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Saturday, March 11, 2006 - Page updated at 12:00 AM Full Court Press: Boys and girls state tournament Webcast archives. Scores & Stats from 2006 season: Girls, Boys | State Preps Report
Girls Basketball Prairie ready for final examSpecial to The Seattle Times TACOMA — Ashley Corral was looking for a little redemption. After making a crucial turnover on an inbounds play with 11 seconds left and her team down one in last year's quarterfinal loss to Lewis and Clark of Spokane, the Prairie point guard wanted to make good. Corral, the Falcons' sophomore leader, sank four critical free throws in the closing 17.6 seconds as third-ranked Prairie turned back second-ranked University 59-56 on Friday in the Class 4A state girls basketball semifinals at the Tacoma Dome. The Falcons are on the brink of history, thanks to Corral coming through this time. Corral scored 15 points and handed out four assists. "It ate at me all year long," Corral said of last year's tipped pass that sealed the quarterfinal loss. "I know one play can't lose a game, but I didn't want it to happen this year." The Falcons (26-2), who have just one in-state loss, will go for an unprecedented sixth state title tonight at 9 p.m. in a rematch with Lewis and Clark (25-4). Prairie and Seattle's Lakeside, a Class 3A school, own five state crowns for the most among Class 3A and 4A schools. Katie Madison's rebound basket with 2:13 remaining pushed Prairie's lead to 55-46 lead, but University hung tough and cut the gap to 57-54 on Tennessee-bound junior Angie Bjorklund's three-point play with 11.5 seconds left. Corral stepped to the foul line after a University timeout with 10.6 seconds to go and calmly sank two free throws for a 59-54 cushion. Tonya Schnibbe made an inconsequential jumper at the buzzer for the final margin. "She's going to be a good one," University coach Mark Stinson said of Corral. "She's a great floor leader. When you have a lot of guns like that, you need someone to direct the shooting and she does a good job of that." For the second consecutive day, Bjorklund faced intense defensive pressure all over the floor. The future Volunteer combated the chasing by finding screen after screen for backdoor layins and three-pointers.
Bjorklund finished with 19 points, 11 rebounds and four assists, working hard with 5-foot-6 Jamey Gelhar watching her every move. "[Gelhar] played amazing defense on her," Corral said. "I'm so proud of her." The loss for University (24-4) put the Titans in the game for third and sixth places against Auburn Riverside (22-6) today at 3:30 p.m. It's the second consecutive semifinal loss for University at state. The Titans came in ranked No. 1 last season and were upset by Snohomish. "Hopefully, I'm not getting used to this," said the 6-foot Bjorklund, who could have another title shot next season. Copyright © 2006 The Seattle Times Company Most read articles
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