Overtime is Washougal’s time

WASHOUGAL — RaeAnn Allen remembers the moment it all started.

Trailing by three points late in a district tournament game, the Washougal girls basketball team needed a little luck to keep its season alive.

W.F. West had two free throws with 12 seconds left. If one goes in, the Panthers’ season is probably over.

But the opponent missed the first. That’s when Allen, a senior guard, looked at freshman Beyonce Bea.

“I said ‘Are you ready for this?’ ” Allen said. “She looked at me like I was insane. I was like ‘Are you ready because you’re taking this shot.’ ”

W.F. West missed the second free throw. Bea then hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer to send the game to overtime. Washougal would go on to win.

An unlikely victory? Yes.

But that was just the beginning of a three-game run that Washougal’s players and coaches can hardly wrap their heads around.

Washougal has won three consecutive overtime games to reach the quarterfinals of the Class 2A state tournament.

In 20 years of coaching, Washougal coach Brian Oberg had never been in three straight overtime games at any level.

But consider that a slipup in any of those games would have ended Washougal’s season.

Consider that Washougal trailed in all three of those games, including by double-digits in two of them.

Consider that Washougal has been so dominant in overtime, the Panthers have held their last two opponents scoreless during the extra period.

“It’s crazy to look back and say, we did that,” Allen said. “It’s insane.”

After beating W.F. West, the Panthers outlasted Hockinson to claim the district’s third berth to the regional round of the state tournament. Saturday, Washougal beat a White River team that had won 15 straight.

If you combine the eight-minute fourth quarters and four-minute overtimes of those three games, Washougal has survived 36 minutes of basketball in which one bad minute could have ended the season.

Over those 36 minutes — which fittingly is the length of a full game plus overtime — Washougal has outscored its opponents 78-56.

“Overtime is kind of our thing,” senior Alyssa Blankenship said. “We don’t panic.”

But Washougal’s nerves haven’t always been so steely. The Panthers, which hadn’t reached state since 1983, returned just four players from last year’s varsity team.

“They have developed that ability this last month of the season to kind of block it out when they get to the fourth quarter,” Oberg said. “I wish it was a little bit earlier, but they get it done.”

At times, Washougal has struggled to score. The Panthers scored just 11 points in the first half against White River and have had other games in which they shot 25 percent from the field.

But Washougal’s defense has barely faltered. The Panthers (20-5) have given up 50 or more points in just eight games.

That can be credited to hours of repetitive, muscle-burning footwork drills. Allen and Blankenship roll their eyes when those are mentioned.

“All year we’ve practiced on the basic fundamentals of the footwork,” Oberg said. “The girls can’t stand it because we’re doing 30 to 40 minutes of side-to-side, cutting off angles.”

Those drills paid off against White River, which was visibly tired late in the game against Washougal.

“We hate them, but they work so well for us in the game,” Allen said. “It sucks, but we’re really good about cheering each other on and making sure everyone does the hardest work they can possibly do because we know it pays off.”

In the quarterfinals, Washougal will face Shorecrest (15-10) at 9 a.m. Thursday in Yakima.

Should the Panthers find themselves in another tight game, don’t expect any panic on the court or during timeouts.

“They don’t get too high or too low,” Oberg said. “They just say ‘This is what we do. This is our time now. We got to this point, now let’s go win the game.'”

