Two years ago, Freeman's girls rolled into the Class 1A state basketball tournament with a 23-3 record, a No. 3 state ranking and a sweet bracket draw. Sweet for just a moment, until Granger -- the third seed out of the SCAC -- upended the Scotties in the first round.

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On Wednesday, with three senior starters who were on the '08 squad, Freeman returned to the SunDome with a 22-1 record, a No. 3 state ranking and a first-round game against Zillah, another SCAC upstart.

But unfortunately for the Leopards, those three seniors did not allow history to repeat itself.

Alert and focused from the start, which included a 12-0 run that consumed most of the first quarter, Freeman charged to a 57-28 victory over a Zillah crew that felt its youth for the first time in nearly two months.

"We're young and we got rattled -- that's a lot to overcome against a senior-driven team," said Zillah coach Mindi Winters, whose team had won 11 of 13 games after a five-game losing streak. "The girls said it was like early in the season when they were scared and didn't know what to do."

Credit those experienced and battle-tested Freeman seniors -- Morghan Poirier, Korina Baker and Megan McIntyre. They all scored in double figures and were a collective 14-for-24 from the field.

Baker's floor game at the point was the foundation of Freeman's impressive effort. In addition to her offense, she had five steals to spearhead a constant defensive pressure that forced Zillah into 27 turnovers, 10 coming in the opening period.

"For a first game, we're pretty happy with it," said Freeman coach Ashlee Taylor. "We've played Zillah in the past and we know they're tough and physical. It is great to have the seniors we have because they're ready for it."

Zillah's early rash of turnovers foiled Winters' hope of surviving the initial rush and making a run in the second half. Moreover, scoring and rebounding leader Alisi Uasike picked up her second foul in the first quarter and was on the bench when the Leopards endured a six-minute scoreless stretch.

"The hope was to withstand the pressure of the first four, five minutes and then get into our game," Winters said. "But we had the turnovers, it was tough to rebound and we had trouble getting anything going on offense."

Freshman Caitlin Myers made three 3-pointers and those nine points led the team. Zillah's 28 points was its lowest since a 36-20 loss to Lakeside during the five-game losing streak in December.

"I definitely think they have what it takes to bounce back," Winters said. "Those losses we had earlier in the season inspired them to play better. They will be determined to play better tomorrow."