Vikings drop Crossover final

MOSES LAKE — It was a half of clanks which ultimately doomed the Big Bend Lady Vikings’ women’s basketball team Sunday night.

Playing in the Northwest Athletic Association of Community Colleges (NWAACC) Crossover Tournament final as host, one would think the Lady Vikings would have the better feel for the rims at Peter DeVries Gymnasium.

Nope.

Big Bend, leading 29-24 at halftime, came out in the second half and shot 23.5 percent, including 1-for-18 from the three-point line and Treasure Valley CC stormed from behind to capture the tournament title with a 64-53 win.

“We played two-and-a-half games of great defense this weekend,” Big Bend coach Preston Wilks said. “I pointed that out to the girls and we should take some pride in that. We played great defense in the first half, but once Treasure started banging out shots and they were off to the races.”

TVCC (7-1) shot 48 percent in the second half and that combined with the Lady Vikings’ going cold was enough to allow the visiting Chukars their chance to pounce.

“We came out and had our worst shooting half all season,” Wilks said. “It was pretty challenging but we stayed positive. We were hanging around and had a chance to cut it to six but couldn’t hit the shots. Our defense was good enough to win the ball game but our offense went on Christmas Break a little early in the second half.”

Wilks did add his team ran their offense well enough to get the shots they wanted.

“We were getting good looks all half,” Wilks said. “For example Dana Bates was nine-of-11 from the three-point-line in the first two-and-a-half games of the tournament, but went 0-for-5 in the second half of the final. We were getting good looks but just couldn’t get anything to go.”

Bates, finished the night with 21 points and six rebounds before fouling out.

She was also named to the All-Tournament team along with Alexandria Canfield who added 12 points against the Chukars.

Stephanie O’Connor, who scored 15 points in the final for TVCC claimed the tournament’s Most Valuable Player award.

On Saturday, the Lady Vikings dispatched a determined Edmonds CC squad 71-49.

Bates had 19 points while Kendra Schwulst and Lacey Nordby each added 11 points, and Canfield chipped in 10 points.

Bates led the squad with 15 rebounds as the Lady Vikings dominated the boards 52-26.

Big Bend outshot Edmonds (2-4), which hadn’t won a game the past two years, 44 to 28 percent on the night.

On Friday, the Lady Vikings started the tournament by pulling away from Portland CC 67-48 in the tournament’s first round.

Bates had 24 points and 12 rebounds while Schwulst added 10 points.