4A Girls consolation games

Ballard 57,

Kentwood 46

The Ballard Beavers delivered on their preseason promise.

The last goal on that early wish list was to bring home a state-tournament trophy. They'll do exactly that after they beat Kentwood of Covington in a loser-out game.

"That was one of our goals at the beginning of the season, so for us to accomplish it is a big deal," senior Kayla Williams said. "It's really exciting."

Williams scored 20 points and went 8 for 8 at the free-throw line in the final 1 minute, 46 seconds to seal the victory, which was the 300th for coach Karen Blair. The sixth-ranked Beavers (23-3), in the official tournament for the first time after two regional appearances, play unranked Snohomish today at 2 p.m. to decide fourth and seventh places. Snohomish eliminated fourth-ranked Lake Stevens earlier Friday.

No. 7 Kentwood (22-6) failed to place after taking third last year. The Conquerors shot 2 of 15 from the field in the second quarter and had a 24.6 shooting percentage for the game. Star guard Lindsey Moore was 5 of 22 from the field, missing all five of her three-point tries, but made 11 of 12 free throws en route to a game-high 21 points. She was the only Kentwood player in double figures.

"We can make up excuses for it, but we just didn't play our best game," Moore said.

Coach Keith Hennig said he thought his team was flat after Thursday's quarterfinal loss to Moses Lake.

"Ballard just came out with a lot more intensity than us," he said. "You could just tell by the way they were flying around that they wanted it a lot more than we did."

Jeanette Hansen, Ballard's 6-foot-5 exchange student from Denmark, added 15 points and a game-high 16 rebounds.

Ballard took a 15-13 lead early in the second quarter and never trailed the rest of the way. Moore cut an eight-point advantage to four with 4:35 left in the game, but Hansen hit two free throws and Williams followed with a dagger three-pointer that put the Beavers back in control.

Snohomish 49,

Lake Stevens 38

After two close, hard-fought regular-season games, it was a bit surprising to see Snohomish get a relatively easy win with a trophy on the line in the third meeting.

But the Panthers (21-6) grabbed the Vikings by the throat early and never let go, beating Lake Stevens for the second time this season and cruising into today's fourth/seventh-place game.

Snohomish, seventh last year, broke a 13-all second-quarter tie with an 18-2 run spanning the second and third to break things open. The Panthers led by as many as 20.

"Our kids have played well down here," said Panthers coach Ken Roberts. "That second/third quarter was pretty good basketball."

Lake Stevens (22-4) was able to cut the deficit to nine with an 11-2 run midway through the fourth quarter, but Snohomish pushed the lead back to double digits.

Both teams were coming off tough losses Thursday, Snohomish to top-ranked Lewis and Clark, and Lake Stevens to second-ranked Prairie.

"You can't let a loss affect you," said Roberts. "We try to focus on this game."

Karley Lampman's 15 points and six steals led Snohomish, while Alona Personius' 14 points paced Lake Stevens.

Skyview 55,

Graham-Kapowsin 35

Skyview of Vancouver used runs of 14-3, 18-5 and 12-0 to waltz its way to its first state trophy. The No. 5 Storm (24-4) plays Bellarmine Prep in today's fifth/eighth-place game.

"It's great," said Storm coach Steve Hook about bringing home a trophy for the first time. "[Saturday] you know you're getting one."

Skyview was 0-2 last year in Tacoma. And after losing to Kentwood in the first round, the Storm rolled off two wins.

After Skyview opened the game on a 14-3 run, Graham-Kapowsin responded with a 17-2 burst, taking a four-point lead midway through the second quarter. But after a timeout, the Storm countered with an 18-5 run.

Ashlee Smith had 17 points and 11 rebounds for Skyview, while Dayle Powell contributed 12 points and three assists.

Graham-Kapowsin (20-8) was led by Jen Cogburn's 13 points.

Bellarmine Prep 60,

Mount Tahoma 46

Grace Beardemple might not pass the eyeball test.

But the Bellarmine Prep freshman certainly passed her test on the basketball court after injuries pressed her into only her third start of the season.

Beardemple, listed generously at 5 feet in the tournament program, scored a career-high 12 points and grabbed eight rebounds to help assure the Lions the second state trophy in the Tacoma school's history. They placed seventh in 1998 and could finish as high as fifth this year. Bellarmine (25-5) faces No. 5 Skyview today at 11:30 a.m. to decide fifth and eighth places.

Mount Tahoma of Tacoma, which placed fifth the past two years, finishes 22-7.

With Mechela Barnes out with a mild concussion and Ariam TecleMariam slowed by a bad knee, Beardemple got her second straight start, but performed much better than the day before, when she shot 2 of 10.

"I was a little bit nervous, but I knew I had to step up," she said. "We had a couple of people hurt, so I just had to step up to the occasion."

Sandy Ringer and Zach Landres-Schnur