MOUNT VERNON — The Pirates gave La Conner all it could handle, but couldn't knock off the undefeated Braves here Saturday in a 49-43 overtime loss in the regional round of the State 2B girls basketball playoffs.
Adna finished the season with a 15-11 record, while La Conner (24-0) will face Toutle Lake on Thursday night in the state quarterfinals in Spokane.
Adiya Jones-Smith scored 28 points with 11 rebounds to lead the Braves, who led 22-17 at halftime.
The Pirates, though, went on a 13-0 run that covered the late third and early fourth quarters, eventually pulling ahead by 7 points with 3 minutes, 30 seconds to play.
"Everything looked good," Adna coach Chris Bannish said, "but it just slipped away late."
La Conner tied things up with 15 seconds to play, and Adna was unable to get a shot off on its final possession to send the game into overtime. The Braves then held the Pirates to just a free throw in the extra four-minute frame to seal the win.
"I felt like we let one slip away on Saturday," Bannish said. "I don't think a lot of people picked us, but with our schedule, and the teams we played, I felt like it prepared us a lot for the team we faced."
Nine of the Pirates' 11 losses this season came to Napavine, Toutle Lake, Wahkiakum and La Conner, all of whom will play in Spokane this week.
La Conner had been held to less than 50 points only twice heading into Saturday's game — once in a 49-41 win over 1A Nooksack Valley, and in a 39-23 win over Friday Harbor on Feb. 20.
Shanay Dotson led Adna with 16 points and added eight rebounds. Cheyenne Gilbertson scored 7, and Sam Rolfe scored 4 with nine rebounds.
It was the final game for Adna seniors Gilbertson, Karissa Callahan, Regyn Gaffney and Grace Elliott.
"We were one of those teams that nobody wanted to play towards the end," Bannish said. "I'm pretty proud of the four seniors. They've laid the foundation of the expectations of where we want to be every year here."
