SPOKANE — Neah Bay took some time to adjust to the bright lights and big stage of the Class 1B girls state basketball tournament before running past Mary M. Knight 53-38 at Spokane Arena on Thursday.
The Red Devils won their first-ever 1B opening round game to advance to a semifinal matchup against six-time defending champion Colton on Friday at 5:30 p.m.
It also was Neah Bay’s third win in three tries against the short-handed Owls (18-3) this season.
Mary M. Knight has only six players, and its leading scorer, eighth-grader Kaylee Sowell was held to just six points, nine below her season average.
At the start, the Red Devils couldn’t find the net, missing their first five shots and starting just 1 of 11 from the field in the early going.
“We missed our shootaround yesterday,” Neah Bay coach Tony McCaulley said after Thursday’s game.
“I think that had something to do with it.”
The Red Devils’ bus suffered a broken heater coil on the latter portion of the long haul to the Inland Empire, and the delay canceled planned walkthroughs at Whitworth College for both the Neah Bay boys and girls teams.
Wanting to keep his team in sync, McCaulley stuck to his normal substitution pattern, and sent in his young guns, freshmen Gina McCaulley, Jessica Greene and sophomore Tristin Johnson, after the slow start.
Gina McCaulley quickly rattled home a 3-point shot from the left corner, followed by a splashed triple from Johnson to give the Red Devils a 12-5 lead with 1:15 to go in the first quarter.
“That spark was real helpful,” Tony McCaulley said.
That forward momentum really got things going for Neah Bay, which opened the second period on an 11-2 run.
“I thought we played really well in that second quarter,” McCaulley said.
The Red Devils pushed to a 32-14 halftime lead, forcing 11 first-half turnovers and making the extra passes to set up layups down low.
Both Kaela Tyler and Blaire Hill had sweet assists to set teammates up for layups in the second period.
Tyler led all scorers with 17 points on 7 of 15 shooting. She added six rebounds and five assists.
“I played Kaela Tyler a little more than I wanted to,” McCaulley said.
“I wanted to get her some rest, but she’s a heck of a player. She played as good as anybody today.”
Neah Bay wasn’t able to build on its lead early in the second half, as the Owls chipped the score down to 41-29 with under a minute to play in the third quarter.
But Gina McCaulley was there to stroke a big 3 to give the Red Devils breathing room at 44-29 heading to the final frame.
“I think we got a little complacent there and didn’t finish the way we wanted to,” Tony McCaulley said.
Mary M. Knight couldn’t come closer than 44-32 in the fourth, with Johnson canning a 3 to again move the Neah Bay lead back to 15 at 47-32 with 5:35 to go.
Johnson finished with eight points for the Red Devils.
Faye Chartraw finished with nine points, 11 rebounds and three blocks for Neah Bay (19-1).
Now the Red Devils’ toughest test of the year looms: six-time defending state champion Colton.
After Neah Bay’s win, while Colton (24-0) and Pateros (21-2) were still playing, Tony McCaulley knew either team would be a challenge.
“Whether we play Colton or Pateros, it doesn’t really matter,” McCaulley said.
“Everybody’s good here.”
Pateros challenged Colton, but the Wildcats went on to win 72-60, running up their state-record winning streak to 68 games.
Neah Bay 53, Mary M. Knight 38
Neah Bay 12 20 12 9— 53
Mary M. Knight 7 7 15 9— 38
Individual scoring
Neah Bay (53)
Tyler 17, McCaulley 9, Chartraw 9, Johnson 8, Doherty 4, J. Greene 3, Hol. Greene 2, Jimmicum 2, Ha. Greene, Halttunen, Hill.
Mary M. Knight (38)
Ackely 10, Valley 9, M. Sowle 8, K. Sowle 6, Dierkop 5, Koonrad.
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Sports reporter Michael Carman can be contacted at 360-452-2345, ext. 5250 or at mcarman@peninsuladailynews.com.
