The rematch is sweet for the Sprague-Harrington girls, but the chance to get the first 1B state championship trophy is what really rots their teeth.

Sprague-Harrington's Roni Jo Mielke goes baseline against Tekoa-Oakesdale's Jessica DeGon in the first half Friday. She finished with 19 points.   KRIS HOLLAND/Yakima Herald-Republic

The Falcons overcame cold shooting in the first half to defeat Tekoa-Oakesdale 47-34 on Friday night in the SunDome. The semifinal victory secures a chance to play Sunnyside Christian for the first Class 1B championship at 7 p.m. today.

The Knights were the only blemish on Sprague-Harrington's record last season. SC defeated the then-undefeated Falcons 58-54 in the first round of the Class B state tournament before they rallied to take fifth. The Knights lost in the quarterfinals to eventual champion La Salle and finished fourth.

The two teams will meet again, but revenge isn't the main topic among some of the Sprague-Harrington players who remember the loss from last year. Raising the trophy they didn't get to hold last year is their main goal.

"We could play anybody and I wouldn't care," said Roni Jo Mielke, who finished with a team-high 19 points. "We just have to be focused for the match.

"This is why we play. Sunnyside Christian is a great team and it's going to be a sweet game."

If the Falcons play defense like they did against the Nighthawks and don't struggle to find their shooting touch early, SC will face a tough challenge. Sprague-Harrington shot only 25 percent (7 of 28) from the field in the first half but trailed only 22-21 at the half.

From there the Falcons held T-O (19-8 overall) to only 12 points in the second half as Shelby Puckett and Kelsi Graffis led the team with 10 points each. Natalie Deking came alive from 3-point range after starting 1 of 7 from beyond the arc in the first half. She was 4 of 6 from long distance in the second half for 15 points — 12 in the third quarter to blow the game open.

"I just knew that it was going to come," Deking said. "Coach believes in his players, and I knew it was going to come. We had a good night."

With Mielke and Deking combining to take 36 of the team's 52 shots, the Nighthawks went cold in the second half and couldn't find a consistent scorer. They shot only 4 of 16 from the field after halftime on their way to 22 turnovers on the night.

The Falcons turned those turnovers into 17 points to go with 15 points off 3-pointers. The main problem with the offense at the start was getting the players open for easy shots around the perimeter with the T-0 playing an aggressive zone defense.

"We talked (at halftime) about more movement in their zone and defensively staying with the ball," said Sprague-Harrington coach Ed Shields, whose team improves to 24-4 overall. "Our movement forced the zone to shift and we were able to set some screens."

This is the third victory this season against Tekoa-Oakesdale for the Falcons. They won the first two games by a combined score of 39 points, but trailed 12-7 at the end of the first quarter after the Nighthawks opened with a 7-2 run.

Now Sprague-Harrington will play for the trophy that escaped them last season. The Knights are just the final step to closing off a dream season.

"More than anything it's a chance to play for the gold ball (trophy)," Mielke said. "That's really exciting because everybody you play at this level is a good team."

Tekoa-Oakesdale -- Robinson 2-5 0-0 4, DeGon 1-3 0-0 3, Varney 0-0 0-0 0, Chappell 0-1 0-0 0, Stabl 0-0 0-0 0, Kilpatrick 0-0 0-0 0, Puckett 4-11 2-2 10, Graffis 4-9 2-6 10, Wagner 0-0 0-0 0, Hutton 0-0 0-0 0, Hinkins 1-1 0-0 2, Faunce 2-10 1-5 5. Totals 14-40 5-13 34.
Sprague-Harrington -- Mielke 7-23 4-9 19, Deking 5-13 1-3 15, Rustemeyer 0-2 3-6 3, Stromberger 0-1 0-0 0, Larmer 1-6 2-2 4, K. Lowman 0-1 2-2 2, Miller 0-1 0-0 0, J. Lowman 2-5 0-0 4. Totals 15-52 12-22 47.
Tekoa-Oakesdale	12	10	7	5	--	34
Sprague-Harrington	7	14	16	10	--	47
3-point goals--T-O 1-8 (DeGon 1-2, Robinson 0-2, Puckett 0-2, Faunce 0-2), S-H 5-22 (Deking 4-12, Mielke 1-7, Larmer 0-3). Rebounds--T-O 35 (Puckett 9, Graffis 6), S-H 35 (Rustemeyer 13, Miller 8). Assists--T-O 5 (Faunce 2, Puckett 2), S-H 9 (Mielke 3, Deking 3). Steals--T-O 5 (Hinkins 2), S-H 11 (Mielke 4, Larmer 4). Blocked shots--T-O 0, S-H 2. Fouled out--Robinson. Total fouls--T-O 18, S-H 13. Technical fouls --None. Turnovers--T-O 22, S-H 9.