Bluff, Lady Vikings stay sharp
File photoBig Bend's Kim Bluff averaged better than 17 points per game at the Edmonds Community College holiday tournament, helping the Lady Vikings place second.
EDMONDS - The Big Bend Community College women's basketball team just completed a successful three-game run at the Edmonds College Holiday Tournament.
The Lady Vikings beat a pair of ranked teams on their way to bringing home the second-place trophy. Sophomore captain Kim Bluff was named to the all-tournament team after averaging over 17 points per game.
Big Bend opened the tourney last Thursday against the Everett Community College Trojans, ranked 10th in the last Northwest Athletic Association of Community Colleges poll. Everett won the Edmonds event a year ago, but Big Bend came out on top 75-73.
The Lady Vikings secured a 14-point lead with roughly 5 minutes to play but had to hang on at the end. Bluff scored a team-high 18 points. Dana Bates and Kaitie Poston both contributed double-doubles, with Bates tallying 17 points and 10 rebounds, and Poston added 13 points and 13 boards. Point guard Misty Ostlie added 16 points and seven assists.
The Vikings moved into semifinal action the following day against Centralia Community College, the NWAACC's seventh-ranked team. The Trailblazers had the best record of any West Division school, but Big Bend again scored the upset - this time in convincing fashion by the final of 81-68.
The Vikings' offense was on fire in the first half as they built a 57-37 halftime lead and never looked back. Poston led five players in double figures, finishing with 14 points and nine rebounds. Natalie Lindley had 13 points, hitting 3 of 7 shots from 3-point range. Ostlie and Bluff each scored 12, Heather Burke added 11, and Angela Fales contributed nine points, five rebounds and four assists.
Saturday's championship game pitted Big Bend against Umpqua, the conference's No. 3 team. Umpqua had defeated Big Bend in an earlier meeting, and the Riverhawks didn't let the rematch become nearly so interesting, winning 94-71.
The Vikings were handed some bad luck prior to the game as Poston and Bates both contracted food poisoning and played limited minutes. Big Bend shot just 32 percent for the game and Umpqua grabbed 28 more rebounds than the Vikings.
Bluff was the biggest bright spot in the loss, scoring 23 points. Lindley added 14 points on 2 of 4 from 3-point range, while Fales had 12 points.
Big Bend (10-3), which is 14th in the Dec. 20 NWAACC poll, opens East Division play this Saturday against sixth-ranked Spokane (8-3). Tip-off is at 6 p.m. at DeVries Activity Center.