PUYALLUP — Neah Bay did itself a favor and knocked off Selkirk 52-43 Saturday at Rogers High School in Puyallup to advance to the quarterfinals of the Class 1B Girls Basketball State Championship.
The Red Devils (22-2) will face the winner of Wednesday’s loser-out elimination state contest between Mount Vernon Christian and the winner of Saturday’s (late) contest between Clallam Bay and Columbia Adventist at Spokane Arena at 7:15 p.m. Thursday.
Neah Bay did it with defense in the first half, forcing 16 turnovers in the first two quarters to build a double-digit lead at halftime.
“I was pleased with our defensive effort, ” Neah Bay coach Tony McCaulley said. “We clamped down on them pretty good, absorbed some foul trouble defending their big girl and had plenty of girls step up.”
Gina McCaulley capped a solid first quarter for Neah Bay, calmly sinking a 3-pointer from the top of the key as the buzzer sounded for a 14-7 Red Devils’ lead.
Neah Bay built on that shot, scoring the first eight points of the second quarter on in-close baskets by Patience Swan, Courtney Swan, Lalia Greene and Ruth Moss to build a 22-7 lead midway through the period.
“The game plan was to push the pace and take ito the rim,” Gina McCaulley said.
The Red Devils led 26-12 at the break.
Selkirk made things interesting to open the third quarter, going on a 10-0 run to cut Neah Bay’s lead to 28-22 halfway through the frame.
But Neah Bay junior Cheyanna Svec drained a corner 3-point basket and Moss followed with another trey on the next possession as the Red Devils answered with a 13-0 swing to maintain the momentum.
McCaulley closed out the third with back-to-back steals and layups, the last at the third quarter buzzer to go up 45-24 entering the fourth quarter.
“That run we had to answer their own run was the backbreaker,” Tony McCaulley said.
“We tightened up our defense in the post after that and made it hard on them. We got great performances from Kayla Winck inside on defense, Ruth Moss was tough in there defending [Gabi Rick]. We got shots from Cheyenna [Svec], it was a solid team effort all around.”
To underscore that point, six Neah Bay players had seven or more points.
Courtney Swan led the Red Devils with 10, McCaulley added nine, Svec and Patience Swan scored eight and Moss had seven.
Selkirk pulled within single digits in the final 30 seconds, but Neah Bay’s advantage was never in doubt.
Neah Bay 52, Selkirk 43
Selkirk 7 5 12 19 — 52
Neah Bay 14 12 19 7 — 43
Selkirk (43) — Rick 19, B. Dawson 10, W. Dawson 10, Chantry 2, Huttle 1.
Neah Bay (52) — C. Swan 10, McCaulley 9, Greene 8, P. Swan 8, Moss 7, Winck 2.
Selkirk’s Gabi Rick dives on the ground after a loose ball recovered by Neah Bay’s Courtney Swan as Gina McCauley looks on. (David Willoughby/for Peninsula Daily News)
