Nighthawks take home fourth-place trophy

SPOKANE -Oakesdale saved its best for last on the final day of the 1B Girls State Basketball Tournament. The Nighthawks routed Waterville-Mansfield 55-28 to earn a fourth-place finish at the Spokane Arena Saturday, March 4.

From the get-go, Oakesdale proved its superiority over the Shockers with an 18-3 run. The Shockers answered with a 10-0 run of their own in the second quarter, but it wasn't enough to reel in Oakesdale.

Jessie Reed and Lucy Hockett accounted for 14 of Oakesdale's points as the Nighthawks led at the half 22-14.

In the third quarter, the Nighthawks outscored Waterville-Mansfield 20-10. Reed and Samantha Holling controlled the glass, which resulted in many fastbreak baskets.

Bradyn Henley paced the scoring surge with eight points in the quarter. Oakesdale led 42-24 going into the fourth quarter.

Emily Dingman outscored the Shockers by herself in the fourth quarter, scoring six points compared to their four, en route to the 55-28 win.

Hockett led the Nighthawks in scoring with 15 points, all long-range bombs from behind the 3-point line. She also grabbed seven rebounds.

"I thought we played well as a team today," Hockett said. "We really shot the ball well."

Reed finished the game with 14 points and nine rebounds. Dingman and Henley each scored eight points. Holling scored four points but did more than her share on the defensive end, pulling down 14 rebounds.

"This was our best game," Henley said. "Our passing and defense was better than it had ever been."

Holly Finkbeiner scored nine points for the Shockers, and Jasmin and Jimena Garcia each scored eight.

"This win feels tremendous," Oakesdale head coach Heidi Perry said. "We've played some games with only five players and played one with only four in the second half. We've also worked through several injuries. The adversity we faced was there for a reason. This win shows we can play with anybody. For the three seniors to end their careers with this win, we couldn't have written it any better. The team dug deep and found a way."