[ t o u r n e y t o w n . c o m -- 2007 Class 1A state tournament ]

Connell -- Empey 0-0 0-0 0, Hawkins 5-9 1-2 11, Casper 0-2 1-2 1, McGary 0-3 2-2 2, Quinton 1-1 0-1 2, Molsbarger 6-13 3-6 20, Vergara 0-2 0-0 0, Wood 8-15 4-5 24, Grassl 0-0 0-0 0, Fox 0-1 0-0 0, Eppich 0-4 0-0 0, Yates 0-3 0-2 0. Totals 20-53 11-20 60.

Naches Valley -- Mortimer 7-18 2-4 18, Wickenhagen 3-10 4-7 10, Evans 0-0 0-0 0, Root 0-1 0-0 0, Pierson 0-1 0-0 0, Schmidt 0-4 0-0 0, Risley 0-0 0-0 0, Powers 3-7 1-2 7, Huck 3-17 3-6 10, Elston 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 16-58 10-19 45.

Connell

Naches Valley

3-point goals--C 9-21 (Molsbarger 5-10, Wood 4-6, Yates 0-1, Casper 0-2, Vergara 0-2), NV 3-19 (Mortimer 2-8, Huck 1-5, Schmidt 0-2, Wickenhagen 0-4). Rebounds--C 45 (Hawkins 13), NV 38 (Wickenhagen 8, Mortimer 7). Assists--C 8 (Wood 2, McGary 2, Moslbarger 2), NV 4 (Huck 2). Steals--C 3 (Molsbarger 2), NV 6 (Wickenhagen 3, Huck 3). Blocked shots--C 4 (Wood 3), NV 2 (Mortimer 2). Fouled out--None. Total fouls--C 18, NV 17. Technical fouls--None. Turnovers--C 11, NV 9.

Naches Valley finished its season exactly how it wanted.

Although it wasn't reflected on the scoreboard, where Connell battled for a 60-45 victory, the Rangers capped its season the right way — playing their all-out, up-tempo, no-quit brand of basketball that produced just the third state tournament trophy in the program's history and first since back-to-back ones in 1988 and '89.

"We accomplished our goal of playing on Saturday," guard Megan Mortimer said of Naches Valley's seventh-place finish and a 22-5 overall record.

"I'm not disappointed at all," Rangers coach Cris Willmarth said. "The girls played so hard all year. We pushed them beyond what they thought they could do and they responded.

"Seventh in the state is nothing to be ashamed of."

Nor should the Rangers be ashamed about their second-half effort that was nearly enough to offset what Willmarth said "might have been our worst half of the season" in the first 16 minutes.

In the end, there was just a little too much Coriann Wood and Debbie Molsbarger.

The pair combined for 44 points, including 9 of 16 from 3-point range, capped by two crushing back-to-back treys after Naches Valley had battled back within 40-39 with 4:26 to play.

"We knew if they started shooting well from outside, they'd be tough to defend," Willmarth said. "Give Connell credit, they hit some big shots."

None bigger than the back-to-back triples that finally doused the Rangers' second-half fire.

After Jordan Huck's 3-pointer cut what had been a 13-point halftime deficit to a single point, Naches Valley's defense prevented Connell from getting an easy shot on the ensuing possession. With the shot clock set to expire, Wood, the 6-foot-1 Brigham Young University-bound senior, stepped out to the top of the circle and coolly nailed her third of four 3-pointers in the game.

On Naches Valley's next possession, Wood blocked Stephanie Powers' shot in the lane, and the Eagles went back and eventually found Molsbarger, who nailed her fifth trey, part of a 20-point effort, to push the lead to 46-39.

"Debbie stepped up big," Connell coach Dan Colby said of the sophomore guard who made 6 of 13 shots, including 5 of 10 3-pointers. "She's been in a slump of late, but I'm glad she came out of it today."

After two Monique Wickenhagen free throws, Wood helped seal things with a layin and later adding her final 3-pointer, part of a stellar
24-point effort, with 17 coming in the second half to help turn back the Rangers.

"Wood didn't shoot 3s until this year," Wickenhagen said, "But she can shoot them now."

"We defended her (Wood) pretty well inside," Willmarth said. "The threes, though, that was something she didn't do last year. A 6-2 post who can shoot from the outside. There's a reason she's going (NCAA) Division I."

Connell's closing 20-6 run overshadowed the fact that Naches Valley outplayed the Eagles up to that point in the second half after falling well behind when the Rangers shot 5 of 34 in the first half.

"We just stepped it up in the second half," said Mortimer, the senior guard who sparked the turnaround with 14 of her team-high 18 points. She made 6 of 11 shots in the second half after going 1-for-7 in the first half.

Wickenhagen, another senior, added 10 points, including a free throw in the closing seconds to give her an even 1,000 for her career, despite playing with either a fracture or torn tendons in her left wrist since the district championship game.

"It was pretty painful ... but she never missed a practice and played almost every minute of every game," Willmarth said. "But that's how tough the whole team's been playing all season."