) at North Creek High School.

Laura Thompson finished with 18 points and Belle Hernandez added 15 for G-Prep, which advanced to a quarterfinal on Thursday at 9 a.m. at Tacoma Dome.

Tahoma 55, Mead 41: Bailey Nettleton scored 18 points and the 13th-seeded Bears (19-6) eliminated the 12th-seeded Panthers (16-6) at West Valley High.

Seniors Caroline Spink and Reese Frederick led Mead with 13 and seven points, respectively. Mead played without leading scorers Addison Wells-Morrison and Ellie Thornton due to long-term injuries.

“I don’t know how many groups of seniors can say they made it to state each of their four years in school,” Mead coach Quantae Anderson said. “We didn’t get to the Dome like we wanted to, but to be able to say that you got to play on one of the final weekends each year is impressive. I’m just so extremely proud of all of them.”

Mead trailed 25-20 at halftime but only made three baskets in the third quarter and trailed 43-30 entering the fourth.

2A

Clarkston 58, Archbishop Murphy 51: Aneysa Judy led four in double figures with 16 points and the fourth-seeded Bantams (21-3) beat the fifth-seeded Wildcats (18-6) at Cheney High School.

Jaelyn McCormack-Marks scored 13 points, Laney Augir had 12 and Joslyn McCormack-Marks added 11.

Clarkston advanced to a quarterfinal on Thursday at 9 a.m. at Yakima Valley SunDome.