MARYSVILLE — Lake Stevens led early. Monroe led later. And the team that was going to have the lead at the end wouldn’t be known until a final shot at the final horn.
The try by Monroe’s stellar guard Suzanna Ohlsen missed, and Lake Stevens held on for a thrilling 46-44 girls b
asketball victory on Saturday night in the championship game of the Class 4A District 1 tournament.
It is the second consecutive district title for the Vikings and the third in six seasons for Lake Stevens head coach Randall Edens.
“It’s been pretty special,” said Edens, who will take his team to the state tournament for the fifth time in his six years as coach.
Lake Stevens had several players who made big contributions, but no one was bigger down the stretch than Corinne Burke. The 5-foot-5 senior, the team’s point guard, stepped up in the fourth quarter and dropped in three 3-point goals. The first two erased Monroe leads, and the third gave the Vikings a 44-38 lead with 1:24 to play.
Then with 17 seconds remaining, Burke went to the free-throw line and sank two chances, giving Lake Stevens a 46-41 margin. She finished with 11 points, all in the final quarter, and her two free throws proved to be the winning points as Monroe got a three-point play from Ohlsen with 10 seconds to go, but could come no closer.
“I’m so proud of her,” Edens said of Burke. “We talk about it all the time, having big-time players step up in big-time situations and she certainly did that tonight.”
“I thought our kids played hard,” said Monroe coach Rodney Walker. “They competed. … Like I just told them, I’m not sure I’ve ever been any prouder of a group than I am of them.”
Lake Stevens jumped out to an early 14-3 lead behind six points from guard Brooke Pahukoa and five from forward Abby Molstre in the opening six minutes. Monroe suffered from several early turnovers and missed shots, but closed the quarter with breakaway layins by Ohlsen and wing Kierra Wilkins.
Down seven heading into the second quarter, the Bearcats continued to peck away and drew within 21-18 inside the final minute before Vikings guard Katie Goddard swished a 3-pointer from the right baseline in the late seconds for a 24-18 margin at halftime.
“We could have folded the tent in the first eight minutes of the game when we were down (11 points), but they played hard and they kept competing,” Walker said. “We came out (in the second half) and made a basketball game of it.”
In the third quarter, Monroe turned up its defense, holding the Vikings to just six points, and the Bearcats scored the last seven points of the period to lead 32-30 heading into the final eight minutes.
In the fourth quarter, the teams traded leads until Lake Stevens went ahead to stay, 40-38, on Burke’s second 3-pointer. Her third 3 made it a six-point margin, but Bearcats post Erika Snell promptly countered with a 3-pointer to cut the deficit in half with 1:08 on the clock.
Burke’s two free throws and Ohlsen’s three-point play closed out the scoring, but there was still plenty of excitement to come. Monroe fouled Goddard with seven seconds to go and she missed both chances, giving the Bearcats a chance to tie or win at the end.
After a timeout, Ohlsen took the inbounds pass and drove the length of the court to the right baseline, but her 12-footer clipped the backboard and bounced away.
“We got just enough baskets at the end, bottom line,” Edens said.
Ohlsen finished with 18 points to lead all scorers. Lake Stevens was led by Molstre with 15 points.
Both teams advance to next weekend’s regional tournament.
At Marysville-Pilchuck H.S.
Monroe 7 11 14 12 — 44
Lake Stevens 14 10 6 16 — 46
Monroe—Ohlsen 18, O’Hara 2, Brazel 0, Alexander 11, Smith 0, Shore 0, Murphy 3, Wilkins 2, Snell 8. Lake Stevens—Goddard 6, Puha 0, Warbis 3, Wilson 0, Burke 11, Molstre 15, Brittney Pahukoa 3, Brooke Pahukoa 8. 3-point goals—Ohlsen 1, Alexander 1, Snell 1, Goddard 2, Burke 3. Records—Monroe 14-9 overall. Lake Stevens 20-3.
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