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TUMWATER — Everything was sunshine and rainbows for the Pe Ell High School girls basketball team in 2025. Winning by 40 each and every night didn’t lead to a lot of hard lessons after the final buzzer.
So even as the No. 7 seed in the Class 1B state tournament, the Trojans got smacked in the face by reality. They didn’t score 20 points in the opening round and in the Round of 12, lost by 14 to Oakesdale.
“We never doubted ourselves,” senior guard Madi Engel said. “This is our game, we are going to set the pace. This isn’t our last game, there is absolutely no way. That wasn’t a possibility for us.”
There were stretches of Saturday afternoon’s tussle with No. 15 Valley Christian where Pe Ell wasn't firing on all cylinders. Still, that sunshine and those rainbows eventually found their way to Tumwater High School.
An 18-0 run over an eight-plus minute stretch in the second half allowed the 10th-seeded Trojans to pull away from the Panthers and waltz back into Spokane Arena with a 54-29 victory to continue their season for at least four more quarters.
Pe Ell (17-7) has not lost to a 1B competitor since nearly getting doubled up to top-seeded Neah Bay at the Adna Christmas tournament. It will take on seventh-seeded Pateros in the Round of 12 at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday.
“This was exciting, actually,” Trojans head coach Kelsey Lennox said. “We started more at our pace and were more confident. Just remember what works for us and capitalize on those sets. Our defense was great.”
Engel, one of four seniors on the roster, has found herself in some crunchtime moments this postseason. In the district semis, she buried a corner 3-pointer to give Pe Ell the breathing room to withstand Taholah.
Against Naselle in the district title game, Engel converted two free throws with 10 seconds left to seal the victory. And in Pe Ell’s first game of the state tournament, she found herself at the forefront in the opening quarter.
Engel scored 10 of her 13 points in the first, capped by a buzzer-beating triple to give the Trojans a 17-7 lead.
“My confidence is something I've grown in these past few years,” Engel said. “And I still don't shoot as much as I should. My team has instilled a lot of confidence in me; I know they’re behind me.”
Pe Ell’s defense led the charge the rest of the way, primarily in the second half. It didn’t allow a Valley Christian field goal for over 10 minutes and turned a 32-21 cushion into a 50-21 blowout over the end of the third quarter to midway through the fourth.
Maisy King, who battled foul trouble with three and took a breather after committing a turnover, was the catalyst in the spree with 10 of her 13 points in it. The CVL first teamer also recorded seven blocks and 10 rebounds.
“I wanted to remind her to be smart on defense,” Lennox said. “We score more when she is in the game. She is such a difference-maker.”
Karli Phelps was the point of the Trojans press and was a constant pest to the Panthers offense, registering a staggering 14 steals to pair with nine points, eight assists and four rebounds. Peyton Zock recorded 10 points, seven blocks and seven rebounds.
In total, Pe Ell finished with 26 boards, 25 steals, 18 assists and 15 blocks.
Not a bad day at the office.
“They did a better job of communicating,” Lennox said. “They have a goal that getting (to Spokane) is not enough.”
Even with the eye-popping numbers, Pe Ell was far from perfect. It struggled with entry passes and spacing within the offense to allow the Panthers into transition opportunities. It left their top scorer Cloie Isley open on a couple instances and she drained her shots.
Isley scored 17 of Valley Christian’s 29 points.
“It was different from what we’ve been seeing,” Engel said. “We hadn’t seen that kind of physicality."
The only time the Panthers cut the margin to single digits was late in the second. The Trojans eventually put them away. And now, they get a date with Pateros inside Spokane Arena. The Billygoats finished fourth in the competitive CWB league and were the runners-up out of District 5.
Pe Ell’s overwhelming belief is it feels more confident than ever in facing another elimination game.
“We know what to expect,” Engel stated. “It is a little less uncomfortable for us.”
