The Sunnyside Christian girls know a few things about desire, hard work and hustle.

Unfortunately, so does Touchet, especially after halftime.

Sunnyside Christian's Renee Dalrymple pulls down a second-quarter rebound over Touchet's Megan Howerton in their consolation game Saturday in the SunDome.   GORDON KING/Yakima Herald-Republic

Indians coach Tim McKeown said his squad has five comebacks in the fourth quarter this season. This
14-point rally didn't start that late, but the 60-57 Touchet victory Saturday was impressive enough for third place at the 1B state tourney in the SunDome.

"Sunnyside was worn down," said McKeown, whose team's 2-2-1 press made the Knights run all game. "All season long we've prided ourselves in our conditioning."

Guard play, 3-pointers and fastbreak baskets in the third quarter helped Touchet wipe out the 14-point SC advantage. After getting outrebounded 21-6 in the first half for 14 second-chance points, the Indians (22-5 overall) switched to man-to-man defense to push the Knights away from the basket.

Ahead 28-17 at the break, SC built the lead to 33-19 as the frontcourt trio of Melanie Van Wingerden, Andrea Schutt and Emma Newhouse worked on double-figure nights. Then Touchet used a 16-5 run — fueled by a Megan Howerton 3-pointer followed by two fastbreak baskets — to tie the score 35-35 with 41.6 seconds remaining.

Newhouse, who finished with 14 points to tie Van Wingerden for the team-high, knocked down a 3-pointer before the buzzer for a 3-point advantage entering the fourth, but the Knights never pulled away again. The Indians took their first lead with 32.2 seconds left, but Erika den Hoed laid one in for a 53-52 SC advantage with 13.4 seconds on the clock.

Touchet's Taryn Short got to the foul line off a drive with 3.2 seconds remaining, hit the first free throw on her way to 16 points and sent the game to overtime. From there every rebound and loose ball went to the Indians, they built a three-point lead despite missing two of three free throws in the last minute and the Knights missed two 3-pointers for the tie in the final 24 seconds.

Megan Howerton led all Touchet scorers with 23 points, and Courtney Frazier chipped in 10. Leaving the Knights, runners-up a year ago, sad but not in tears.

"They're not in there crying, but they're disappointed and extremely tired," said SC Al Smeenk, whose team finished 21-3 and took its 10th trophy with sixth place. "That's what the state tournament is all about."

The trophy is the first for Touchet in the program's history, keeping the Knights on the wrong end of a huge comeback for the second straight night. Against Garfield-Palouse in Friday's semifinal, SC trailed by 14 entering the fourth only to rally and tie the contest with 30 seconds left.

That effort was seen again in the fourth quarter as Schutt, who has given a verbal commitment to Wenatchee Valley College, blocked shots and Newhouse chased down rebounds. Twice den Hoed stole balls from streaking Indians, but it wasn't enough.

"All the girls had their heads up and we know we gave our best effort," said Schutt, who had 11 points and 13 rebounds. "That's the biggest thing because we know desire comes from the heart."

Touchet -- Weaver 2-9 0-2 4, Martinez 0-3 0-0 0, Frazier 4-10 0-0 10, Short 5-7 5-6 16, Sansom 2-11 3-4 7, Waerner 0-1 0-2 0, Howerton 8-19 3-6 23. Totals 21-60 11-20 60.
Sunnyside Christian -- Bangs 0-3 2-2 2, den Hoed 3-5 0-0 6, Bosma 2-10 1-3 5, Long 0-5 0-0 0, J. Van Wingerden 0-0 0-0 0, M. Van Wingerden 5-9 4-7 14, Schutt 5-14 1-2 11, E. Newhouse 5-12 2-3 14, Dalrymple 2-2 1-4 5, K. Newhouse 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 22-60 11-21 57.
Touchet	13	4	18	17	7	-- 60
Sunnyside Christian	15	13	10	15	4	-- 57
3-point goals--T 7-22 (Howerton 4-8, Frazier 2-5, Short 1-1, Martinez 0-1, Weaver 0-2, Sansom 0-5), SC 2-13 (E. Newhouse 2-7, Bangs 0-1, Long 0-2, Bosma 0-3). Rebounds--T 37 (Howerton 7), SC 50 (M. Van Wingerden 13, Schutt 13). Assists--T 16 (Short 5), SC 12 (E. Newhouse 5). Steals--T 8 (Frazier 3), SC 7 (Bangs 3). Blocked shots--T 3 (Howerton 2), SC 3 (Schutt 2). Fouled out--Sansom, Bosma. Total fouls--T 20, SC 18. Technical fouls--None. Turnovers--T 14, SC 21.