ACH falls to Crosspoint in 1B girls regionals

TACOMA — Facing off against a tough defensive team in No. 4 seed Crosspoint, the No. 5 Almira/Coulee-Hartline Warriors fell 53-29 in Saturday’s 1B Girls State Basketball Tournament regional round.

“It always comes down to matchups,” ACH head coach Matt Elder said. “Crosspoint always plays that high-energy, fast-paced game. They’re a well-balanced team. It was really an honor to be ranked fifth, so that means we get to play the better teams. We knew, coming into it, that they’re one of the better teams.”

The two squads, both named the Warriors, traded scores early in the first quarter until the ballgame was tied at eight, when Crosspoint ended the first frame on a 6-0 run to take a 14-8 lead into the second quarter. 

“We’ve played physical teams, but what they do really well is once they get the turnover, they’re pushing that ball,” Elder said. “They’re relentless with it. We saw that on film, and they didn’t disappoint here tonight — they did the same thing.”

Crosspoint opened the second quarter on a 14-4 run, leading ACH by as many as 16 points before taking a 30-16 lead into halftime.

“They stayed with their game, and our girls were trying to keep up with that and never got comfortable with it,” Elder said. “Once it got to their style of game, they’re going to score more points than us.”

ACH came out of the halftime locker room playing strong on the defensive end, forcing Crosspoint into three turnovers in the first minute-and-a-half of the third quarter. While the defense was playing well, ACH’s scoring issues persisted against a relentless Crosspoint defense.

“Our defense came out strong, but we couldn’t finish shots — or really get open shots,” Elder said. “They were getting back, even when they were making mistakes. That’s the sign of a good team right there, they’re well-coached.”

ACH sophomore Naomi Molitor, who led the Warriors with 13 points, connected on a three-pointer late in the third quarter to give her team some life. Still, Crosspoint slowed down any potential ACH momentum by opening the fourth quarter on a quick 6-0 run, all of which came on baskets in transition.

“It’s a different speed — we were getting used to it, but still, they wore us down with that physicality and speed of the game that they play at,” Elder said. 

With the loss, ACH will play the winner of Saturday evening’s regional game between No. 12 Garfield-Palouse and No. 13 Pateros at 7:15 p.m. at the Spokane Arena. The winner will advance to the quarterfinals, while the loser will be eliminated from the tournament.

“Every loss teaches you something,” Elder said. “I don’t know that that is yet, other than that the speed of the game that we played tonight will help us get ready for any state team that we play, and maybe it’ll help us play with confidence, play faster and quicker ourselves or against teams that do that to us.”

Ian Bivona may be reached at ibivona@columbiabasinherald.com.

Box score

ACH: 8-8-9-4 29
CRS: 14-16-10-13 53

    Almira/Coulee-Hartline senior Natalie Evers (21) attempts a shot under the rim in the first quarter against Crosspoint.
  

    Almira/Coulee-Hartline senior Beth Okamoto (20) defends a Crosspoint player in the third quarter.
  

    Almira/Coulee-Hartline sophomore Peyton Roberts (45) shoots the ball in the fourth quarter.