Ridgeline girls defend top seed, uses 12-1 run at end of third to pull away from Southridge 72-53 | District 6 basketball

The Ridgeline girls team entered the District 6 3A tournament as the No. 1 seed and breezed past Mt. Spokane in the first round, so a win Tuesday in a semifinal against Southridge – which tied for the Mid-Columbia Conference title – would mean clinching a third-consecutive trip to state for the Falcons.

They got it, eventually pulling away at the end. But for the first 2 1/2 quarters, it was anything but easy.

A 12-1 run to close the third quarter made all the difference, and the Falcons (18-4) downed the Suns (17-6) 72-53 to advance to the district championship game on Friday.

“We knew that we had to step it up. We were not playing our style of basketball the first half,” Ridgeline coach Freddie Rehkow said. “It was just run-and-chuck, and that didn’t work for us very well. Once we settled in, started running some shots, getting our offense going, the girls just kind of settled down and played our style basketball.”

Senior Madi Crowley and junior Grace Sheridan led the Falcons – as they’ve done all year – with 17 points apiece. Freshman Noelia Axton added 16, all before picking up her fourth foul midway through the third quarter.

Ridgeline, which had a distinct size advantage over the Suns, went 21 of 24 at the free-throw line. Crowley finished with 14 rebounds.

“We talked about it all week at practice, how they’re going to be little and quick and scrappy, and so we knew what we needed to do,” Crowley said.

“We had to basically take the ball out of the 3-point range,” Rehkow said. “Bottom line, if they want to drive, they’re gonna have to run into Madi at that point. And we just told Madi, just hold the fort down in the middle and stay strong and don’t foul.”

Axton went for her season-high 20 points in Ridgeline’s 65-36 win over Mt. Spokane in the first round and was well on her way again before running into foul trouble. Her development as a reliable third scorer has come at a most opportune time for Ridgeline.

“She’s been playing great for us,” Crowley said of Axton. “She’s getting us those rebounds, and she’s bringing that energy that we’ve been missing, and we’ve just got to keep going with it.”

Axton scored Ridgeline’s first six points, finished with eight in the quarter and the Falcons led 17-14 after one. Axton hit a 3 early in the second, followed by 3s from Kate Taylor and Makinley Simmelink, and Ridgeline opened a 10-point lead with 2 minutes left in the quarter.

But Southridge’s Aryn Sloot hit a pair of 3s late in the frame and the Falcons took a 38-35 lead into the break.

“We knew we just had to keep fighting,” Rehkow said. “You know the fact that we gave up seven threes in the first half and we were still up – I mean, you’ve got to just count your blessings at that point.”

“We were getting sucked down and getting pinned down on screens, and they just were making their shots,” Crowley said. “And so in the locker room, we really talked about getting out and not getting pinned, just playing better defense.”

Axton picked up her third foul 3 minutes into the third quarter and went to the bench, and Southridge took a one-point lead a minute later on a pair of free throws by Joan Mercado.

But Sheridan popped a 3, then the Falcons got a stop. Kalia Blanchard hit a put-back, and Emma Goldstein made a pair at the line to restore a 51-45 lead with 1:47 left in the period.

Crowley hit a 3 from the top of the key, then Sheridan added one from the wing and Ridgeline led 59-46 entering the fourth.

“Once (Axton) picked up her fouls, we just had to adjust,” Rehkow said. “And I thought Emma and Kalia came in and gave us some really good minutes to kind of stymie that a little bit. Their defense is different than Noelia’s, but that doesn’t mean it’s not as hard.”

Taylor nailed a 3 with 2:19 remaining to make it a 15-point game.

“We’ve got a goal,” Rehkow said. “We’ve got the first step of it now – this guarantees state, but that’s not our goal. We’re going to keep walking that fine line and try to get ourselves where we want to be. If it’s a long trip, you know, 275 miles, so be it. We’re going make that trip.”