By Kiara Doyal, The Seattle Medium
Amy Nduka scored a game-high 23 points as the Eastside Catholic Crusaders earned a spot in the girls state 3A championship on Saturday with a 47-43 victory over the Snohomish Panthers, who came into the game riding an 18-game winning streak.
The Crusaders set the tone early, as they opened the game with a 6-0 run sparked by Sophie Lugolobi and back-to-back shots from Nduka that forced Snohomish to call a timeout just one minute into the game. After the timeout, the Panthers responded with a 6-0 run of their own, with baskets from Lola Rotondo and Sienna Capelli to tie the game at 6. Nduka fired back, scoring once again on back-to-back possessions, giving the Crusaders a 10-6 advantage. With roughly three minutes left in the opening quarter, Rotondo and Capelli combined for five points for the Panthers, and Nduka scored a basket to close out the quarter with the Crusaders leading 12-11.
The Panthers’ Danica Avalos started the second-quarter scoring with a free throw to tie the game at 12. Nduka followed with two free throws of her own as the Crusaders took the lead back at 14-12.
Like a real battle on the court, Snohomish’s Lizzie Allyn and Lugolobi traded three-point shots, and the Crusaders’ Tatum Carter added a basket to extend the Crusaders’ lead to 19-15. To close out the first half, the Panthers’ Kendall Hammer and Rotondo combined for 4 points, while Nduka scored an additional 4 points, as the Crusaders held a 23-19 lead going into halftime.
Despite starting the second half with possession, the Panthers quickly lost control of the ball, and Lugolobi capitalized with a basket under the rim, pushing the Crusaders’ lead to 25-19. After settling down, the Panthers slowly started to chip into the Crusaders’ lead. Capelli scored on back-to-back possessions to tie the game at 28 with 4:00 minutes remaining. For the remainder of the quarter, the lead alternated back and forth until Lugolobi scored four consecutive points to give her team a three-point lead, at 38-35, heading into the final quarter.
Snohomish’s Grace Gunnerson started the fourth quarter with a basket to cut Eastside Catholic’s lead to 38-37. The Panthers, who appeared to show more aggression on the court, started to get into foul trouble, resulting in a timeout just a minute into the quarter to regroup and calm down. After the timeout, Nduka swatted Capelli’s shot, and teammate Raquel Dunnam scooped it up and dribbled it down to set up a play for Eastside Catholic. With the ball at the top of the key, Tatum Carter finished under the rim for two points, pushing the Crusaders’ lead to 40-37.
With 5:37 on the clock, Capelli came out of a timeout and immediately scored a basket, bringing the score to 40-39. The Crusaders’ defense continued to dominate, forcing the Panthers to throw the ball out of bounds and commit shot-clock violations. Nduka pushed the Eastside Catholic lead to 42-39 with one minute left in the game. In a last-minute effort, the Panthers’ Jenna Pahre and Hammer scored four final points. But it was Nduka who sealed the victory for Eastside Catholic, as she converted two free throws to secure a 47-43 win over the Panthers.
With the win, Eastside Catholic advanced to play Bellevue tomorrow in the 3A girls state championship game at 9:00 p.m.
Nduka led Eastside Catholic with 23 points, 12 rebounds, and 2 assists, while Capelli led Snohomish with 20 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists.
After the game, Eastside Catholic head coach Darnellia Russell said the win was due to her team’s ability to remain resilient.
“I think they were just resilient, and they stayed together regardless of whether the other team was in the lead, or if we were in the lead. We just stayed resilient and kept playing our game,” said Russell. “I am ready for tomorrow. I need that. I have been saying that I want that gold ball since the very beginning, since I got to Eastside Catholic three years ago, so I want that.”
“We just have to come out tomorrow and play our game. Stick to the game plan, don’t detour and try to do your own thing, but try to play together as a team,” added Russell.
Pictorial Highlights of Eastside Catholic vs Snohomish
Staff Photos/Tyler Artis
