KELSO — Friday’s 2A Girls District 4 Championship Game in Kelso had a familiar feel to it.
The W.F. West Bearcats and Columbia River Rapids, the EvCo and GHSL’s champions, faced off for the second year in a row, wearing the same uniform combinations that they did in last winter’s title game.
And for the second straight season, it was W.F. West celebrating postgame, as the Bearcats won their second District 4 Championship in a row with a 59-28 victory.
It’s W.F. West’s fourth district title in school history, and it’s the first time they’ve gone back-to-back.
“It’s an unreal feeling,” W.F. West coach Kyle Karnofski said. “To do it the first time meant a ton. To do it a second time was the goal … I think that we had our eyes set on trying to make sure that we solidified who we were. I’m really proud of our girls.”
It wasn’t as close as it was last year, when W.F. West needed a 15-2 run at the end to pull away. This time around, Julia Dalan wasted no time getting the Bearcats out in front.
She scored nine points in the first quarter, helping W.F. West build a 16-7 lead, and she kickstarted a 16-0 run in the second to help the Bearcats break the game open. By the end of the second quarter, Dalan had scored 27 points, and W.F. West led 38-12.
“The stakes are higher, and in big games, big players gotta step up and continue to do that,” Karnofski said. “She’s done a great job with that, and I was really proud of her.”
Entering the title game, she needed just 24 points to set a modern (since 2007) girls 2A District 4 Tournament record for most points in a single tournament. The mark was at 83, which was set by Mark Morris’ Kourtney Eaton in 2015.
Dalan topped that mark in the first half, and she went on to finish the night with 32, putting her three-game total at 92. It’s her third straight postseason game scoring at least 30 points.
“I think there’s more motivation to do it for my teammates and do it for my coach,” Dalan said. “Knowing that everyone else is putting so much time and effort, I wanna reflect that on how I play, try to bring the best for my team, and bring us as far as we can this year.”
Dalan was quick to credit her teammates, who each had their moments throughout the win as well. Amanda Bennett hit a nice layup underneath and drilled a three in the first, while Dilyn Boeck and Grace Simpson hit a pair of threes in the fourth and finished with a combined 17 points.
“Everything that I accomplish is just because of them,” Dalan said. “We all are obviously very reliant on each other, and I think that’s kind of what makes us such a good team. We’re all very proud of ourselves, and we’re proud of all the work that we put into this.”
Defensively, the Bearcats never let up. They allowed seven or fewer points in three of the game’s four quarters, and they only allowed nine in the other.
Their press gave Columbia River fits all night, and the Rapids were forced to take several threes because of Dalan’s presence in the post.
“Being able to do different things defensively, that’s what makes us hard to deal with,” Karnofski said. “I’m just really proud of the buy-in this week. We threw a lot at them … I’m just really thrilled with how they just flew around.”
Karnofski’s passion for coaching began when he watched his mother, Kim, coach for more than 20 years as he grew up. Karnofski calls his mom after nearly every game to talk about schemes and strategies, and he was looking forward to Friday night’s call.
“I think Mom will be pretty happy with that one,” Karnofski said with a smile and a laugh.
Karnofski also credited his senior class — Dalan, Bennett, Simpson, and Ellie Clinton — saying that they are “one of the best groups in school history.
“The senior leadership is where it starts, and I love this group,” Karnofski said. “They’re working their butts off, and I couldn’t be happier.”
All that said, the Bearcats know they are not done. They hope to enter the Regional Round as the No. 3 seed, which means they would get a home game with a first-round bye in Yakima on the line.
They were the No. 3 seed last year and hosted Archbishop Murphy, but lost at home and had to play in the Round of 12 at the SunDome.
They’ll learn their specific seed and Regional Round opponent on Sunday, when the seeding committee releases the state tournament brackets.
“We want to come in confident, but not over our head,” Dalan said. “Playing for each other and knowing that how we work is gonna bring us the best benefit. Not shying away from a challenge, because that’s the fun part of basketball.”
