Bulldogs take sixth at state after White Swan stops streak

Colfax Bulldogs wrap up the run a state with a team photo after wining the sixth-place trophy. In front are Coach Corey Baerlocher with team seniors Kori Goodwin, Andra Hamilton and Amara Huber. Team members in the back are Assistant Coach Joel Warwick, junior varsity managers Piper Cai, Greta Geier, Parker Warwick, Taylor Garcia, Ashtyn Aune, Carmen Gfeller, Olivia Mellor, Kylie Gronning, Sidney Sheer, Katelyn Scholz, Scout Cai and Faith Markley and Assistant Coach Emily Dawson.

Colfax girls finished their long hoop season Saturday with the sixth place trophy after compiling a 1-2 record in state 2B run at the Spokane Arena. The Bulldogs, who rolled to Spokane with a run of 16 straight wins, including district and SE-NE title games, were tripped by White Swan in a two-point decision, 37-39, in the first game of the Spokane show Thursday.

They bounced back Friday afternoon with a 49-40 win over Napavine to stay in the trophy race. That put them up against Toutle Lake, last year’s foe in the state title game, in the Saturday trophy round.

The Fighting Ducks moved off to a quick start, collected a bundle of three-point shots from junior Samantha Woodley and took the fourth place trophy on a 46-41 decision.

A year earlier, Colfax rolled to a 45-38 win over Toutle Lake to win the state 2B championship for the third time in the history of the 2B division.

“We didn’t finish quite as high as we would have liked to finish,” Coach Corey Baerlocher noted this week. Prior to the tourney, Baerlocher pointed out the strong entries in this year’s included a lot of power number -two teams that could spell trouble as the tournament store unfolded.

One pre-tourney scenario envisioned Colfax rolling past White Swan in the opener and then colliding with undefeated Okanogan in the semi-final round.

Okanogan was one of three teams this year which pegged a win over Colfax in a non-leaguer early in the season.

“We would have liked to get another shot at them,” Baerlocher noted.

Okanogan rolled to the tourney title, their first in 2B, with wins over Napavine, White Swan and Wahkiakum to finish out the year with a 27-0 record. They topped Colfax 50-45 in their seventh game of the season.

White Swan, who arrived at Colfax with 19-5 record, and the Bulldogs dueled in the first half Thursday with neither team cracking an edge. The Cougars put a power team on the floor and Colfax had a lot of trouble getting the basket.

The Bulldogs were held to four points in the third quarter, and their slim lead vanished in the last quarter.

“We just couldn’t respond,” Baerlocher commented.

Cougar senior Cayla Jones, a 5-11 power player, rolled out 20 points against the Bulldogs to lead the 39-37 win for the Yakima district club.

“She just didn’t let anything get in her way,” Baerlocher commented.

One credit for the Colfax club was the inside defense the Bulldogs wrapped around Emily Boykin, the Cougars other power player at 6-0. Boykin finished with just six points and had four rebounds.

Scout Cai, who hit two three pointers over the tall Cougar defense, led Colfax with 12 points in the opening round loss Thursday.

Friday, Colfax faced off against Napavine and scratched out a 49-40 elimination win. The Tigers, who had a 19-5 record, jumped to an early 15-7 lead in the first quarter and still had a 23-21 edge at the break.

Colfax took the lead in third quarter with Taylor Garcia and Amara Huber each injecting five quick points for the Bulldog with three-point and two-point bucket combos. After that spurt of points, Napavine was unable to bound back.

Huber finished with 17 points against the Tigers and booked 10 rebound for her best game of the run.

Coach Baerlocher noted one down mark in the survival win was glum 14-36 Colfax shooting off the toss line.

The Friday win left Colfax at 1-1 and a chance for fourth place against Toutle, a 22-3 entrant with two of the losses during the season to the Napavine squad Colfax had defeated the previous day.

Coach Baerlocher noted the Bulldogs left Colfax at 6:15 for the trophy game, and just couldn’t’ seem to get in gear for the early morning game.

Toutle, which was clipped by one-point loss to LaConner in their first game and survived the elimination round with a 48-45 edge over Mabton Friday, took a 13-8 lead over Colfax in the first quarter and had a 25-21 edge at the half.

Toutle returned to state with just one senior in the lineup, but they still had a lot of firepower in their young club, including the Hockett sisters, daughters of Coach Brian Hockett.

The big factor in the fourth-place win for the Ducks was 27 points dropped by junior forward Samantha Woodley, one of only four players who scored for the Ducks in their 46-41 win over the Bulldogs.

Colfax came close to tipping the game over in the fourth quarter, but it just didn’t happen.

Freshman Carmen Gfeller, who hit four buckets inside, led Colfax in the season’s last game with 10 points.

Saturday’s game marked the last for Colfax seniors Huber, Kori Goodwin, and Andra Hamilton. The Bulldogs over their 23-5 season marked a lot of playing time for younger players who figure to bounce back and hit it again next year, Baerlocher noted.

Toutle Lake 46-Colfax 41: 13/8 12/13 8/7 13/13: Amara Huber 9(3pt)( 0-0 9, Kori Goodwin 1 1-2 3, Ashtyn Aune 2 (both 3pt() 0-0 6 , Katelyn Scholz 1(3pt) 0-0 3, Scout Cai 1 1-3 3, Carmen Gfeller 4 2-2 10, Sidney Sheer 2 (both 3 pt) 1-2 7. Total: 15 5-9 f-15 41. Toutle: Britzy Hockett 2 (3pt) 0-1 5, Samantha Woodley 8 (6 3pt) 0-1 27, Ashlynn Dean 3 (3pt) 2-2 9, Bailey Hockett 2 (3pt) 0-0 5. Total: 15 7-10 f-14 46.

Colfax 49-Napavine 40: 7/15 14/8 14/7 14/10: Huber 6 (2-3pt) 3-12 17, Andra Hamilton 1 1-4 3, Goodwin 0 7-10 7, Aune 0 1-2 1, Cai 1 0-0 2, Gfeller 3 0-2 6, Sheer 0 3-4 3, Taylor Garcia 3 (2-3pt) 8. Total: 15 14-36 f-17 49. Napavine: Rylee White 4 (2 3pt) 2-2 12, Kenya Lorton 2 3-4 7, Mollie Olson 1 3-4 5, Devanie Kleemyer 4 (all 3pt) 3-6 15. Total: 11 12-19 f-26 40.

White Swan 39-Colfax 37: 10/11 10/13 6/413/9: Huber 2 1-3 5, Hamilton 2 (both 3pt) 0-0 6, Goodwin 3 (3pt) 1-2 8, Cai 4 (2-3pt) 2-4 12, Gfelller 2 (3pt) 1-2 6. Total: 13 5-11 f-18 37. White Swan: Barb Whitesell 2 (3pt) 0-0 5, Emily Boykin 3 0-5 6, Tmesh Mills 1 (3pt) 0-0 3, Beth Ramsey 1 (3pt) 0-0 3, Cayla Jones 5 (3pt) 9-13 20. Total: 12 11-22 f-18 39.

Amara Huber gets off a shot against Toutle’s Bailey Hockett.

Kori Goodwin goes for a shot against Toutle’s Samantha Woodlley. (At right) Scout Cai rolls along the baseline in Saturday’s trophy game with the Ducks.

Bulldog cheerleaders perform a kick line to the accompaniment of the Colfax pep band. (Lower left) Olivia Mellor goes up for the hoop in heavy traffic against Toutle defenders in Saturday’s trophy game. (Bottom) The Bulldog band, under the direction of Mike Morgan, entertains Saturday in their last sports gig of the season.