SPOKANE — The Neah Bay girls basketball team was tenacious on the boards as usual and sharpshooter Allie Greene hit three 3-point shots in the third quarter to lead the Red Devils to a 60-45 win over Oakesdale in the 1B quarterfinals Thursday morning.
The victory sends Neah Bay into the semifinals at 3:45 p.m. Friday. It will be a rematch and a chance for payback against Mount Vernon Christian, which beat the Red Devils in the 1B state championship game last year.
The Red Devils won by dominating the boards with 28 rebounds and getting a big game from Greene, who finished with four 3-pointers and 21 points. She added six rebounds.
Neah Bay had good balance with Amber Swan adding 13 points and five rebounds. Angel Halttunen had a great second half, scoring all eight of her points in the final two quarters. Ryana Moss added nine points and six rebounds. Qwapeys Greene had six boards. In all, the Red Devils hit seven 3-pointers, shooting 7-for-18 from beyond the arc. The Red Devils also shot a solid 11-for-13 from the free-throw line.
Second-half barrage
Neah Bay generally had control of the contest, but Oakesdale kept it close by scoring the final four points of the first half, as the Nighthawks went into the break down just 29-24.
That was when Greene and Halttunen both got hot. Greene hit two straight 3-pointers, one of them from NBA range. Halttunen added a rebound and putback bucket and Green hit her third 3-pointer of the third quarter. After two more Halttunen baskets, the Red Devils quickly built up a 45-33 lead.
Oakesdale never went away and managed to stick close, down just seven points in the fourth quarter at 47-40, but Swan joined in the barrage from out deep, hitting a 3-pointer. After Greene added a basket, the Red Devils quickly had the lead right back up to 54-42. At that point, they cruised to the final whistle
Friday’s semifinal from Spokane Arena will be broadcast by www.nfhsnetwork.com. Mount Vernon Christian is 21-4, ranked No. 5 in the state in Ratings Percentage Index and is seeded No. 4 in the state tournament. Neah Bay is 22-1, ranked No. 1 in the state and is seeded No. 1 in the tournament.
If the Red Devils win, they would be in the state championship game, which will be held at 3 p.m. Saturday.
Neah Bay 60, Oakesdale 45
Oakes. 6 18 14 7— 45
Neah Bay 12 17 18 13— 60
Oakesdale (45) — L. Hockett 15, Reed 14, M. Hockett 6, Henley 6, Holling 4.
Neah Bay (60) — A. Greene 21, Swan 13, Cummings 9, R. Moss 9, Halttunen 8, C. Moss 5, Q. Greene 4, Martin, Chartraw.
Neah Bay’s Amber Swan drives around a screen set by teammate Cerise Moss (14) in the state 1B tournament game Thursday against Oakesdale. (Byrne Bennett/Cheney Free Press)