WIAA Hardwood Classic, Class 2A and 1A

At the Sun Dome, Yakima
Quarterfinals
2A BOYS: Woodland (17-8) vs. Clarkston (22-1), 3:45 p.m. Thursday.
How Clarkston got there: The Bantams won the 2A Greater Northern League with an 11-1 mark, their lone loss came to Pullman on Jan. 30. In the postseason, they beat Pullman 63-55, Toppenish 79-34 and beat Renton 76-47 in Friday’s regional round.
How Woodland got there: The Beavers were second in the 2A Greater St. Helens League at 8-4. In the postseason, they beat Centralia 46-33, lost to Tumwater 54-37, beat Washougal 49-41, beat Centralia 56-43 and beat North Kitsap 63-50 in Friday’s regional round.
Key Clarkston player: Six-foot-2 guard Trevon Allen is a returning all-state player who has committed to the University of Idaho. He set a single-game school record by scoring 45 points earlier this year.
Key Woodland players: Six-foot-10 Bryce Mulder and 6-foot-4 Tanner Sixberry give Woodland a strong interior defense. Those two and guard Hayden Huddleston all average about 13 points per game.
Key win: 51-39 over Washougal on Jan. 29. Woodland had lost five of its last eight. The win started a four-game win streak to end the regular season, during which the Beavers didn’t allow more than 45 points in a game.

2A GIRLS: Shorecrest (15-10) vs. Washougal (20-5), 9 a.m. Thursday.
How Shorecrest got there: At 7-5, the Scots finished third as a 2A team playing in the 3A Wesco Conference. In the postseason, they beat Lakewood 51-24, lost to Lynden 52-45, beat Burlington Edison 59-57, beat Lakewood 59-46 and beat Franklin Pierce 59-24 in Saturday’s regional round.
How Washougal got there: The Panthers finished tied atop the 2A Greater St. Helens League with Mark Morris at 10-2. In the postseason, they beat Centralia 69-51, lost to Black Hills 49-44, beat W.F. West 82-78, beat Hockinson 57-51 and beat White River 40-34 in Saturday’s regional round.
Key Shorecrest players: Sophomore Julia Strand  averages 16 points per game and is the first girl in school history to score more than 500 points in her first two seasons. Uju Chibuogwu, a 5-foot-11 senior, averages 13 points, eight rebounds and four assists.
Key Washougal players: Alyssa Blankenship was the 2A GSHL co-MVP and is just the third Washougal player to score more than 1,000 career points. RaeAnn Allen is a first-team all-league guard.
Key win: 55-47 over Mark Morris on Feb. 4. “Mark Morris has been such an icon for this league,” coach Brian Oberg said. “To finally get that one, I could see a change in them, a little more confidence.”
Most important loss, what was learned: 41-40 to Heritage, Dec. 7. “We learned a lot about playing against a team with length,” Oberg said. “We couldn’t get the ball over the top of them. We needed to learn how to play a different style.”

1A BOYS: Medical Lake (19-7) vs. King’s Way Christian (20-4), 2 p.m. Thursday.
How Medical Lake got there: Placed second in the 1A Northeast Conference at 11-3. In the postseason, beat Chewelah 61-44, lost to Lakeside-Nine Mile Falls 73-49, beat Newport 51-45, beat Lakeside-Nine Mile Falls 66-56 and beat La Salle 55-51 in Saturday’s regional round.
How King’s Way got there: Won the Trico League by going 12-0. In the postseason, beat Forks 61-31, beat Eatonville 61-55, beat Kalama 64-58 and beat Cascade Christian 52-31 in Saturday’s regional round.
Key Medical Lake player: Six-foot-4 forward Jaelon Stith is the Cardinals’ leading scorer. He had 16 points and 15 rebounds in the state-clinching win over Lakeside and has scored as many as 30 this season.
Key King’s Way players: Six-foot-8 senior Kienan Walter averages about 22 points per game and was the Trico League MVP. Skylar Freeman also was first-team all-league.
Key win: 57-51 over Anacortes on Dec. 30. The Knights trailed by 20 in the first half and rallied to win. “In all my years as a player at Washington State or a coach here, that’s the most impressive expample of a team willing itself to a win,” coach Daven Harmeling said. “It taught them that you can be down, but you’re never out.”
Most important loss, what was learned: 60-51 to Lynden Christian on Dec. 22. “It was so obvious that our lack of rebounding on offense or defense gave us no chance,” Harmeling said. “Since that game, we’ve only been outrebounded on the offensive glass once.”

For live updates, follow The Columbian’s Micah Rice on Twitter @col_mrice