Colfax boys, girls, eliminated in first round

Garth Meyer, Gazette Reporter | Mar 12, 20200

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Toledo's Kal Schaplow pulls down a rebound in front of Kierstyn York and Shyah Antoine. Toledo won 50-48.

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The Colfax boys at the buzzer of their first-round loss to White Swan the first night of the state tournament.

If Wednesday is the lobby of the state 1B/2B basketball tournament, three county teams got there and sat on its plush couches and enjoyed a complimentary water or Gatorade.

They stayed awhile, but in the end, had no reservation.

But they got there. They made it inside. And what a lobby it is, only eight teams from each classification making it to state.

The elimination games Wednesday at Spokane Arena took out the Colfax boys and girls teams along with the Garfield/Palouse boys.

2B BOYS FIRST ROUND:

White Swan 50

Colfax 44

The Colfax boys went up against an all-hair team from White Swan – bleach, braid, bun, sprout – March 4, a 9 p.m. tip-off, and it quickly got serious.

Colfax senior Gavin Hammer hit a shot from the corner to keep Colfax up 23-16 at halftime.

In the third quarter, the Cougars took the lead at 24-23 in the elimination game and never trailed again. At 4:14 left in the third, they went up 28-23, then 31-25, 33-25.

Another time out Colfax.

Back on the floor, White Swan junior Teal Soaring Eagle hit a shot for 35-27, then Bulldogs sophomore John Lustig from the top of the key, 35-30. Colfax, the no. 9 seed, got rebounds but kept missing from close and outside.

Layne Gingerich, a junior guard, hit a three-pointer, then a Lustig turnover and White Swan's Kupkana Leavitt took it all the way and scored, 39-33 Cougars. With 4:48 left, Lustig solo, 39-35. A White Swan banked-in three, a Lustig shot from outside, no, a Hunter Claassen pass into nowhere, intended for Blake Holman. A Claassen drive, score, a Claassen two-footer, the lead still five points for White Swan, 1:47 remaining.

Then a bad Cougars' inbound, Colfax ball, and White Swan's Devon Sampson-Craig stole it from Lustig, ran up the floor and scored. Then a Lustig drive, pass off to Holman, still a five-point game.

At 1:11 left, Colfax started to foul. Soaring Eagle made one free throw. Colfax ball again, Cole Baerlocher shot from the corner, no.

Colfax fouled.

Claassen missed a final three-pointer with 24 seconds left and Leavitt hit two more free throws to seal it.

The game concluded the Colfax careers of Claassen, Baerlocher, Holman, Hammer and Booker.

Soaring Eagle led no. 8-seed White Swan with 13 points while Lustig scored 11 points with 15 rebounds for Colfax.

The Cougars advanced to the quarterfinals where they lost on Thursday to St. George's 55-53. They were eliminated the next day after a 62-61 loss to Toutle Lake.

Colfax girls lose in first rounD 50-48

The Toledo band played "Timber" before the game and Perry Imler and no. 12-seed Colfax came out and she hit two 10-footers.

Hannah Baerlocher scored three more points from the corner and the Bulldogs led 17-5.

Was that a sawing sound somewhere in Spokane Arena?

Imler followed again, a five-footer on the baseline, then no. 4 Toledo got back in the game. Colfax center Kierstyn York got called for three in the key, then the Bulldogs' Anni Cox for traveling.

Toledo senior post Kal Schaplow hit from the corner and the Colfax lead was down to two points, 21-19.

Then Toledo's no. 34, Sacie Spahr, a six-foot junior, got an offensive rebound for 21-21, tied at halftime.

Back on the floor, Spahr scored to take the lead for the Indians, then another two-footer from Spahr.

Colfax senior Skylre Sakamoto-Howell missed from the corner and Spahr got the rebound. Then Sakamoto-Howell hit from the other corner, 27-25 Colfax.

Another corner, Toledo's Gracie Madill with the shot, 28-27 Toledo. Then Spahr with an offensive rebound and score.

Colfax's Asher Cai followed from outside, then the Bulldogs' forward Shyah Antoine delivered a score and a foul, Colfax back up by five points with 2:11 left in the third quarter.

Spahr followed with a four-footer, Cai drove to keep Colfax up three, Spahr answered, the lead again down to a point, 39-38.

Toledo's Haleigh Holmes hit a shot from the corner and the game was tied again, 41-41 at the quarter break.

Into the fourth, Cai made two free throws and York came back in the game. Turnovers, back and forth, the Bulldogs' Justice Brown for a charging foul. Colfax pressed. Bulldogs called for traveling, a bench technical on Colfax Coach Corey Baerlocher.

Schaplow went to the line for two shots.

She missed both.

Then she drove on the next possession and got fouled, making both free throws, Toledo up 45-43.

York scored on the inside for Colfax, tied again. Schaplow answered, Cai fouled her, Schaplow made the shot.

York went to the free throw line with 1:36 remaining and made both, the Toledo lead back down to one.

Sakamoto-Howell then got a steal and a fast break, got fouled and went to the line. She missed both. Spahr got her fourth foul.

The Bulldogs' Kaitlyn Cornish went to the line for a one-and-one. She missed, Antoine got the rebound and scored. The clock down under a minute left, and at the other end of the floor, Spahr pulled down another offensive rebound and took the ball back up to the basket, 50-47 Toledo.

"Stacy Spahr!" called the announcer once more.

Schaplow soon went to the line with 7.9 seconds on the clock, Colfax down 50-48.

She missed the first. She missed the second. Spahr came down with the offensive rebound and went up with it again, fouled.

Colfax got the ball back with five seconds left, down by two, looking to tie to force overtime.

Sakamoto-Howell caught the inbound pass and dribbled up the floor, the clock dying, she crossed halfcourt, then the free-throw line and put up a four-foot shot at the buzzer, no, but was fouled.

1.2 seconds went back on the clock and Sakamoto-Howell stepped to the free-throw line. Colfax would need both shots for overtime.

She dribbled twice and took the first shot.

It bounced out.

Cai led Colfax scorers with 14 points in the loss while York had 12 and Imler eight. Schaplow led Toledo with 19 points while Spahr got 18, plus 13 rebounds.

Toledo advanced to the quarterfinals, where they lost to no. 3-seed Wahkiakum 55-48. They were eliminated the next day, Friday, after a 44-39 loss to Tri-Cities Prep.