Vale knocks off No. 8 Coquille in second round of 3A state action
Lady Vikings only unranked team in tourney
By Argus Observer Sports Staff
Thursday, February 28, 2008 10:25 AM PST
Salem — One by one, the Vale girls basketball team has taken out the big dogs.
First it was No. 7 ranked Willamina, then Wednesday, No. 8 ranked Coquille.
As the only unranked team in the tournament, they are giant killers indeed.
Katy Lutjens scored 16 points and grabbed 10 rebounds to lead Vale to a 41-28 win over Coquille in second action of the 3A state girls basketball playoffs Wednesday at Cone Field House in Salem.
The win propels the Lady Vikings (14-12 overall) into a semifinal round matchup against No. 3 ranked Rainier at 6:30 p.m. PST Friday.
“I thought the kids came in prepared,” Vale head coach Jason Johnson said. “They did a real nice job of sticking with the game plan and got the ball inside early. They did a nice job defensively especially in the first quarter. It’s really beneficial to have kids that have been to the tournament before. I thought they came in zoned in on what we needed to do and got it done.”
Lutjens scored Vale’s first four points and with the score 4-2, teammate Vanessa Lovell canned a 3-point basket to give the Vikings a 7-2 lead.
Coquille’s Emily Usselman drew her team to a 7-4 deficit at the 3:18 mark, but the Vikings finished off the opening stanza with a 4-0 spurt on baskets by Sarah Steinert and Heather Barras to take an 11-4 advantage after eight minutes of play.
In the second quarter, both teams combined for 28 points and got the offense rolling.
Lutjens gave the Vikings a 14-4 lead after a jumper and a foul shot and the lead swelled to 12 at 18-6 after a layup by Mary Hicks.
Shelby Mooney made the score 20-8 with a layup at the 4:19 mark and the double-digit lead was maintained through the end of the half with Vale cruising to a 28-15 cushion.
Before the game, Johnson expressed concerns with the overall speed of Coquille and the ability of his team to keep up. They did just fine.
“I felt they definitely had a speed advantage coming in, but our kids did a real nice job of closing them out and keeping them on the outside,” Johnson said. “We were able to run six or seven kids on their guards, so we always had fresh legs on them and I think that made a difference.”
Coquille’s Laurie Breuer kicked off the second half with a long distance jumper to make the score 28-18, but Vale quickly answered with a 7-4 spurt take a 35-22 lead with 3:11 left.
The Vikings finished off the quarter with a layup by Hicks and short jumper by Sam Kamo and were ahead 39-23 after three quarters of play.
In the fourth quarter, both teams combined for two field goals and three fouls shots, with Vale able to maintain the lead and the eventual win.
Steinert added six points and nine rebounds, Lovell added six points and Barras and Hicks chipped in four points apiece for the Vikings, who connected on 17-of-42 from the field.
For the game, the Red Devils (22-7 overall) went 11-of-38 from the floor and shot 5-of-11 from the charity stripe.
Katy Pflaum led Coquille with 11 points, five boards and three steals as only two players notched more than three field goals.
