But if the Indians could go toe-to-toe with Whitman County's depth and power, survive the gauntlet and claim one of the four berths, McKeown felt anything would be possible in the Class 1B state tournament.

See what a little hope and battle-tested confidence can do? Touchet, a No. 4 seed out of district, is in tonight's semifinals.

"Whitman County is a strong division — the strongest in the state — and we proved we could play with them," said McKeown, whose uncle Mike coached Selah's boys years ago. "We faced some tough games (back-to-back loser-out contests) to get here but our girls take a lot of pride in their conditioning and their effort. That showed tonight."

With a 24-5 unabated surge in the fourth quarter, Touchet flew to a 54-29 quarterfinal victory over Pateros on Thursday and joined a final four that includes two Whitman County teams — Colton and Garfield-Palouse — and Sunnyside Christian, last year's state runner-up.

Considering its low seed and lack of state pedigree — the program's first tournament appearance in 34 years — Touchet is clearly the semifinal surprise. And after their impressive win over Pateros, which guaranteed them a trophy, the Indians will be up against Whitman County again today.

Touchet (21-4) will take on league and district champion Colton (22-3) at 5:30 p.m., and Sunnyside Christian (21-2) will face Garfield-Palouse (22-4) at 9 p.m.

Don't tell Touchet it doesn't belong.

"All year long we've been a strong second-half team," McKeown said. "We love an up-tempo game and it looked like we wore them down. That's been our game plan and it helped get us through those tough district games."

Touchet did not play Colton at district but McKeown got an eyeful watching the Wildcats roll to a 52-35 quarterfinal win over Almira/Coulee-Hartline.

"We have similar styles, and it'll be tough," he said. "We've got to go to work and put our hearts and souls into it."

Garfield-Palouse, the No. 3 seed out of the loaded Southeast District, will play its third consecutive 9 p.m. game after mauling St. John-Endicott 43-19. With two 5-foot-10 starters, the Vikings are one of the few teams in the field that can match Sunnyside Christian's size.

"They have size and they're well coached," noted SC coach Al Smeenk, whose team held off Entiat for a 49-45 quarterfinal win. "I'm impressed with their defense."

So was St. John-Endicott. The Eagles, who had six points at halftime, made just 8 of 37 shots (21.6 percent) in Thursday's late quarterfinal. Bridget Bower, Gar-Pal's senior floor leader, produced a stellar all-around game with 11 points, eight steals, six assists and four rebounds.

Tonight's semifinals have the same makeup as last year — two teams from Whitman County and all four from Eastern Washington.