Samantha Zapien smiled with delight at the question, jumping at the chance to talk about her favorite basketball topic -- looking up at opponents.

“I kind of get a kick out of being physical against bigger girls,” explained the Granger sophomore, who at 5-foot-7 constitutes the top end of the Spartans’ entire team. “I mean, everybody’s taller than us so we’re used to it. I like playing teams who think they can take advantage of us.”

Freeman's Carley Heinen defends Granger's Italia Mengarelli on a second-half fastbreak.   ANDY SAWYER/Yakima Herald-Republic

Freeman had every reason to think that on Wednesday in the first round of the Class 1A state tournament. The third-ranked Scotties won 23 games by being big and physical, and they were considered a serious threat to reach the championship final through a semifinal bracket that didn’t include heavyweights Lynden Christian and Colfax.

But none of that thinking held form -- Granger’s tenacity and endurance was no match for Freeman’s size and strength.

Burying the Scotties with a stunning 18-5 breakaway in the final period, the Spartans served up the upset of the opening round with a 51-35 victory that leaves the route to Saturday’s championship wide open.

“Everybody thought Freeman had the easy path and I think they overlooked us,” offered Janae Klarich, one of Granger’s four starting sophomores. “We kept pushing it all game long and we tired them out. You could see it.”

The undersized Spartans actually outrebounded Freeman 21-14 in the second half, withstood a spat of expected foul trouble against the much taller opponent, and held the wilting Scotties to a single field in the final period.

“We take a lot of pride in our conditioning. With our size we have to be in great shape,” said Granger coach Andy Affholter. “We figure we’re OK if we’re down five at halftime and within a few points going into the fourth quarter. That’s when our kids can wear teams down.”

Granger's Janae Klarich shoots over Freeman defender Ashley Carrell in the first half.   ANDY SAWYER/Yakima Herald-Republic

And when that happened Wednesday afternoon, it happened suddenly.

Freeman was within 33-30 after three quarters, but the Spartans scored the first eight points of the final period. A big series came after freshman Italia Mengarelli nailed a 3-pointer for a 39-30 lead -- the biggest of the game at the time -- with 5:21 remaining. The Scotties missed a 3-point attempt after a timeout, and Mengarelli got behind the tiring Freeman defense for a fastbreak layin and a double-digit lead.

“Mengarelli’s 3-pointer was huge,” Affholter said. “After that our kids could smell it, they could feel it.”

In the final four minutes, Klarich cast in her second 3-pointer and made 5 of 6 free throws to wrap it up. She finished with 13 points.

“We were quicker on defense than they expected, I think,” Klarich said. “We try to keep that pressure on and make teams work harder than they want to. It makes a difference at the end.”

Zapien scored a basket in each quarter, finishing 4-for-5 from the field, grabbed seven rebounds and never got discouraged by all the contact inside.

“I was a little worried about Sam because she’s a very emotional player and sometimes that get her in trouble,” said Affholter, who also got eight rebounds from his other 5-7 sophomore "post," Ashlee Reddout. “Not today. We asked her to step up and she did.”

The Spartans realized their potential in the second quarter, going on a 14-0 run that turned a 14-8 deficit into a 22-14 lead just before the break. Emily Carpenter scored five of her 10 points during the game-turning burst.

“We were so pumped up at halftime. We all said, ‘Let’s finish this,’” Zapien said. “In the first quarter we saw we could play with them. But in the second quarter we started to believe we could beat them.”

With the program’s first state victory in 30 years, Granger (21-4) will play in Thursday’s second quarterfinal at 5:30 p.m. against Seattle Academy (18-5), a 56-42 opening-round winner over Rainier.

Seattle Academy’s top two scorers stand 5-10.

“That’s the way it always is,” Zapien said. “But we work hard and play with heart. We find a way.”