Asotin stops Bulldogs short of NE title game

Asotin's Panthers edged Colfax 54-51 Tuesday at the NE semi-final round at West Valley to end a Colfax bid to get into the title game. To remain on the road to state action, the Bulldogs will now have to bag two wins at West Valley to claim the third and last ticket to the state regional round.

Down by four points at the half, Asotin scored 19 points after the break on the way to the win with Eli Engledow and Thomas Martin each hitting 15 points.

Colfax was called for 26 fouls in the Tuesday semi, and Asotin collected 25 of 35 shots from the toss line. Engledow hit 10 of 11 shots from the toss line.

Colfax hit a slim 3 for 6 mark from the toss line and couldn't offset the deficit from the floor. Colfax was again led by Carson Cloaninger who finished with 17 points.

Asotin's win put them up against St. George's in the Saturday title game. The Panthers will face St. George's, a team which kept their pre-tourney dominator role by dropping Liberty 83-69 in the night's other semi round.

Colfax will now play the winner of a Davenport-Chewlah game in the elimination round Thursday. A win will put them up against the other Thursday elim winner. Liberty will also go to a Thursday elimination game.

Asotin, which lost to the Bulldogs twice in the NE-south league rounds, faced Colfax the semi-final after a quarter-final 68-57 win over Northwest Christian Thursday. The Panthers booked 44 points over the last two quarters to eradicate a 30-24 lead posted by NWC after the first two quarters. Martin hit 14 on quarter final night.

Thursday night in their quarter-final, Colfax offense just seem to let out the clutch on the first half on the way to a 68-48 win over the LRS Broncos. Colfax hit a different mode with a 39-point explosion in the first half for a 21-point lead. Cloaninger, who finished with 23 points, hit five 3-pointers for Colfax, and Cameron Hiatt hit four 3-pointers and finished with 20 points.

Bronc junior Austin Thompson also hit five 3-pointers in the game and also finished with 23

Asotin 54-Colfax 51: 11/15 7/7 19/11 17/18: Eli Engledow 2 (3pt) 10-11 15, Noah Renselman 2 3-4 7, Jacob Eskamp 2 2-2 6, Josh Wilkinson 2 0-4 4, Thomas Martin 3 9-12 15, Devin Fry 1 (3pt) 0-0 3, Jace Adous 1 (3pt) 1-2 4. Total 13 25-35 f-13 54. Colfax: Hunter Claasson 3 (all 3pt) 0-0 9, Cameron Hiatt 2 (3pt) 0-0 5, Bennett Gray 2 0-0 4, Cole Baerlocher 1 0-0 2, John Lustig 1 0-0 2, Kelan Becker 2 (both 3pt) 0-0 6. Total 20 3-6 f-26 51/

Colfax 68-Lind/Ritzville/Sprague 48: Claasson 1 0-0 2, Hiatt 8 (4-3pt) 0-0 20, Gray 2 (3pt) 0-0 5, Rubin 3 1-2 7, Cloaninger 9 (5-3pt) 0-0 23 Lustig 3 0-0 6, Becker 2 (3pt) 0-0 5. Total 28 1-2 f-12 68. LRS Shontz Yaeger 1 (3pt) 0-0 3, Conrad Ziemer 0 1-2 1, Austin Thompson 9 (5-3pt) 0-0 23, Spencer Gering 2 (both 3pt) 0-0 6, Drew Kelly 3 (2-3pt) 0-0 8, Bryce Kelly 1 (3pt) 1-1 4, Colde Cameron 1-2 1. Total 17 3-8 f-6 48.