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In a short time, Goldendale advances to semifinals By SCOTT SANDSBERRY YAKIMA HERALD-REPUBLIC It took Goldendale all of 18 seconds on Thursday to move into the Class 1A state tournament semifinals. No, not the first 18 seconds. Not against Winlock, a team with 6-foot-4 leapers everywhere you looked. “They’re BIG,” Goldendale senior Keegan Cook said with wide eyes. But the Timberwolves’ 58-48 victory was nonetheless over in 18 seconds — the stretch from 5:19 remaining in the game to the 5:01 mark, when Goldendale turned a nail-biting two-point edge into a nine-point advantage.

Goldendale's Keegan Cook goes up for a shot Thursday against Winlock. Cook scored 28 points.   KIRK HIROTA/ For the Yakima Herald-Republic

“That was big,” said the T-Wolves’ super sophomore, Callan Wilkins, whose four 3-pointers included one during that 7-0 run. “That really turned the whole game around for us.”

Especially in a game like this one, which had been tied five times and seen nine lead changes. And especially against a patient — almost pedestrian — team like Winlock. The Cardinals played pound-the-ball-inside almost exclusively, happy to burn off a minute while looking for a 4-foot shot.

And their strategy had been working. “They played really well in the first half,” Wilkins said. “We had to come out in the second half and step it up.”

Then came that magic 18 seconds.

With his team leading 38-36, Cook was knifing across the top of the lane when he spotted backup center Isaac Schwab six feet from the basket. Cook backhanded a pass in to Schwab, who hit a twisting fallaway and was fouled on the play.

“Gotta give the credit for that one to Isaac,” Cook said. “We saw him do that against Zillah, and he came through big again.”

Schwab missed the free throw, but seconds later Cook made a steal in backcourt, went in for a layup, pump-faked, scored and was fouled. He, too, missed the free throw, but the ball was batted out of bounds in a scramble off Winlock hands. Goldendale’s ball. Three seconds later, Cook found Wilkins free on the perimeter, got the ball to him and watched the lanky sophomore swish a 3-pointer.
Just like that: 19 seconds, seven points, and the ball never crossed midcourt.

Winlock was now down 45-36 with five minutes remaining — not an insurmountable margin for a running team with a lot of 3-point shooters, but that isn’t the Cardinals. They weren’t able to do much more than trade points with Goldendale the rest of the way, never closing the gap to less than seven points.

Winlock had the same three double-figure scorers it had had in its opening win against Winlock — John Prigmore, Nate Bryant and Drew Travis, who combined for 33 points. But that wasn’t enough to offset Wilkins’ bombs or a huge game by Cook: 28 points against Winlock on 10-for-16 shooting from the field and 7-for-12 from the foul line, team-high totals of eight assists and six rebounds and only one turnover.

And so now a Goldendale team that came into the tournament with a 14-10 record finds itself in Friday’s 9 p.m. semifinal against Seattle Christian, which beat Freeman on Thursday night.

“I thought we’d come to state, maybe get a win, maybe two. But I didn’t think we’d be in the semifinals,” Cook said.

“I think we’re playing our best basketball of the season. And it’s the right team of the year to be doing that.”

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Tourney Bracket
:: Boys tournament
 
Other Games
Saturday
:: Bellevue Christian 61, Kettle Falls 48
:: King's 71, Freeman 42
:: Napavine 59, Goldendale 54
:: Brewster 69, Seattle Christian 44
Friday
:: Bellevue Christian 47, Charles Wright 36
:: Kettle Falls 67, Orcas Island 39
:: King's 69, Zillah 50
:: Freeman 57, Winlock 52
:: Brewster 74, Napavine 39
:: Seattle Christian 66, Goldendale 54
Thursday
:: Bellevue Christian 73, North Beach 40
:: Charles Wright 33, River View 27
:: Orcas Island 57, White Swan 54
:: Kettle Falls 53, La Conner 50
:: Brewster 53, Zillah 26
:: Napavine 53, King's 46
:: Goldendale 58, Winlock 48
:: Seattle Christian 56, Freeman 41
Wednesday
:: Brewster 83, North Beach 54
:: Zillah 42, Bellevue Christian 41
:: King's 51, River View 35
:: Napavine 48, Charles Wright 33
:: Goldendale 62, Orcas Island 31
:: Winlock 54, White Swan 51
:: Seattle Christian 63, Kettle Falls 48
:: Freeman 51, La Conner 43
 
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:: Boys champions
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