Gallagher has monster game for L. Stevens

Published 11:17 pm Tuesday, February 12, 2008

LAKE STEVENS — Karri Gallagher’s monster night sent Lake Stevens one step closer to a return to the state tournament.

With Gallagher providing nearly all the offense the Vikings needed, Lake Stevens defeated Mountlake Terrace 69-36 in the opening round of the Class 4A District 1 girls basketball playoffs Tuesday night at Lake Stevens High School.

“It just happened that way,” Gallagher said of her scoring outburst. “Coach told us to get our act together in the second quarter, so we did.”

Gallagher, a 6-foot-3 senior post, finished with a game-high 33 points — 21 in the first half — and added 10 rebounds for the Vikings, who won the Western Conference North Division.

“We just kept going to (Gallagher) until they were going to make an adjustment,” said Randall Edens, Lake Stevens head coach. “She had a monster night.”

The Vikings advance to play Marysville-Pilchuck in a winner-to-state game at 6 p.m. Friday at Marysville-Pilchuck High School. The Tommies defeated the Kamiak Knights 55-45 in their opening-round game on Tuesday.

Lake Stevens (20-1 overall), which fell just short of a perfect regular season, was the top seed from the Wesco North after winning the division with an average margin of victory of 24.3 points.

The Hawks (4-17), who were the No. 4 seed from the Wesco South, can still make it to state through the consolation bracket. Mountlake Terrace plays Kamiak in a loser-out game at 6 p.m. Thursday at Marysville-Pilchuck High School.

Neither team scored in the opening minutes of the game, with several shots sailing wide of the mark before Gallagher put the Vikings ahead for good at the 5:05 mark of the opening period with an assist from Leah Tate.

“We got the jitters out of the way a little bit … got the offense going and the defense picked up in the second half,” Edens said. “That’s what we have to do to get back to the Tacoma Dome.”

Lake Stevens, which was ranked No. 3 in the latest Associated Press Class 4A state poll, advanced to the state tournament from the district playoffs last season, along with Snohomish and Jackson.

Gallagher scored eight of the Vikings first 11 points in the second period — pushing Lake Steven’s lead into double-digits — taking feeds under the basket from senior guards Leah Tate and Alona Personius and putting in ball after ball.

“Karri is just a really easy target,” Tate said. “She runs the floor really well. It’s fun to play with her.”

Personius, Brittany Tri and Mary Ochiltree each finished with nine points for the Vikings.

A pair of 3-pointers from Corinne Pingul kept the Hawks in the game early in the second period, but Gallagher was too much to overcome.

Pingul led the Hawks with 19 points.

At Lake Stevens H.S.

MT812610—36

LS13261812—69

Mountlake Terrace—Fritz 3, Peeples 2, Pingul 19, Ramirez 2, Seidlitz 4, Staley 4, Lotz 2, Perez, Boxley. Lake Stevens—Bostwick 3, Burke 2, Gallagher 33, Greene 2, Ochiltree 9, Personius 9, Schumacher 2, Tri 9, Warbis, Goddard, Tate. 3-point goals —Pingul 2, Personius 2. Records—Mountlake Terrace 4-17 overall. Lake Stevens 20-1.