Bellevue 68, Roosevelt 57
Yesterday at Bellevue College, the Roosevelt Roughriders and the Bellevue Wolverines played to determine who would advance to the championship game to play against Eastside Catholic to be crowned the 3A Girls District champions. While the Wolverines defeated the Roughriders, 68-57, both teams will still advance to the state tournament next week.
In the first quarter, Bellevue outscored Roosevelt, 15-8, with Wolverines Dilynn Johnson and Lyla Jones leading the way, each scoring four first-quarter points.
However, in the second quarter, the Roughriders came out firing as Ellery Burke-Brown and Sloane Sprangers combined for 11 points, including two three-point shots from Sprangers, to outscore Bellevue, 15-12, as Roosevelt ended the half trailing, 27-23.
The third quarter was a close, nail-biting quarter as Roosevelt outscored Bellevue, 17-16. Roosevelt’s Emma Curtis led the charge with seven third-quarter points, while Trinity Palmer-Wilson, Jones and Johnson each chipped in six points to pace the Wolverines. At the end of the third quarter, the Wolverines led by three, 43-40.
In the fourth quarter, the Wolverines found their stride and created the separation they needed to win the game. Trinity Palmer-Wilson, Jones and Johnson helped swing the momentum in Bellevue’s favor as each chipped in six fourth-quarter points to pace the Wolverines. For Roosevelt, Carmen Derda and Burke-Brown kept the Roughriders in the game, but as the clock wound down, Roosevelt was showing signs of exhaustion, and the Wolverines slowly but surely built up a comfortable lead. The Wolverines outscored Roosevelt, 25-17, in the fourth quarter as they secured a spot in the 3A District 2 championship game with a 68-57 victory over the Roughriders.
Eastside Catholic 49, Lakeside 47
In the opening quarter, the Crusaders started off on the right foot as they went on an early 9-0 run, led by Amy Nduka, Sophie Lugolobi and Raquel Dunnam. However, Lakeside’s Anvi Bhatia scored 10 unanswered points of her own as the Lions went on a 10-0 run to take a 10-9 lead. After a quick exchange of baskets by both teams, Lakeside’s Kaliya Woodard knocked down a three-point shot to give the Lions a 15-11 lead. With 18 seconds remaining in the first quarter, Nduka made a layup, and the quarter ended with Lakeside in the lead, 15-13.
The second quarter started with Nduka draining a three-point shot as the Crusaders regained the lead at 16-15. The second quarter was seemingly a low-scoring back-and-forth battle as both teams struggled offensively. Lili Brown knocked down two three-point shots for the Lions, and Nduka chipped in six additional points for the Crusaders as the teams went into halftime tied at 25. Nduka finished the first half with 15 of Eastside Catholic’s 25 total points, while Bhatia finished with 10 of Lakeside’s 25 points.
Nduka started the third quarter by once again putting points on the board for the Crusaders by converting two free throws. Dunnam and Sampson followed as Eastside Catholic opened the quarter on a 7-0 run, prompting Lakeside to take a timeout. Bhatia then chipped in a basket and one point at the line to chip away at the Crusaders’ lead, making the score 32-28 in favor of the Crusaders. We then saw a light show as Tavia Carter and Kaliya Woodard traded three-point shots. After continuous back-and-forth scoring, Bhatia closed out the third quarter, converting one of two at the line. Eastside Catholic held a slim, 37-36, lead as they entered the fourth quarter.
Nduka started the final quarter at the line, converting two free throws, making the score 39-36. However, Brown followed with a three-point play, tying the game at 39. From there on out, the score alternated back and forth until Nduka had a successful three-point play, scoring her 22nd point of the game to give her team a 44-41 lead. Within
two minutes, Sampson knocked down a three-point shot for the Crusaders, and Brown and Woodard combined for six points for the Lions as the two teams battled to a 47-47 tie, with 1:09 remaining in the fourth quarter.
In the final 1:09, both teams were unable to push past each other and score, and Eastside Catholic called two timeouts just three seconds apart to strategize how they were going to push ahead. With 10 seconds on the clock, Nduka connected with Sampson for a layup to give the Crusaders a two-point, 49-47, lead, forcing Lakeside to call a timeout. Following the timeout and with five seconds left on the clock, Brown attempted a long three-point shot that fell short as the Eastside Catholic Crusaders advanced to the 3A District 2 championship game Saturday, where they will face off against the Bellevue Wolverines.
Nduka finished the game with 22 points to lead the Crusaders, while Bhatia finished the game with 20 points to lead the Lions.
