SPOKANE — The Adna Pirates fell just short of securing their first 2B state title in school history, falling in overtime 73-66 to Northwest Christian at Spokane Arena Saturday, March 8. Adna earned its highest-ever state finish with a second-place trophy.
The Crusaders set the tone of physicality and composure from the opening tip, registering the first nine points of the evening with a pair of putback layups and a 3-pointer by Mackenzie Prince. Karsyn Freeman stumbled to a slow start from the field for the Pirates, who steadily narrowed the deficit with two buckets by Kendall Humphrey. Northwest Christian led 18-12 through one.
Freeman quickly shook off the rust and drilled a pull-up triple 12 seconds into the second quarter to crawl within one score for the first time since the opening possession. Gaby Guard kept her hot shooting from the Spokane Arena wing this tournament alive in the second, knocking down two within a minute.
After the Crusaders regained an eight-point lead off of back-to-back Macey Shamblin layups, the Pirates responded with 10 unanswered points to take a 31-28 halftime advantage. Freeman provided the tying score with a putback layup off a Guard missed trey, and McKenna Torrey raced to the lane for the go-ahead layup.
Both teams traded scores to start the third quarter, including Freeman finding the mark from deep and from mid range. But the Crusaders retook a two-possession lead midway through the frame by way of further dominance on the offensive glass, Shamblin layups down low, and Leah Platt catching fire from downtown. A third quarter that saw six lead changes concluded with the Pirates in front 44-42.
Adna snagged its biggest lead early in the fourth with a Freeman layup off of a steal and a hard-earned two points by Torrey, who again used her speed to find space for a layup. Freeman reached 20 points for the third straight tournament contest via a shot clock-beating 3-pointer that gave the Pirates a 51-44 lead with 4:24 remaining in the fourth. On the very next possession, the senior delivered another clutch triple, sinking an awkward shot with a hand in her face to beat the shot clock horn again.
As Northwest Christian drew closer, Guard canned an open corner 3-pointer to extend Adna's lead to seven before the Pirates fell apart offensively over the next 80 seconds. Three Crusaders steals led to a pair of transition layups, and Kaitlyn Waters gave NWC a late lead with two clutch free throws to make it 58-57 with 32.6 ticks left.
Freeman, not shy in the biggest of moments, delivered in perhaps the biggest of her life with a 3-point shot off of an offensive rebound to move in front 60-58 with 15 seconds left. Waters responded with a dash to the basket and a tough layup to tie the contest at 60 apiece with 6.2 seconds left, and Freeman's three-quarters court heave fell short to send the title game to overtime.
After Torrey gave Adna the first point in overtime off a free throw, Waters took over for NWC. She stepped through contact for a layup and drew a foul, converting both free throws to make it 64-61 NWC.
Freeman charged too hard to the basket as she was called for an offensive foul, ending her Adna career on a fifth personal foul with two minutes remaining in overtime. Shamblin came in clutch for the Crusaders with yet another putback layup to balloon the lead to five. Waters, the fourth-quarter hero, served another dagger on a backbreaking layup with 45.8 left in overtime, putting the Pirates down 69-63 before the Crusaders closed out a 73-66 win. The thrilling contest to close the 2B girls season saw three ties and 11 lead changes.
Adna finishes the season with a 24-3 record and graduates four seniors: Danika Hallom, Karsyn Freeman, Gaby Guard and Kendall Humphrey.
