At halftime of East Valley's state opener against Pullman, both offenses were so uncomfortable and disjointed that the victory was there for the taking if somebody could manage to string together a few baskets.

View all photos for this story.

The Red Devils were stymied by 17.9 percent shooting at the break, but they only trailed by a point, 15-14, because the Greyhounds were also stuck in mud at 16.7 percent.

But when the shots finally began to fall in the second half of the blurry-eyed 10:30 a.m. game, it was all Pullman.

Sparked by the tallest girl in the tournament, 6-foot-5 Shelby Cheslek, the unranked Greyhounds defeated No. 6 East Valley 44-25 in the first round of the Class 2A state tournament Wednesday.

In a duel of defenses, East Valley was the first to crack as Pullman closed the third quarter on a 12-1 run.

"We played solid defense for the most part, but offensively, as young as we are, we just struggled," said EV coach Robi Raab. "This is the first time at state for most of our kids and there were some nerves out there."

The experience Pullman gained from bringing home trophies from the last two state tournaments -- when East Valley was narrowly absent -- was evident in the second half. That, and the ever-present height of Cheslek.

After scoring just three points in the first half, the junior post who led Pullman to a state volleyball title last fall finished 13 points, 14 rebounds and four blocks. It was Cheslek's 3-point play with 4:18 left in the third quarter that broke the Greyhounds free from a tight game and triggered the big run.

By settling into more of a half-court game run through Cheslek, Pullman took charge.

"We're not always the most patient team because we like to fastbreak, but we had to settle it down," said Pullman coach Phil Morgan. "It was like asking a Kentucky Derby horse to get behind a plow. Even now, our offense is a work in progress."

Despite its troubles, East Valley was within 20-19 when senior Annie Martinez converted a 3-point play at the 4:31 mark of the third period. But when Pullman began to pull away the Red Devils could never jolt their offense to life. They finished 8-for-53 from the field and endured an eight-minute stretch in the second half without a field goal.

"Our defense was very good and that's been our foundation," Morgan said. "We tried to double Martinez when we could and keep a gap on (guard Kaylah) Gonzales because she penetrates so well. We were fortunate their shooters didn't get in a rhythm."

Yasamin Mohsenian was EV's top scorer with seven points, and Gonzales and Martinez grabbed seven rebounds each.

"We were right there in the third quarter, but Pullman pushed out the lead and their experience showed," Raab said. "We'll come back tomorrow and hope for a better day."

East Valley (18-5) will have a tall order to stay in the tournament, facing Lynden (18-7) at 9 a.m. Thursday in a loser-out game. The Lions nearly upset top-ranked River Ridge in the Wednesday opener before falling 47-44.