Reardan girls punch ticket to state

SPOKANE VALLEY – Tenice Waters scored 20 points to lead Reardan to a 46-34 win over Davenport in the semifinal game of the District 6 2B Girls Basketball Tournament at West Valley High School Wednesday, Feb. 19. It was the Screaming Eagles' third win over the Gorillas this season.

In the teams' previous two meetings, Reardan squeaked out wins by three and two points. In this outing, the Screaming Eagles played a physical game at full throttle. Tenice Waters and her sister Chasyn Waters combined for 18 first half points while limiting Glenna Soliday, the league's most valuable player, to four points. Reardan led 25-8 at halftime.

In the second half, Glenna Soliday found her rhythm. She scored 13 points, and the Gorillas outscored Reardan 26-21, but that was not enough to get them out of the first half hole they had found themselves in.

Lillie Whitman was a spark for the Screaming Eagles in the second half. She came off the bench to score nine points, which helped her team fend off the Gorillas' late charge.

Besides scoring 20 points, Tenice Waters grabbed six rebounds. Whitman scored nine points and grabbed four rebounds. Chasyn Waters scored seven points and had six steals. Rylynn Green and Mackenzie Bjornberg both scored four points and hauled in five rebounds each. Emersen Sprecher rounded out the scoring with two points and five rebounds.

Glenna Soliday led the Gorillas with 17 points. Clare Lathrop had nine points, 12 rebounds and two blocked shots. Samantha Stiles and Charlotte Soliday scored five and two points, respectively, and Addie Schneider scored one point.

"We came into this game ready to take care of business, especially on the defensive end," Reardan assistant coach Alisha Sorensen said. "We were able to shut down their big girl in the paint and contain Glenna (Soliday) to keep her from being a big offensive threat."

Sorensen credited Davenport for their effort.

"Davenport made a great run, and the game started to get the best of us, but our girls kept their composure."

She thought Mackenzie Bjornberg played a crucial role in the win.

"Mackenzie battled against their big girl all night. They only got three offensive rebounds which was a big win for us."

Sorensen said the Screaming Eagles had a chip on their shoulder, and it showed by the way they played.

"I think our conditioning allowed us to press them the entire game which made a big difference. Last year we lost to Davenport in districts, so this was a hug win and momentum booster going into state."

Sorensen complimented Whitman on her performance.

"Lillie was an absolute menace on defense. She may be our most consistent player, especially defensively. She does her job incredibly well. She causes chaos and takes care of the basketball."

Whitman said the key to Reardan's win was its energy and focus.

"We really wanted to win tonight," she said. "We came out and did everything we were supposed to do. One of the best things we did was to contain Glenna (Soliday) and Charlotte (Soliday) and that Lathrop girl. This win means a lot because it's the first time for us to get a chance to play in the big arena."