YAKIMA – The La Center girls basketball team isn’t looking for excuses.
After a 47-32 loss to La Salle in the regional round of the 1A state tournament, the Wildcats are looking for a blessing in disguise.
La Center (21-2) had only played one close game in two months leading up to Saturday’s game at Eisenhower High School.
After the high-scoring Wildcats were stifled by La Salle’s pressure defense, La Center’s players hope Saturday serves as a wakeup call.
By virtue of being a top-8 seed, the No. 6 Wildcats aren’t out of the tournament. They face No. 14-seed Freeman in a loser-out game Wednesday at the SunDome in Yakima. La Salle (20-4) gets a bye to the state quarterfinals.
“Hopefully it will light a fire and get us ready to go,” La Center senior Bethany Whitten said.
Playing in front of a hometown crowd, No. 3 La Salle led 22-9 early in the second quarter. La Center, which averages 64 points per game, could never get momentum on offense in a season-low output.
“No excuses, they flat-out outhustled us,” La Center coach Herm VanWeerdhuizen said. “We knew they were going to be pressuring us. For the first half we didn’t step up.”
La Center returns all five starters, including four seniors, from a team that was among the final 12 at the SunDome last season.
Saturday’s loss was a reminder of what type of challenge the Wildcats will face there.
“It’s a good lesson that we need to focus more in our next game and work as a team,” senior Taylor Mills said. “Don’t take anything for granted. If you’re thinking about not boxing out or not going for that steal, you should because every play counts.”
Taylor Stephens led La Center with 12 points and Mills added 11. La Center struggled to create open shots and made just six of 14 free throws.
“You’ve got to shoot the ball to make baskets,” VanWeerdhuisen said. “We were lax. We weren’t ready.”
LA SALLE 47, LA CENTER 32
LA CENTER – Alyssa McKnight 0, Whitley Seter 1, Molly Edwards 7, Bethany Whitten 1, Taylor Mills 11, Taylor Stephens 12. Totals 11 (4) 6-14 32.
LA SALLE – Kamryn Fiscus 9, Lilly Lancaster 0, Natalie Munguia 2, Tatiana White 11, Leah Ashby 2, Hayley Stohr 4, Trista Hull 9, Natalie Newman 7, Gillian Martin 0, Grace McGree 3. Totals 17 (5) 8-14 47.
La Center 9 8 9 6—32
La Salle 18 10 11 8—47
