One would expect a more raucous atmosphere after advancing to the WIAA 1A State Girls Basketball semifinals, but considering what happened late in the game it’s understandable the Montesano Bulldogs’ celebration was a little subdued.

After struggling on offense, Montesano used its outstanding defense to defeat No. 6 Freeman 40-26 on Thursday, March 3, to advance to the final four in Yakima.

But the victory came at a great cost as the Bulldogs, which have dealt with multiple key injuries this season, now have to deal with arguably the most impactful of them all at the biggest moment of the season.

Montesano senior leader and two-time reigning 1A Evergreen League MVP Paige Lisherness stole the ball and scored on a layup for her team-leading 15th point of the game, giving the Bulldogs a commanding 36-22 lead midway through the fourth quarter.

But upon landing, Lisherness appeared to have rolled her ankle and collapsed to the ground, and the whole of the Yakima Valley SunDome fell silent.

Known for her grit and toughness that has become synonymous with the resilient Bulldogs, Lisherness was in obvious agony as she was helped off the floor, unable to put any weight on her injured right ankle.

Without Lisherness in the game and standout junior forward McKynnlie Dalan playing limited minutes while still nursing a knee injury, the Scotties (16-5) took advantage.

Freeman scored two straight baskets to cut the Montesano lead to 36-26 with 1:30 left in the game.

But without their inspirational leader, the Bulldogs cast adversity aside once again, playing tenacious defense in the game’s final moments and sealing the deal when Jaiden King and Dalan hit four straight free throws over the final 45 seconds for the victory.

Lisherness led the way before leaving the game with the injury. The decorated senior scored 15 points, grabbed nine rebounds and had two blocks in an impressive effort on the state’s grandest stage.

King, an all-league guard who was out several weeks earlier in the season with a broken nose, scored 10 points and had two steals.

Montesano recorded 16 steals as a team, led by junior guard Maia Young, who was a beast on the perimeter with six steals and multiple deflections.

Speaking of the Montesano defense, the Bulldogs held Freeman to 12-of-42 (28.6 percent) shooting for the game and had a 31-25 advantage on the boards, 14 of those coming on the offensive glass.

But Montesano (21-1) hit just 17-of-53 shots from the field (32.1 percent) and converted 6-of-11 free throws (54.5 percent).

The Bulldogs were scheduled to face the tournament’s No. 1 seed — Lynden Christian — at 7:15 p.m. Friday, March 4, in a semifinal game at the Yakima Valley SunDome.

Freeman 6 4 8 8 — 26

Montesano 12 9 10 9 — 40

Scoring

Freeman (26) — Phillips 9, Goldsmith 5, Gilbert 4, Denenny 4, McLean 4

Montesano (40) — Lisherness 15, King 10, Stanfield 6, Dalan 5, O. Young 2, M. Young 2

PREP BOYS BASKETBALL

Northwest Yeshiva 50, Willapa Valley 40

Willapa Valley’s run at a state title ended after Northwest Yeshiva used a big second half to hand the Vikings a 50-40 loss in the 1B State Boys Basketball Tournament quarterfinals on Thursday, March 3, at the Spokane Arena.

The Vikings (20-5 overall) played well defensively in the first half against the Lions (17-3), holding them to just 19 points on 8-for-22 (36.4 percent) shooting to lead by as much as 10 in the second quarter and take a 25-19 lead at halftime.

But poor shooting and what Vikings head coach Jay Pearson felt was a case of big-stage jitters led to a horrendous second half that saw Willapa Valley score 15 points on 6-of-32 (18.8 percent) shooting, including going 1-for-14 (7.1 percent) from beyond the arc.

“This one kind of hurts because we beat ourselves. We beat ourselves today,” Pearson said. “We played good enough defense on the high end … but we only scored 40 and shooting percentage was key. You’ve got to make a basket.”

For the game, the Vikings went 16-for-61 (26.2 percent) from the field, including 2-for-24 (8.3 percent) from 3-point range.

“It came down to putting the ball in the hoop and we couldn’t do that today,” Pearson said. “We had multiple point-blank putbacks that wouldn’t go in.”

Tyler Adkins led Willapa Valley with 13 points, while Derek Fluke added 10 as the only Vikings in double figures.

No other Vikings player scored more than five points in the game.

“The kids were pretty tight in their first game on the big court,” Pearson said. “We’d been harping all season that the key to success over here is to attack the basket, get to the free-throw line and push the ball on the fast break. When we did that, we had some success.”

Willapa Valley held a distinct advantage on the boards with a 45-30 rebounding edge, but the Lions made the most of Vikings turnovers, scoring 22 points on 13 Willapa Valley giveaways.

Pearson added that having a first-round bye, while preferable, can be a double-edged sword.

“We’ve got a great group of kids but it was their first time in that big coliseum and I think that really affected them,” Pearson said. “A first-round bye is great for saving your legs, but the team you play has already played a game in there, and that helps.”

Pearson also said the cancellation of last season’s state tournaments meant his team missed out on experience that would have been invaluable entering this year’s competition.

“It’s a direct reflection of COVID because last year, we would’ve been there and have gained that experience,” he said. “We would’ve been right there for the title again, but we didn’t have that opportunity.”

Fourth-seeded Willapa Valley will move into the consolation rounds, where it was scheduled to face No. 7 Lummi Nation at 9 a.m. Friday in an elimination game.

Pearson hopes his team can turn the page and advance to the state’s fourth/sixth-place game on Saturday.

“Tomorrow is a new day and we have to flush this,” he said. “Hopefully, we can come out tomorrow and shoot the ball with confidence.”

Northwest Yeshiva 11 8 13 18 — 50

Willapa Valley 11 14 5 10 — 40

Scoring

NW Yeshiva (50) — Kintzer 24, Weiss 14, Maimon 7, Goldberg 5

Willapa Valley (40) — Adkins 13, D. Fluke 10, K. Fluke 5, Hampton 4, Clements 4, Christen 3, Keeton 1