East Washingtonian - Your Hometown News Source

WALLA WALLA–The 2022-23 Girls Basketball season came to an abrupt end when the Lady Pirates were unable to overcome icy moments and find fourth-quarter energy to overcome their District opponents, losing to Yakama Nation and DeSales to take an early exit in the post season.

The Lady Irish capitalized on the Lady Bucs' offensive hard luck to notch a 42-30 win last Friday, following a February 8 loss at Yakama Nation Tribal by 49-38.

"It was a really rough loss," Head Coach Tai Bye said of the consolation-round loss here February 10. "We were locked up on offense and even though we forced a handful of turnovers with our pressure we just couldn't turn those into points," Bye said.

"We went into halftime down by two and came out with fire and energy," she said, "but DeSales was able to hit their shots and we just couldn't get anything to fall at the right times.

Bye praised the Pirate defense for holding its own. "It's disappointing we couldn't find our shots and make something happen," she said. "I'm very proud of this team and the dedication they've shown this season."

Kiersten Bartels stood out, Bye said, with 14 points and five rebounds, and Chase Caruso finished with 6 points.

In the opener on the 1B District bracket, Yakama put the Lady Pirates to the test and they met the challenge of pressure but "ran out of steam in the fourth quarter."

"My girls played the toughest, most physical game of the season," Bye noted. "I am so proud of their effort and hustle.

"We did a great job handling their pressure and moving the ball," the coach commented. "It was the best we have played all season.

"We were neck-in-neck the entire game until we ran out of steam in the fourth quarter," Bye said. "We had a few too many turnovers when we got tired and it turned into points for Yakama. If we could have held on a few more minutes, we may have seen a different outcome."

Herres fought through some really physical defense to finish with 12 points, 11 rebounds, and three steals, Bye said.

"Haliee Brewer was a beast on the boards tonight," she said, "finishing with 14 rebounds and five steals. She was impressive on defense tonight and caused pure chaos. Kendall Dixon finished with 8 points and 10 rebounds."0

DeSales 42, Pomeroy 30 (2/10)

Pom 9 5 5 11-30

DeS 10 6 14 12-42

Pomeroy (30) Jillian Herres 1-14 0-0 2, Chase Caruso 2-9 0-0 6, Kiersten Bartles 5-15 0-0 14, Haliee Brewer 1-5 2-5 4, Kendall Dixon 2-7 0-0 4, Taylor Gilbert 0-7 0-0 0, Caroline McKeirnan 0-200-0 0, Izzy Field 0-0. 0-0 0, Grace Hart 0-0 0-0 0, Maria Altube 0-0 0-0 0, Jadence Gingerich 0-0 0-0 0, Hannah Bagby 0-0 0-0 0.

DeSales (42) R. Nelson 2-8 0-0 4, Tori Kimble 1-2 1-3 3, H. Scott 3-8 4-7 10, Lian Skarrup 1-4 0-1 2, Anniston Jimenez 2-9 2-6 7, Morgan Thomas 4-12 6-7 16. 

Three point goals: DeSales: Jimenez, Thomas 2. Pomeroy: Caruso 2, Bartels 4. Fouls: DeSales 11, Pomeroy 20. Fouled Out: None. Technical Fouls: None. Pomeroy Rebounds: Team 26. Turnovers: Pomeroy 15. Assists: Pomeroy 7.

Yakama Nation Tribal 49, Pomeroy 38 (2/8)

YNT 15 14 10 10-49

Pom 12 13 11 2-38

Pomeroy (38) Jillian Herres 5-16 0-0 12, Chase Caruso 1-13 2-2 5, Kiersten Bartles 2-8 0-0 6, Haliee Brewer 0-3 0-4 0, Kendall Dixon 4-13 0-0 8, Taylor Gilbert 1-6 0-0 3, Caroline McKeirnan 0-2 0-0 0, Izzy Field 0-0. 0-0 0, Grace Hart 0-0 0-0 0, Maria Altube 0-0 0-0 0, Jadence Gingerich 2-4 0-1 4, Hannah Bagby 0-0 0-0 0.

YNT (49) Kaydence Visaya 0-2 0-0 0, Amber Onepennee 2-5 0-1 4, Lucretia Andy 0-0 0-0 0, Ayana Sampson 0-2 1-1 1, Julia George 5-17 1-3 15, Freida Buck 3-5 0-0 7, Evelena Oats 0-0 0-0 0, Gwen Dawes 5-12 2-2 13, Kalani Soliman 0-2 0-0 0, Beth Scabbyrobe 3-7 4-6 10

Three point goals: YNT: George 4, Buck, Dawes Pomeroy: Caruso Gilbert, Bartels 2 Fouls: YNT 16, Pomeroy 16. Fouled Out: None. Technical Fouls: YNT Bench. Pomeroy Rebounds: Team 47. Turnovers: Pomeroy 18. Assists: Pomeroy 4.