YAKIMA – In the previous seven 1A state tournaments, the Lyncs picked up a win in the quarterfinal round. However, perhaps none of them were obtained in such a way as it was tonight as they defeated Annie Wright 66-59 in double overtime to once again reach the semifinals.
In retrospect, the first half seemed to breeze by as sophomore guard Tyra Dykstra scored the first five points of the game, and she also hit a shot right before the half to give the Lyncs a 24-17 lead at the midway break.
A barrage of strong drives to the hoop, and terrific outside shooting, allowed the Gators to rip off 24 points in the third quarter, and they took a 41-39 lead into the final period… or what we all thought was going to be the final period.
The fourth quarter embodied what state-tournament basketball is all about. Players gave 100%, the crowd was into it and the band was roaring. The Yakima SunDome patrons seemed to double in size in the final minutes as all eyes were fixated on the action on the floor.
Dykstra hit a corner three ball to open up the fourth, and it gave Lynden Christian a brief 42-41 lead, but Annie Wright took it right back a few possessions later.
Both teams traded leads throughout the fourth, but a banked in three-pointer by the Gators with 2:35 to go gave Annie Wright a 48-45 lead. The three-point margin was the largest of the quarter by either team.
LC junior center Jocelyn Eshuis made both of her foul shots to bring the game within one point, but a strong drive and score by the Gators made it a three-point lead once again.
Dykstra then dialed up a deep ball which tied the game at 50-50 with 49 seconds left in regulation. Lynden Christian had a chance to win it in the final possession of the fourth but was unable to make the shot, and then game headed into overtime.
The overtime period began with junior guard Ellie Pierce taking a charge, which was a risky venture considering she was already one foul away from being disqualified from furth action, but her discipline and fundamentals won out as she gave possession back to her team.
Annie Wright then hit a turnaround jumper to grab a 52-50 lead, but a putback near the rim by Eshuis tied it back up at 52-52.
Senior guard Ella Fritts then blocked a Gator three-point attempt, and was then fouled shortly thereafter. She made one of her two foul shots, which gave the Lyncs the lead at 53-52.
A strong drive by the Gators put them back up by one, but it was yet another put back by Eshuis that allowed Lynden Christian to regain the lead.
Annie Wright converted on a foul shot to tie the game at 55-55, and both teams had opportunities in the final 45 seconds of overtime but were unable to convert, and the game headed into a second overtime.
Much like the first overtime, the second extra period started with a bucket by Annie Wright, but Fritts and Dykstra began to take over shortly after that.
An aggressive drive to the hoop by Fritts resulted in a foul, and she drained both foul shots, and 40 seconds later it was Dykstra who hit her fourth deep ball of the game, which gave the Lyncs a 60-57 lead. This time, it wouldn’t be relinquished as Fritts hit four more foul shots down the stretch, and Dykstra popped in an 18-footer for good measure as Lynden Christian was able to survive and advance.
Fritts knocked down 14-of-18 from the foul line and finished with 20 points, 12 rebounds, five steals and two blocked shots, all of which led her team.
Dykstra scored 18 points on 7-of-15 shooting from the field, while freshman center Jess DeJong added 11 point and seven boards, and Eshuis pulled down 10 rebounds.
The Lyncs (23-3) will face Zillah (24-2) tomorrow night at 9:00 in the semifinals.
Lynden Christian 66, Annie Wright 59 AW 6 11 24 9 5 4 - 59 LC 12 12 15 11 5 11 - 66
Annie Wright: N/A. Lynden Christian: Fritts 20, T. Dykstra 18, Eshuis 6, Hernandez 0, D. Dykstra 5, Russell 0, VanLoo 3, Pierce 3, DeJong 11.
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