ACH girls face Republic in the regional game of the 1B state tournament
COULEE CITY — The road to the 1B Girls Harwood Classic goes through Republic for the No. 6 Almira/Hartline-Coulee girls.
The RPI might be a new process for determining tournament seeding, but the computer-generated data still found a way to pit two familiar basketball programs against each other in the regional round of the 1B state tournament.
They will play in Friday’s 8 p.m. game at University High School in Spokane. The winner will get a first-round bye and play the 12:15 p.m. game at the Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena on Thursday. The loser plays again at 9 a.m. on Wednesday. It's a big game for a team trying to set up its run at a state title.
ACH (20-3) snapped the No. 3 Tigers (20-2) 12-game winning streak to win the district championship. They are a familiar opponent, but the stakes will be higher in Friday’s regional game Warriors coach Mike Correia said.
“I don’t think we’ve put a complete game together yet,” he said. “We’ve had two or three girls on at one time, but not the whole team. We beat Republic for the district championship. We didn’t play very well at all in the first half. But in the second half, we played great. So the girls are starting to come together.”
For a team with just one senior, the Warriors have game and experience, having played well at the Arena last season. Senior Berlyn Hunt is a 5-foot-6 wing and heads a spirited group of young players. Junior Tiffany Boutain (5-4 point guard), sophomore Gabi Isaak (5-10 wing) and Caitlin O’Neil (5-9 post) have all played in the Arena and bring a wide range and skill set.
“Berlyn is a fierce competitor and is that grind-it-out player that goes hard all the time,” Correia said. “Tiffany is the ballhandler and the voice on the team. She keeps everybody calm.
“Gabi, who played last year as a freshman, is a physical presence inside. She’s really matured as a player. Caitlin gives another presence in the paint that’s a little different than Gabi.”
They’ll face a Tigers team that has lost just twice, including a 51-38 loss to the Warriors on Feb. 18.
Republic has six seniors, including point guard Shania Graham, who is averaging 26 points a game. Shooting guard Lily Beckwith adds 12.3 points a game and 6-1 Carlie Rittel is averaging 9.5 ppg.
The Tigers won the regular season game and ACH won the district championship. The third time around will be for better seeding in the state bracket.
“Our girls have played in either the Yakima SunDome or the Arena six of the last 19 years, so we have a good tradition and high expectations,” Correia said. “Our goal is to play on Saturday at the Arena. Whether that’s for the championship or fifth place, you’re playing for a trophy and that’s a pretty good season.”