ORTING — Mallori Cossell, a 5-foot-3 sophomore, ripped the nets for 45 points to spark the Chimacum girls basketball team to a romp over Orting on Monday night.
The Cowboys, tied for fourth place in the Nisqually League, pounded the Cardinals 62-47 behind Cossell’s career-high scoring day.
Chimacum, 5-6 in league and 7-12 overall, is tied with Charles Wright, lost a coin flip after the game for the fourth seed but still has a final regular-season game tonight at home against powerhouse Vashon Island.
Ticket to tri-districts
A win against the Pirates tonight would give the Cowboys fourth place outright and a direct seed into the tri-district tournament.
A loss would send Chimacum into the fifth seed and a pigtail loser-out game at archrival Port Townsend.
The day for the Port Townsend playoff game has not been firmed up yet but it probably will be held Friday night, Chimacum coach Brad Burlingame said.
If Cossell shoots like she did against Orting, the Cowboys would have a chance to upset the highly favored Vashon Island Pirates tonight, who feature 6-8 and 6-5 players as well as the top point guard in the league, Burlingame said.
Cossell scored 20 points with four 3-pointers two games ago and hit eight 3-pointers against Orting for her record 45 points Monday.
“Mallori has been working really hard on her 3-point shooting,” Burlingame said.
Mallori had four of the 3-pointers in the first quarter alone.
The Cowboys led 16-5 at the end of the first period and 32-22 at halftime and never looked back.
Krista Hathaway pulled down 11 defensive rebounds for the Cowboys and had six steals and six assists.
“That was huge for us,” Burlingame said.
Cydney Nelson, meanwhile, grabbed nine boards and dished out three assists.
Chimacum 62, Orting 47
Chimacum 16 16 12 18 — 62
Orting 5 17 11 12 — 47
Individual Scoring
Chimacum (62)
Nelson 5, Baird 2, Castillo 4, Thacker 6, Cossell 45.
Orting (47)
Burr 2, Fruden 3, B. Powers 3, Loftus 3, Johns 16, Wheeler 3, M. Powers 13, Wainscott 4, Carson 3.
Boys Basketball Chimacum72, Orting 66, OT
ORTING — Dylan Brown-Bishop scorched the nets for 29 points to spark the Cowboys in a roaring comeback to earn a shot at fourth place in the Nisqually League on Monday night.
The Cardinals were ahead 31-24 at halftime after a 21-point second quarter and surged to a 44-34 lead going into the final period.
But the Cowboys outscored Orting 23-13 to force overtime and then won the extra period 15-9 to secure a fourth-place tie with the Cardinals with one game remaining in the regular season.
Chimacum, 3-8 in league and 5-14 overall, conclude regular play tonight at home against tough Vashon Island.
Win and the Cowboys earn a ticket to the tri-district tournament, lose and they play a loser-out pigtail game at archrival Port Townsend later in the week.
Chimacum coach Jim Eldridge gives the Cowboys a chance tonight against the powerhouse Pirates.
“We played them pretty good at their place earlier in the year,” Eldridge said about Vashon Island.
“We have to play pretty well tonight to win, but we can do that.”
The Cowboys had two players score in double figures as Lucas Duket sank 15 points.