State 2B girls: Northwest Christian turns up defensive pressure to down Ilwaco in quarterfinals
It was after a loss to Davenport a month ago when Northwest Christian turned a corner.
An up-and-down season was trending down after a third consecutive loss to Kettle Falls five days later, but it also gave the Crusaders a glimpse of light as their defense was slowly blossoming.
In the State 2B quarterfinals, that dominating defense sprouted and the 14th-seeded Crusaders sank No. 5 Ilwaco 50-37 at the Spokane Arena on Thursday. NWC will play top-seeded Liberty in the semifinals on Friday.
“It’s been an up-and-down season for us,” NWC first-year head coach Geoff Tibbetts said. “I keep describing it as a roller coaster, but it’s been fun like roller coasters are and it’s been exciting. And the girls just never stopped believing in each other and what we try to preach, which is just commitment, resilience and unity.”
The ups and downs continued in the quarterfinals as the Crusaders (20-10) jumped out to a 7-0 lead before going on a scoring drought that lasted over 5 minutes, carrying into the second quarter.
The Fishermen (22-4) took the lead early in the second quarter and looked the part of a semifinal team.
But NWC continued to use its swarming defense to trap the Fishermen and make them uncomfortable.
When Ilwaco tried to run its offense, NWC’s spin on a 2-3 zone was tough to crack, and every shot was met with a hand in the face. Ilwaco finished shooting 26% from the floor.
Over their first two games in Spokane, the Crusaders have amassed 31 steals after 18 against Adna and 13 on Thursday.
Ilwaco had averaged 56 points a game, but its 37 points on Thursday were the third-lowest output of the season. Junior guard Erika Glenn led Ilwaco with 20 points, and junior Tiama Ramsey had six.
The Crusaders are the lowest seed remaining in the semifinals, but if anything, it serves as a reminder as to how much was riding against them making the tournament.
They won five consecutive loser-out games just to make it to the Arena. Now they have been knocking off higher seeds, first No. 6 Adna on Wednesday before their upset against Ilwaco.
While the offense has to do its part, it has been the defense guiding NWC since the Kettle Falls loss.
“We do identify ourselves very much with being a defensive-minded team and getting stops at the end of the day,” Tibbetts said.
“We really decided as a coaching staff, and I give a ton of credit to (my assistants). Ken Ryan, we call him ‘Dr. D,’ he’s my right-hand man. We put our heads together and we said we have to identify with defense and we have to get better. We’re pretty proud of our defense and we’re … proud of these girls.”
The girls overcame injuries to key players throughout the season, including senior guard Natalie Smith, who has since returned and led the Crusaders with 15 points on Thursday. Fellow guard Ellie Sander added 13 points with 10 rebounds.
After taking over for sixth-year head coach and friend Talara Frost in May, Tibbetts was told that the foundation for the program was in place, but the mental toughness side of the game was a work in progress.
“We’ve been preaching it all year,” Tibbetts said. “And they’ve just been buying in. We just kept telling them just to stay the course, you have to keep believing. And mental toughness is continuing forward when you feel like your tank’s empty. It’s: You find a couple of drops of fuel and keep believing in each other.”