In a back-and-forth battle, W.F. West kept its cool down the stretch and hung on for a 44-41 victory over visiting Hockinson in the opening round of the 2A District 4 girls basketball tournament Friday.
“Lots of big moments and it had that district basketball feel,” W.F. West coach Kyle Karnofski said. “We knew it was gonna come down to the end and it did.”
The Bearcats built a four-point lead heading into the second quarter and led 29-26 at the half before both squads squared off in a defensive bout in the second half, with neither team scoring in double digits in the final two quarters.
But it was the Bearcats who did just enough to secure the win, led by senior Drea Brumfield’s 16-point performance.
“Down the stretch, I really liked our poise. We didn’t panic,” Karnofski said. “Drea did a good job. They guarded her tough. And I’m really proud of Julia Dalan, who had nine points off the bench and was key for us in the second half and getting rebounds down the stretch.”
Senior point guard Kyla McCallum added seven points and seven Bearcats in total got on the scoreboard.
W.F. West now takes on 2A Greater St. Helen’s League’s Hudson’s Bay at 6 p.m., Monday, at Ridgefield High School. A win would clinch the Bearcats state regional berth and a spot in the district title game on Friday. A loss would put them in a winner-to-regionals, loser-out match on Wednesday.
“I’ve seen some film (on Hudson’s Bay),” Karnofski said. “They’re athletic. They’re good.”
