STATE 1B GIRLS BASKETBALL: It’s once, twice, four times for Lady Reds

Published 11:20 am Sunday, March 8, 2026

SPOKANE — The Neah Bay girls basketball team continued its historic run, etching itself forever into the Washington record books with the team’s amazing fourth straight state championship.

The Lady Reds won the state championship again beating Garfield-Palouse in the title game 54-41 late Saturday night. It was the second straight year Neah Bay beat Garfield-Palouse for the title.

“With the work we put in this year, I really feel like we deserve it,” said senior Cerise Moss after the game. She is one of four seniors on the team who were part of all four championship teams.

In fact, seniors Moss, Qwaapeys Greene, Wiinuk Martin, Angel Halttunen and Lillie Yallup were part of teams that played in the state championship game for five straight years. Neah Bay went to the title game in 2022 but lost to Mount Vernon Christian.

Coach Cherish Moss said this year was the hardest championship as she had a child shortly before the season began.

“This was definitely the hardest year. I had a lot of new stuff going on in my life. I had a great staff in Tony McCaulley, Gina McCaulley and Cierra Knauss who held it for me,” she said.

The Moss sisters said the Neah Bay team is all about family.

“This team has tons of sisters, everyone are cousins,” Cherish Moss said. “This team had the best bench energy I’ve ever seen.”

Cherish Moss said the team plays for the Neah Bay community but this year with so many seniors, “We were really doing it for ourselves this year.”

Garfield-Palouse, which came in to the game 24-1 — the Vikings’ lone loss this year was against Neah Bay in a tournament early in the season — kept the game close until early in the fourth quarter with some good outside shooting.

Neah Bay, which shot lights out from outside all game, hitting 10-for-20 on its 3-pointers, briefly built up a lead of 30-18 late in the first half, but the Vikings quickly closed the gap with two 3-pointers and a free throw to go into the half down just 30-25.

With Neah Bay clinging to a 42-37 lead, Neah Bay gained control of the game with just under six minutes to play. Cerise Moss hit her fourth 3-pointer of the game, followed by a two-point basket to open the lead to 47-37.

Garfield-Palouse came back to cut the lead to 47-40 with 1:30 left in the game, but that was the Vikings’ final field goal of the game. Caylee Moss hit a basket and Cerise Moss and Qwaapeys Greene hit free throws down the stretch to ice the game.

After Garfield-Palouse shot well most of the game, Neah Bay held the Vikings to just one field goal and four points in the fourth quarter.

The two teams combined for a total of 16 3-pointers.

Halttunen, an important part of the team with her all-around play, is not necessarily depended upon to score a lot, but she had a fantastic game, shooting 5-or-6 on her 3-pointers for 15 points. Cerise Moss led the team with 17 points, shooting 4-for-8 on her 3-pointers.

Greene shot 8-for-10 on her free throws for 12 points. She also had nine rebounds and seven assists. Including her semifinal game, Greene shot 15-for-18 on her free throws.

Martin had nine rebounds and Caylee Moss scored seven points.

There is one school in Washington state history with a longer state title streak than Neah Bay’s — Colton, which once won eight in a row between 2009 and 2016. Neah Bay has continued its amazing streak while graduating star players such as Courtney Swan, Allie Greene and Ezrah Ray, but it will be a challenge for the Lady Reds to make it five straight as the team graduates five seniors, including four starters.

With the game starting 55 minutes late at 9:55 p.m., the celebration afterward went well into Sunday morning. Cherish Moss was exhausted the next morning, losing another hour of sleep to the time change.

She said this victory was special for the five seniors.

“I think they felt that second-place finish [in 2022] lit a fire in them,” she said. “It just means a lot when you see the amount of work they put in. These girls are amazing.”

Cherish Moss said the seniors are so mature it’s as if they’re already college players.

“These girls just kept growing. They’re really tough girls. They kind of grew out of me in a way,” she said.

The next challenge will be the team next year with this year’s bench players, many of whom are younger sisters of the seniors.

“It’s going to be a different set of challenges,” coach Moss said. “I don’t know what the team will look like, but the next group is really hungry. They want a ring for themselves.”

During Neah Bay’s amazing four-year run, the Lady Reds have gone 95-6. The team’s only two losses this year were to 4A Mercer Island and 2B Adna.

Neah Bay 54, Garfield-Palouse 41

G-P 15 10 12 4 — 41

NB 15 15 12 12 — 54

Neah Bay (54) — Cerise Moss 17, A. Halttunen 15, Q. Greene 12, Caylee Moss 7, W. Martin 3.

Friday’s Semifinal

Neah Bay 56, Oakesdale 23

Neah Bay was in control in all phases of its Class 1B Girls Basketball State Tournament Semifinal from the opening tip, dispatching Oakesdale with ease 56-23 on Friday night at Spokane Veterans Arena.

Neah Bay (24-2) opened up a big lead early with some 3-point shooting from Caylee Moss and inside buckets from Qwaapeys Greene and Wiinuk Martin in the first quarter and led 20-3 in the final minute of the first half and 23-9 at halftime. The Neah Bay defense held Oakesdale without a field goal until the final minute of the second quarter.

The lead was extended it to 43-15 heading into the fourth quarter.

The Red Devils made 19-of-50 shots overall; the Nighthawks went 8-of-53 (15 percent). Oakesdale shot 8.3 percent (2-for-24) in the first half. Oakesdale shot 0-for-16 on its 3-pointers as the Neah Bay defenders simply didn’t allow open looks.

Greene (16 points) and Wiinuk Martin (10 points, 11 rebounds) led Neah Bay statistically.

Neah Bay 56, Oakesdale 23

NB 12 11 20 13 — 56

Oak. 3 6 6 8 — 23

Neah Bay (56) — Q. Greene 16, W. Martin 10, Halttunen 6, Caylee Moss 6, Cerise Moss 6, McGimpsey 4, H. Martin 3, D. Halttunen 3, Lawrence 2.