TACOMA — Allyson Sievers wanted her team's fate in her hands.

Once it was there, she made sure she delivered a victory in her final game for Kentlake.

Sievers sank two free throws with 25.2 seconds to play to break a 35-35 tie and the ninth-ranked Falcons held on for a 38-35 victory over Redmond yesterday to earn the fifth-place trophy in the Class 4A girls state basketball tournament at the Tacoma Dome.

It's the highest finish in Kentlake history. Redmond finished eighth.

"This is awesome," said Sievers, a 6-foot-1 forward headed to the University of Portland. "I couldn't ask for anything better. It's the best finish in Kentlake history. It's fun to be part of one of the best teams in school history."

Sievers had struggled at the free-throw line in the tournament, making only 3 of 9. Yesterday, she canned 7 of 8 en route to a game-high 13 points.

For the third straight game, the Falcons (25-4) came from behind to win. They trailed by as many as eight.

Redmond (20-8) led 35-33 on MacKenzie Flynn's two free throws with 3:44 to play, but Luv Rattler pulled Kentlake even with a driving layin at the 2:57 mark. Sievers' free throws broke the tie, and Dee Dee Jackson made the second of two free throws with 2.6 seconds left for the final point.

Rattler and Flynn each had 12 points. The Mustangs' Erika Edwards had a game-best 13 rebounds.

Prairie 68, Monroe 55

Prairie (26-4), keeping as much distance as possible between Monroe's 6-foot-6 Kirsten Thompson and the basket, had a relatively easy march to the fourth-place trophy.

The Bearcats (23-5) finished seventh.

Prairie's two inside players, Merritt Cameron and Katie Madison, took turns blocking out Thompson. They combined for 29 points and 16 rebounds, and made 12 of 19 shots. Madison had 17 points and 13 rebounds.

"We took advantage of our skilled players," Falcons coach Al Aldridge said. "We wanted to get the ball inside and keep Kirsten away from the basket. We keyed on her, ran a matchup zone and made her feel like she was a hamburger.

"Fortunately for us, she roams high a lot. That helped us keep track of her and block her out."

Thompson, heading to Arizona State next season, closed her Monroe career with seven points and four rebounds.

Prairie led the entire game, but Bearcats sophomore guard Jordyn Battle made it competitive with some atypical perimeter shooting. She scored 20 points, hitting 5 of 8 three-point attempts.

Battle made 7 of 14 shots while the rest of the team made 13 of 40. Her only other double-figure game was against Kamiak on Dec. 20, when she scored 10. She had been averaging 4.7.

The Bearcats were without Chelsea Drivstuen, who sprained her right ankle Friday. Also, Marjani Muhammad was sick and played only 10 minutes.

Bob Sherwin

Lewis and Clark 47, University 45

In the showdown for third place, the Spokane-area teams met for the fourth time in their past 10 games, with Lewis and Clark rallying from a nine-point halftime deficit to win.

The Tigers (26-3) were ranked No. 3 and University (26-3) was ranked No. 1 entering the tournament. Before their losses in Friday's semifinals, both had lost only to each other.

The Tigers' win, clinched by a pair of Briann January free throws with 5.6 seconds remaining, left the season series between the Greater Spokane League rivals at 2-2.

"We respect each other," said Tigers coach Jim Redmon, who shared a brief pregame hug with University coach Mark Stinson. "But any time we step on the floor, we want to beat them."

Lewis and Clark opened the second half with a four-guard lineup to counterpunch University's height and athleticism. The result was a 13-2 run in the first five minutes, giving the Tigers their first lead.

After January's tiebreaking free throws, Angie Bjorklund's shot from 35 feet at the buzzer for the Titans bounced off the front rim.

Jami Bjorklund finished with 18 points and eight rebounds for University. Angie, a sophomore, scored 12 on 4-of-16 shooting. Ula Taula, who had a broken tooth repaired in an emergency procedure Wednesday night, scored 12 for the Tigers.

Terry Wood