Columbia High’s girls basketball team needed to win its final regular-season Trico League contest to have a chance to compete in the district playoffs. And the Bruins did just that on Friday, much to the delight of its home crowd.
Columbia controlled visiting Castle Rock from the outset, building an early 10-point lead enroute to a 48-37 win over the Rockets. The victory left Columbia in a three-way tie for third place in the Trico with Castle Rock and Seton Catholic. The latter two teams were scheduled to play Monday in LaCenter in a tiebreaker game for seeding into the district playoffs.
Monday’s winner qualifies as the Trico’s No. 3 seed into this week’s playoffs. Monday’s loser was scheduled to play against Columbia at 6 p.m. at LaCenter in a game to determine the Trico’s No. 4 seed (result was after the printed edition deadline).
“It was a must win,” Columbia Coach Howard Kreps said of the 11-point Castle Rock win. “The girls played hard.”
Castle Rock had beaten Columbia the first time these teams played, 36-27, on Jan. 19.
The Bruins need to win one of three games heading into last week. Illness played a factor in Columbia’s 59-41 loss Jan. 31 to King’s Way, as well as its 65-37 loss to Seton Catholic on Feb. 3. Most, but not all, of the Bruin lineup was intact for the Castle Rock contest.
“I’ll know tomorrow (Monday) morning who will be available for Tuesday,” Kreps said. “That’s the way it’s been this season. You never know who you’ll have.
“The girls have hung in there and are still competing.”
Tuesday’s Trico playoff winner advances to the first round of the District 4 1A playoffs which begin Friday in Aberdeen. The Trico’s No. 4 plays the Evergreen League’s top seed, No. 1-ranked Montesano (16-1). The Bulldogs’ top player, McKynnlie Dalan, a 6-foot-1 junior forward, suffered a right knee injury during warm-ups of their final regular season game against Tenino on Friday.
Commented