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

Sunnyside Christian -- Bangs 0-0 0-0 0, E. den Hoed 1-1 0-1 2, Roberts 3-8 4-8 10, T. Van Wingerden 8-13 10-12 30, B. den Hoed 1-2 0-0 2, Bosma 4-7 1-4 9, J. Van Wingerden 0-1 1-2 1, M. Van Wingerden 4-7 0-0 8, Schutt 2-8 0-1 4. Totals 23-47 16-28 66.

Inchelium -- Condon 3-6 0-2 9, Burch 2-10 0-2 4, Chel. Pakootas 1-10 4-8 6, Christianson 3-11 4-7 11, Chen. Pakootas 5-14 0-0 12, Flett 2-6 3-4 8, Carson 2-6 3-4 7. Totals 18-63 14-27 57.

Sunnyside Christian

Inchelium

3-point goals--SC 4-9 (T. Van Wingerden 4-6, Roberts 0-1, Bosma 0-1, J. Van Wingerden 0-1), I 7-24 (Condon 3-5, Chen. Pakootas 2-6, Flett 1-3, Christianson 1-2, Carson 0-1, Chel. Pakootas 0-7). Rebounds--SC 48 (M. Van Wingerden 11, Schutt 9), I 35 (Carson 11). Assists--SC 7 (Roberts 2, Schutt 2), I 13 (Chel. Pakootas 9). Steals--SC 5 (Bosma 3), I 7 (Chel. Pakootas 4). Blocked shots--SC 6 (Schutt 5), I 2. Fouled out--Christianson. Total fouls--SC 17, I 25. Technical fouls--None. Turnovers--SC 19, I 9.

Through the storm they managed to persevere. And when the opportunity came to bring some of their own thunder, Sunnyside Christian’s girls knew exactly when and how.

Swarmed over by a quick and aggressive Inchelium team in the first half, the Knights used their superior conditioning and sound fundamentals to earn a 66-57 quarterfinal victory Thursday afternoon in the Class 1B state tournament.

“We were down nine points at halftime but we told each other the game wasn’t over,” said senior Tori Van Wingerden. “We just had to get to a point where we controlled the game instead of them.”

That took some doing but the Knights finally got there.

And when they did the momentum was overwhelming.

Inchelium owned the opening half, hitting five 3-pointers, forcing 13 turnovers and building a 38-29 lead at the break. The Hornets created havoc and thrived in it.

Different story in the second half.

The Knights cut way back on the turnovers — much of that having to do with Inchelium’s pressure tiring from its intense effort — and they shot 50 percent from the field while the Hornets wilted with 19.4-percent shooting.

Even so, Sunnyside Christian did not gain its first lead until 6:03 left in the game. But when the steep ridge was finally crested, it was an easy hike to the summit.

“We expended a lot of energy in the first half,” Inchelium coach Rod Hergesheimer said. “That effected our shooting percentage in the second half. And Sunnyside got on a streak.”

Did it ever.

The Knights flew into the lead with a 10-0 burst that spanned little more than two minutes and they added a 7-2 surge in the final minutes to pull away.

“They were way too quick for us in the first half so we switched from man to zone and that helped,” SC coach Al Smeenk said. “We told them at halftime, ‘We’ll change some X’s and O’s and you just keep working hard.’ We believed we could get it turned around.”

Summoning such an effort requires a leader and Van Wingerden was clearly that. The sharp-shooting senior put up 30 points, nearly a career high, hit four 3-pointers and 10 of 12 free throws.

“Yesterday I think Tori was a little hesitant,” Smeenk said of Van Wingerden’s seven-point outing against Garfield-Palouse. “But today she was a leader and we needed that from the seniors. Thirty, wow, that’s something special.”

As Inchelium’s defensive aggressiveness turned into reaching and blocking fouls, the Knights got into the double bonus with nearly a full quarter to play and they converted nine free throws in the final seven minutes.

“They were real aggressive at the start, but we’ve played La Salle twice and they were way more aggressive than this,” Van Wingerden said. “We seem to start slow and that’s frustrating. But we were patient and didn’t get out of control.”

Throughtout the game, even during the first-half struggles, the Knights were dominant inside. The two underclassmen on the front line — junior Andrea Schutt and sophomore Melanie Van Wingerden — combined for 20 of SC’s 48 rebounds.

Schutt was also credited with five blocked shots, giving the 6-footer eight in two games.

Inchelium, which followed its 38 first-half points with 19 after the break, got a team-high 12 points from freshman Chenise Pakootas. Serena Condon, another freshman, made three of the Hornets’ seven 3-pointers.

Sunnyside Christian (21-3) will stay in the same 4 p.m. time slot Friday and face Colton (22-5) in the first girls semifinal. Colton beat Pateros 49-38 on Thursday.

“Every day it’s a big challenge,” Smeenk said. “This game was a big lift for the confidence. We hung in there when it was tough early on, and then we played awfully well after that.”