As teams move into their third straight game in state tournaments, those that rely heavily on a frenetic defensive pace, like the Ellensburg girls, tend to be at a disadvantage as their legs get heavy and bodies fatigued.

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Add in a disappointing quarterfinal loss the night before, and the Bulldogs could have been poised to have their Class 2A state tournament run end against Hockinson on Friday afternoon in the SunDome.

Instead, Ellensburg looked as fresh and fast as in the opening round, jumping on Hockinson from the opening tip and never fading in posting an impressive 56-44 victory that assured the Bulldogs their fourth straight state trophy.

“It does get tiring, and we got down on ourselves (after losing to Lynden), but we picked each other up,” said senior Deaira Gordon, who led Ellensburg with 17 points, including nine in the first half to help the Bulldogs race to a 29-18 lead.

“We knew we’d be in a fight, but if we had the energy, I knew we could wear them down,” Ellensburg coach Craig Faire said, adding that before the game, he wasn’t sure how his team would respond, but wasn’t surprised by their effort Friday.

“It’s a pride thing. I’ve never had any team ever quit,” he said. “Some of them seemed pretty quiet before the game, but as long as they come out and play like that, I guess they don’t have to be bright-eyed and bushy-tailed.”

Ellensburg set that aggressive tone from the opening tip, when Casey Kelleher tapped the ball to a wide-open Gordon, who drove for an uncontested layin.

Hockinson answered with a 3-pointer by Lejla Mlivic, but that would be the only time the Hawks (21-5) were in front as Gordon converted a three-point play 30 seconds later, triggering an 8-0 burst that energized a defense that would ultimately limit Hockinson to 20-percent first-half shooting (5 of 25) and force six turnovers in building the 11-point halftime advantage.

“It’s a lot easier to keep pressuring the ball when we’re up,” said Kelleher, who had eight of her 10 points in the first half. “When we’re up, we can afford to be a little more aggressive and take a few more chances.”

Ellensburg maintained that tenacity to the finish, with defensive whiz Shannon Bland helping seal things in the fourth. The sophomore guard had a steal and layin, and then converted a fastbreak layin off a Kelleher steal as part of a 9-1 surge that opened a 50-37 lead with 3:32 left.

“We told the girls that when you get to the third game, the team that has the energy and the team that can create havoc on defense will usually prevail,” Faire said. “We controlled the tempo.”

As a result, the Bulldogs (18-9) will now face Elma (18-6) at noon Saturday for fourth and seventh place.

“It was a really, really big accomplishment just getting to state,” Gordon said of the young team. “Getting fourth place would be really exciting.”