By Kiara Doyal, The Seattle Medium
The Lakeside Lions battled it out against the North Thurston Rams last night in the quarterfinal round of the 3A Girls State Basketball Championships.
The opening quarter of the matchup was a relatively low scoring affair. The Rams started off with a 4-0 run in the opening minutes of the game. However, Lakeside’s Mia Broom brought the run to an end, as she scored on a jump shot and then converted some free throws after being fouled to tie the game at 4.
As the quarter played out, North Thurston’s Grace Lee and Broom were powerhouses as they both accumulated points for their teams. Lee would score 7 points during the quarter, including a long-range three-point shot near the end of the quarter. Broom followed with a three-point shot of her own to give Lakeside an 11-10 lead at the end of the first quarter.
Broom would take over the court in the second quarter as the pace of the game began to pick up. Scoring 12 points in the quarter, Broom helped push the Lakeside lead to 9 points going into halftime.
After halftime, the energy in the Tacoma Dome was high as the Rams had their student section rallying behind them. Despite the support from fans, the Rams were starting to show signs of defeat as the Lions offensive and defensive abilities were starting to challenge them.
Lakeside went on a 7-0 run with 3:41 remaining in the quarter that stretched their lead out to 15 points over the Rams. North Thurston junior Soraya Ogaldez and Lee worked together to get points on the board, as they tried to swing the momentum of the game back in favor of the Rams. On defense, Ogaldez was getting in the passing lanes for steals, and scored six third quarter points. However, despite her efforts the Rams ended the quarter trailing Lakeside 45-31.
The final quarter flew by as both teams both gave it their all. North Thurston senior Kaylin Henderson converted a pair of free throws after being fouled by Lakeside’s Sophia David. Following Henderson, Ogaldez would follow-up with two shots of her own that brought the Rams within 9 points, forcing the Lions to call a full timeout.
During the final minutes, Ogaldez lit up the court as she hit shot after shot, including a steal from Broom that she converted with a three-point shot. However, finishing out the matchup Lakeside senior Ashlyn Ryan hit a three-point shot with 30 seconds left in the game to seal the deal, as Lakeside advanced to the semifinal round with a 62-49 victory over North Thurston.
Broom would finish the game with 26 points, 7 rebounds, and two steals, while teammate Willa Chinn had 18 points and 8 rebounds to lead the Lions. North Thurston’s Grace Lee finished the game with 18 points, while Soraya Ogaldez finished the game with 16 points.
With the win, Lakeside advances to the semifinal round of the 3A State Championship and will play Garfield on Friday, Mar. 1st at 9:00 pm. North Thurston will play Everett in a loser-out game Friday, Mar. 1 at 2:00 pm.
Pictorial Highlights of Lakeside vs North Thurston
