Bridgeport puts Soap Lake girls' backs against the wall
Soap Lake senior Michelle Marthini had nine points and 16 rebounds on Thursday, but the Eagles fell to the Bridgeport Fillies in their North Central League district playoff game. File photo
Prep basketball recaps
WENATCHEE - Soap Lake cut its deficit to two points in the fourth quarter, but couldn't get over the hump and fell in its North Central 2B League district playoff opener on Thursday at Wenatchee High School.
The second-seeded Eagles lost 54-46 to No. 3 Bridgeport, missing an opportunity to play for the district title and a state tournament berth on Monday. Instead, Soap Lake will face a loser-out situation against either Kittitas or Liberty Bell, a 5:30 p.m. start on Monday in Wenatchee.
"It was a good game the whole way," Soap Lake coach Tony Blankenship said. "They just hit a few more shots than us, bottom line."
Trailing Bridgeport by eight entering the final quarter, Soap Lake trimmed it down to two and had a chance to go ahead with a couple late 3-pointers. Neither fell, and the Filles put the game away.
Ariel Wernex and Tanya Babak scored 10 points apiece to lead the Eagles, while Michelle Marthini added nine points and 16 rebounds.
"I was really proud of the kids' effort," Blankenship added. "Like I told them, 'There's nothing to be ashamed of.'"
Entiat 57, Moses Lake Christian 49
WENATCHEE - The Lions' boys gave a valiant effort but fell to the Tigers in the North Central 1B League district championship game on Thursday.
No other details were available at press time. Moses Lake Christian will have a chance to earn the No. 2 seed to state on Saturday, when they rematch with Pateros at 10 a.m. at Wenatchee High School. The Lions beat the Billygoats 55-52 in Monday's district opener.
Moses Lake Christian 49, Mansfield 22
WENATCHEE - With their season on the line on Wednesday, the Lady Lions played spectacular defense on Mansfield stars Jaci Bayless and Kryslinn Sima.
The Kernels' duo averaged nearly 30 points per game during the regular season, but Moses Lake Christian (10-11 overall) held them to 13. The victory moved the Lions in Saturday's winner-to-state, loser-out contest at Wenatchee, against the loser of Thursday's Pateros-Entiat contest. Tip time is 1 p.m.
Moses Lake Christian grabbed a 23-12 halftime lead with a strong second quarter, and all but ended what comeback hopes the Kernels harbored with a 9-0 spurt in the third period.
The Lions did a nice job of spreading the wealth offensively. Heidi Sandberg had a team-high 13 points, Jessica Jachetta scored 12, and Chelsea Allsbrook and Esther Timofeyev had 10 points apiece.
Lind-Ritzville 46, Springdale 40
SPOKANE - On Tuesday, the Lady Broncos set themselves up for the No. 3 seed at the regional tournament that begins on Saturday.
Lind-Ritzville (19-4 overall) got 12 points from Katlin Fowles, 10 from Devon Killian and eight from Laura Cain to defeat the Chargers. The Broncos' 14-6 lead after one quarter was enough to stand up until the end.
The Broncos open regional action on Saturday at Mount Spokane High School. They'll play the DeSales Irish at 2:45 p.m.
Bridgeport 47, Soap Lake 36
BRIDGEPORT - After winning their last two games just to earn a district play-in outing, the Eagles fell flat on Wednesday against the homestanding Mustangs.
Soap Lake ended its season with an overall mark of 6-15, and was done in by the play of Bridgeport senior Federico Cruz. He was making only his fourth start of the season, but powered the Mustangs with 13 points and three assists.
The Eagles struggled from the outset, falling behind 11-2 after one quarter and never got their offense going until a 16-point fourth quarter. By that time, however, the Mustangs led 33-20.
Marcos Delgado paced Soap Lake with 10 points and Kyler Moats added seven. Andreas Valdovinos added 11 points for Bridgeport, which earned the North Central 2B League's fourth seed to districts and plays top seed Oroville in Wenatchee on Saturday.