There are going to be games when baskets will be hard to come by.
It felt like it might be one of those nights for the Seton Catholic girls basketball team on Tuesday.
There was only one thing for the Cougars to do: Make sure Hoquiam didn’t get any easy baskets either.
The strategy worked perfectly as Seton held Hoquiam to just five total field goals and pulled away in the second half for a 48-21 win over the Grizzlies in the 1A District 4 semifinal at Seton Catholic.
“I think that’s a big thing for our team is that … if our shots aren’t falling all the time, our defense is something that we can go in and rely on,” junior post Riley Seymer said. “(Hoquiam) came out really strong. They came out with a lot of energy, tough defense. But I think our defense really held us in there.”
Holding the Grizzlies to one first-half field goal, Seton Catholic took a 19-10 lead into halftime.
The Cougars found their offense in the second half as Remy Jenniges hit two 3-pointers to cap a 12-2 run to extend their lead to 31-12.
Another thing the Cougars can rely on is their depth.
After Hoquiam closed with 31-16 at the end of the third quarter, the Grizzlies looked ready to get back in the game with Seymer and senior post Hailey Hammerstrom on the bench with four fouls each.
But Jenniges hit another 3-pointer and freshman post Emma Whitehouse added two baskets to put the Cougars back in control.
Whitehouse finished with eight points, but coach Phil Kent said her contributions on defense were even bigger.
“It’s one of the blessings we have this year; we have a really deep bench,” Kent said. “Emma, a 6-1 freshman who can run like a deer. She plays amazing defense. Her length really affects the game. And that was really, really huge for us because they had two post players who were just a lot to handle.”
Whitehouse was just glad to make a contribution when her team needed it.
“Oh, it was really fun,” Whitehouse said of her contributions. “I was just thinking we got get up. I don’t know. It was just a lot of fun.”
As it turned out, Seymer and Hammerstrom stayed on the bench the rest of the game as the Cougars closed out with a 10-0 run.
“I definitely agree that Emma here and so many other people stepped up, they made some amazing buckets, amazing moves,” Seymer said. “The whole team did amazing, and I’m proud of each and every one of them.”
Jenniges led the Cougars with 11 points, and Madison Lee had 10. Seymer matched Whitehouse with eight points as the Cougars moved on to face Montesano in the district championship game Saturday in Centralia.
“That’ll be a tough game,” Kent said. “We’re playing, what is it, the two-time defending district champ, maybe three-time. I said at the beginning the District 4 championship goes through Monte. It’ll be a tough game. It’ll be a fun game, and we’ll look forward to it.”
SETON CATHOLIC 48, HOQUIAM 21
HOQUIAM — Avery Brodhead 0, RenaeJah Burtenshaw 3, Lexi LaBounty 4, Mya Standstipher 0, Katlyn Brodhead 3, Austyn Capoeman 0, Aaliyah Kennedy 5, Nadine Stewart 0, Piper Stankavich 2, Sydney Gordon 4. Totals 5 (1) 10-21 21.
SETON CATHOLIC — Madison Lee 10, Kingsley Williams 1, CJ Moore 3, Naomi Jackson 0, Silvia Pujols 0, Remy Jenniges 11, Tegan Figueroa 2, Tiffany Sheldon 5, Adyson Maddock 0, Emma Whitehouse 8, Hailey Hammerstrom 0, Riley Seymer 8. Totals 21 (4) 2-8 48.
Hoquiam 5 5 6 5—21
Seton 8 11 12 17—48
