Zero points.

That’s not the output one expects from one side in the opening quarter of any game, much less the Class 2A state-tournament girls semifinal.

But that’s precisely what the King’s Knights allowed a very good Pullman team Friday — not only for the first period, but for half of the second as well — in their 44-24 scuttling of the Greyhounds. Before Pullman managed its first points of the night, the Knights had scored 19, building an advantage that would never dip below 11 points the rest of the game.

And the Knights did it with defense — their stultifying press and their stingy half-court defense, which is somewhere between a matchup zone and a switching man ... or maybe a little bit of both.

“So good, omigosh ... man, our defense was amazing,” gushed Danielle Clauson, whose 15 points led the Knights. “Keeping a team to zero points, it’s so nice to start out that way. That took the nerves out right away.”

And might well have gotten the Knights (25-2) sneaking a mental peak ahead to Saturday’s 9 p.m. championship game — and that was something King’s coach Eric Rasmussen was pleased to see did not happen.

“It never felt ... I didn’t ever feel confident,” he said after the game. “Against a team that good, you can’t relax. We did get back on our heels a little bit there for a while (over the final 2 1/2 periods), and you’ve got to credit (the Greyhounds). They made a run.

“But we’ve been able to make big plays when they made runs, and we got plays from multiple kids.”

Rasmussen lauded the interior play of Sarah Strand and Kailey Trautmann on Pullman’s 6-foot-3 center, Jamie Thornton, who managed just six points on 2-for-7 shooting. Clauson, meanwhile, kept her off the boards, pulling down 10 rebounds. Sara Mosiman added 12 points and four assists for the Knights, who shot a sizzling 50 percent from the field.

Pullman, which shot 8-for-38 (21 percent), was led by Krystal Smith’s eight points.

King's -- Jack 0-2 0-0 0, Strand 2-6 2-2 6, Clauson 5-11 4-4 15, Trautmann 2-4 2-2 6, Faidley 2-3 0-0 5, Friar 0-0 0-0 0, Louie 0-0 0-0 0, Thompson 0-0 0-0 0, Cutright 0-0 0-0 0, Mosiman 6-8 0-0 12, Irish 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 17-34 8-8 44.
Pullman -- Druffel 0-1 0-0 0, Davis 1-10 0-0 3, Byers 0-0 0-0 0, Hinrichs 0-4 0-0 0, Spangenberg 0-1 0-0 0, Garro 1-3 0-2 3, Thomas 2-4 0-0 4, Winterbottom 0-0 0-0 0, Smith 2-6 4-8 8, Albrecht 0-2 0-0 0, Thornton 2-7 2-2 6. Totals 8-38 6-12 24.
King's	15	8	4	17	--	44
Pullman	0	6	8	10	--	24
3-point goals--K 2-7 (Faidley 1-1, Clauson 1-3, Trautmann 0-1, Strand 0-2), P 2-5 (Garro 1-1, Davis 1-4). Rebounds--K 29 (Clauson 10), P 22 (Thornton 4, Smith 4). Assists--K 9 (Mosiman 4), P 4. Steals--K 9 (Mosiman 2, Strand 2, Faidley 2), P 5 (Davis 2, Thomas 2). Blocked shots--K 6 (Clauson 3), P 1. Fouled out--None. Total fouls--K 12, P 12. Technical fouls--None. Turnovers--K 19, P 17.