When the final whistle blew on Columbia (Burbank)’s 50-44 victory over La Salle on Saturday, the team poured onto the court to celebrate.
Sure it was only a District 5 semifinal victory, but for a group of players who had never been to the postseason, it was a huge accomplishment to advance to the championship game.
“The girls are very excited,” Columbia coach John Muchinski said. “After the game was over they were all hooting and hollering. It was fun to watch.”
Tied 29-29 at halftime, the Coyotes dialed up the defensive pressure, holding the Lightning to 11 points and five field goals.
“It was probably our best 32 minutes for the whole year,” Muchinski said. “The girls came in and we had our gameplan set up and they executed it great. We played solid defense and got the defensive rebounds when we needed to.
“La Salle is known for their pressure, but we handled it. It was a great all around ball game.”
The Coyotes (17-4) will face Zillah (18-3) in the title game at 6:30 p.m. next Saturday at River View High in Finley.
La Salle (17-4) will play Mabton (11-11) at a time and place to be determined Thursday.
Julie Mosqueda’s 14 points led the Coyotes, while Rachel Roberts added 11 points and three steals.
Harley McBride added eight points, 11 rebounds and four blocks.
COLUMBIA (BURBANK) — Martineau 5, Aguilar 8, Lott, Wallis, Rachel Roberts 11, Cotsford 2, Magellon, Idler 2, McBride 8, Julie Mosqueda 14.
LA SALLE — Sutton 6, Avalos 3, Martin 8, Katie McGree 10, Garcia 2, Karly Sattler 11, Dutenhorst 4.
Columbia 15 14 11 10 — 50
La Salle 8 21 4 7 — 44
Highlights — McBride 11 rebounds, 4 blocks; Haley Martineau 7 rebounds, 3 assists; Rachel Roberts 3 steals
Zillah 47, Connell 41: A big second half by Zillah sunk Connell during a District 5 Tournament semifinal showdown at River View High in Finley.
Zillah rallied for a 47-41 victory to advance to next Saturday’s championship game against Columbia (Burbank).
The Eagles led 16-12 at halftime, but the Leopards outscored their opponents 35-25 after the break.
The loss sends the Eagles into the elimination bracket, where they will face Granger on Thursday at a time and location to be determined.
Michelle Schultz’s 14 points led Connell (18-4), which missed 12 free throws in the loss. Kody Easterday added eight points and Ashley Thompson had six.
Monica Villegas’ 16 led Zillah, which will face either Columbia (Burbank) or La Salle for the district title next Saturday at River View.
ZILLAH — Winters, Patterson 8, Higginbotham 7, Stamp, Monica Villegas 16, Purdy 14, Myers 2, Riggles. Totals 17 13-22 47.
CONNELL — Vickerman 3, M. Hawkins 3, Easterday 8, Booker 2, Riner, English 5, Michelle Schultz 14, Thompson 6. Totals 13 15-27 41.
Zillah 10 2 22 13 — 47
Connell 11 5 17 8 — 41
Granger 52, River View 21: McKenzie Smith scored nine points, but the Panthers struggled in a District 5 Tournament home loss to the Spartans. River View’s season came to an end with the loss.
Granger had three players score in double figures, led by Lyndsay Oswalt’s 18.
GRANGER — Hertzman, Villa, Oliveros 14, Rodarte, John 14, Lyndsay Oswalt 18, Carpenter 4, Solorio, Blodgett, Vasquez 2. Totals 21 5-9 52.
RIVER VIEW — Wilhelm 3, E. Vasquez, McKenzie Smith 9, Munson, Walker, Dickinson 2, Williamson 2, Washington 1, Robertson 4. Totals 8 5-14 21.
Granger 18 11 10 13 — 52
River View 5 2 11 3 — 21
