Adrianna Peralez scores with 10 seconds left, lifting the Warriors to a wild win after they had trailed by 13 early in the second half.
PASCO — Adrianna Peralez capped a long Walla Walla Community College comeback, scoring with the score tied and only 10 seconds left to lift the top-ranked Warriors over second-place Columbia Basin, 66-64, in Northwest Athletic Conference East Division women’s basketball action here on Wednesday.
Peralez’s basket gave WWCC (26-1 overall, 14-0 in the East) it’s first lead a Cierra Jo McKeown 3-pointer with 7:42 left in the third quarter put them up, 40-36.
Columbia Basin then answered with a 13-0 run, and the Warriors spent the rest of the night in pursuit.
“We got down big, but we never gave up,” WWCC coach Bobbi Hazeltine said. “(Columbia Basin is) good, and they have a lot of weapons that can pose problems for us. It’s good for us to be pushed like that.”
The Warriors clinched the division title with two games left in the regular season. They will next host North Idaho on Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m.
McKeown finished as the game’s top scorer, with 26 points (including six 3-pointers), while Jade Skidmore added 16 and Teresa Acock had nine on three 3’s.
However, Columbia Basin’s Alexis Castro hit a 3-pointer of her own for a 49-40 lead with 4:53 left in the third quarter.
Two minutes later, Sabin Keo nailed a 3 that buried WWCC in a 55-42 hole.
“We were downed by 13 in the third quarter,” Hazeltine said. “We had lots of chances to lose.”
Another Keo 3-pointer at the start of the fourth-quarter kept Columbia Basin ahead, 60-50, but the Warriors chipped away.
McKeown finally made it a one-possession game when she scored with 4:21 left, getting WWCC to within 62-59.
Columbia Basin soon answered with a Keo jumper, but Skidmore later scored and the Warrior defense made a big stop with McKeown pulling down a Keo miss. Back the other way, Acock nailed a 3-pointer to finally tie things up at 64-64 with 1:38 remaining — setting the stage for a wild finish.
“It hadn’t been tied since early in the third quarter,” Hazeltine said.
A McKeown foul on Columbia Basin’s ensuing possesion sent Keo to the free-throw line for the first time all night with 1:05 on the clock, but she missed both attempts and Skidmore pulled down the rebound.
WWCC then turned the ball over on an offensive foul, but came back with a crucial stand that forced Columbia Basin into a shot-clock violation with 24 seconds left in the game.
“Our best defense of the night,” Hazeltine called that possession.
In the final seconds, Skidmore drove under the Columbia Basin hoop and slipped Peralez a pass that she took up for the game-winning basket.
“That’s when the wierdest thing of the night happens,” Hazeltine said after watching film. “They called a foul, and then huddled to discuss whether the basket should count. They called a blocking foul and counted the basket, but they sent Jade to the line — it was all very confusing. She missed the free-throw, but (Columbia Basin) couldn’t get a shot off.
“We ended up winning, but we were all just standing around, wondering what had just happened,” Hazeltine continued. “So many different things happened, and they did a lot of huddling up, but we came away with the win. It was confusing. I wish it wouldn’t have ended like that. Very controversial.
“But their coach (Zach Wilde) was gracious and didn’t seem too upset,” she added. “I was probably more upset.”
4
WALLA WALLA (66) — McKeown 26, Skidmore 16, Acock 9, Peralez 6, Hutchison 4, Gunter 3, Andrews 2.
COLUMBIA BASIN (64) — Keo 19, Castro 13, Ramirez 12, Fiander 8, Graham-Bernisto 5, Hossfed 5, Baham 2.
Walla Walla18131916—66
Columbia Basin1021276—64
3-point goals — Walla Walla 9, Columbia Basin 8. Total fouls — Walla Walla 4, Columbia Basin 10. Fouled out — none. Technical fouls — none. Rebounds — Walla Walla 31, Columbia Basin 20. Turnovers — Walla Walla 16, Columbia Basin 6. Assists — Walla Walla 13, Columbia Basin 10.
Union Bulletin
