Everything started clicking offensively for the Zillah girls — OK, maybe not the free throws and that had point guard Felcia Gonzales uncomfortable.

So when pesky Toledo hit another of its eight 3-pointers to pull within one in the fourth quarter, Gonzales answered right back with her own long ball Thursday in the SunDome. She scored eight of her 11 total points in the final frame, making sure the Leopards play one more day after handling the Indians 69-63 in a loser-out contest at the Class 1A state tourney.

"What was I saying?" asked Gonzales backcourt mate Bayli Ziegler, who went 4 of 5 from 3-point range for a team-high
19 points. "I don't want to go home and I don't think anyone else wanted to go home either.

"I was upset and thinking four points was not enough."

Tied 36-36 at half after Ziegler knocked down a big, last-second 3-pointer to knot the score, Zillah took the lead for good on a Rosebud Guthrie (16 points, 13 rebounds) putback with 4 minutes, 56 seconds left in the third. Guthrie provided the inside complement to the guard duo, and the bench contributed 19 points with Alisi Uasike battling inside, reaching the free-throw line for a solid portion of her 12-point total.

Poor Zillah shooting from the foul line (14 of 35 for 40 percent) kept the Indians (13-12 overall) in the game as they went 8 of 15 from 3-point range. While no one matched Ziegler's percentage — this is why Winters has been on her to shoot more in practice — Toledo's Tiffany Tornow shot 5 of 8 from beyond the arc for 15 points, and post Shelby Catlin led the team with 16.

The young Indians, who let their 52-33 rebound advantage disappear with 22 turnovers, just didn't have an answer for Gonzales down the stretch, and the Zillah free-throw shooting improved as the pressure built. During the five trips to the foul line to close out the game, the Leopards all hit at least one free throw each time, boosting the lead to the final margin after it was 65-63 with 1:33 left.

Gonzales started the parade to the foul line and got rid of any leftover disappointment from a first-round loss. After battling second-ranked and four-time defending champion Colfax in a 65-53 defeat Wednesday — the score was tied with about 5 minutes remaining in the contest — the Leopards shook off the setback well.

"We were sad about (the loss) right then," said Zillah coach Mindi Winters, whose girls are now 19-7. "But I feel we had regrouped by the time we left the locker room last night knowing what we needed to do to get ready for today. It was the seniors who let everyone know what we want, and we want to come home with a trophy."

Zillah must win another loser-out contest against Vashon Island (17-9) at 10:30 a.m. today to accomplish this goal after taking eighth last year. Getting the offense to jell with so many unselfish weapons has been problematic for the youthful, but experienced Leopards — there are only three seniors — this season, and Winters said she started seeing signs of things coming together at districts.

Plus the girls still have plenty of motivation for big offensive nights. They'll be grinding away on the Colfax loss until they leave the SunDome.

"(The setback) pushes us more," Ziegler said. "We get angry and we take it out on (other teams). ... No one wants to go home."