By Thomas Clouse, NWPrepsNow.com
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The Central Valley girls basketball team got a career scoring night from a freshman, who also blocked the potential tying shot in the final seconds, to beat Lewis and Clark 57-53 Friday night in the 4A subregional loser-out game.
Lexie Hull, a 6-1 freshman, scored a career-high 28 points on a night when the host Bears (19-4) needed almost every point to beat the Tigers (17-7) for the fourth time this season and extend CV’s season.
Up 55-53 in the final seconds, Hull blocked a shot by Riley Lupfer. The Bears got the ball and Megan Dimmler made two free throws with 2 seconds left.
“That was a wild game,” Central Valley coach Freddie Rehkow said. “It flat came down to defense. Those last two possessions were huge for us, including the block at the end.”
Tonight at 7, the Bears play at Walla Walla, which lost 52-48 Friday night to Gonzaga Prep. Tonight’s winner will advance to the round of 16 with the loser eliminated.
But to extend their season, the Bears had to come from behind. They trailed the Tigers 32-28 at halftime and didn’t recapture the lead until senior Madison Hovren scored on a layup halfway through the third period to make it 39-38.
Lacey Hull made a free throw for Central Valley to make it 55-53 with 23 seconds left in the game. The Tigers set up their offense but Lexie Hull ended it with the big block.
“I thought our girls battled,” LC coach George Pfeifer said. “We had plenty of opportunities to capture the game and we didn’t do it. I’m really proud of these girls.”
Lupfor led LC with 16 points.
Hovren scored 16 points and had eight rebounds for the Bears.
“Lexie just came out ready to play,” Rehkow said. “Madi (Hovren) has been just huge for our program. She has led us in scoring for the past three years.”
With her team only up a point, the Bears’ Courtney Carolan was fouled on a 3-point attempt. Carolan missed all three shots, but Hovren knifed through two defenders, got the offensive rebound and scored the put-back to give the Bears a 41-38 lead.
“Plays like that are huge,” Rehkow said. “Her ability to get rebounds keeps plays alive.”
The teams played four times and the final three games were decided by a total of 10 points.
“I’ve got to give LC a lot of credit. They just kept getting better,” Rehkow said. “I really respect that group.”