Update: Wolverines battle formidable foes in ‘Round of 16’ | Prep basketball

In the regional elimination round, the Friday Harbor girls basketball team will square off against 2014 state tourney runner-up, Toutle Lake, while the boys squad will match up against Life Christian (26-1) in its state 2B tournament opener.

February 24, 2015 1:27 pm
Alie Galt tossed in 18 points in the second half and a game-high 21 to help the Wolverines clinch a berth in the regional round of the 2B state tournament
Alie Galt tossed in 18 points in the second half and a game-high 21 to help the Wolverines clinch a berth in the regional round of the 2B state tournament

The Wolverines—the girls and the boys—are state tournament bound.

Friday Harbor’s two basketball teams each clinched a berth in the regional round of the 2B state tournament with respective victories—one right after the other— over familiar foes at the district playoffs, Saturday, at Sedro Woolley High School.

The girls team earned its first regional appearance in 28 years by blowing apart a closely contested game in the final period of play. They outscored Orcas Island 21-10 over the last eight minutes of regulation to deal the Vikings a decisive, season-ending 47-33 defeat.

Junior Allie Galt tossed in a game-high 21 points, 18 after the break, to lead the Wolverines on the offensive end.

“She stepped up huge for us in the second half,” Coach Eric Jangard said.

With the win, the Wolverines (15-6) will travel to Chehalis, Saturday, to face Toutle Lake in the Round of 16. Tip off against the Fighting Ducks (22-3), which a year ago claimed second place at the 2B state tournament,  is noon at WF West High School.

The winner will seal a berth in the state tourney’s Elite 8, March 5-7, in Spokane, while the season ends for the other.

The boys team (18-5) also punched its ticket to state regional competition with a start-to-finish 48-29 win over league rival La Conner, Saturday, at Sedro Woolley, avenging a loss to the Braves three weeks earlier that cost the Wolverines a third-straight outright Northwest 2B/1B League title.

The Braves claimed a share of the title with a 46-43 victory at home over Friday Harbor Feb. 6.

StrasserFTIn the Saturday’s district playoff game, senior Peter Strasser scored a team-high 17 points for the Wolverines, who jumped out to an early lead, never trailed and ran away with a double-digit win.

With the victory, they will face Life Christian (26-1) in a 2B state tournament regional post-season elimination contest. Tip off is 8 p.m., Friday, at Mount Tahoma High School.

Coach Rod Turnbull said every one of the 16 teams left standing at this point of the post-season is a formidable foe.

Still, he likes his team’s chances against the Eagles.

“Our size matches up with their size and there’s some similarities in the type of game we play,” Turnbull said.

The winner of will advance to the state tournament’s Elite 8, a double-elimination format, March 5-7 in Spokane.