The W.F. West girls basketball team was ready to go on Friday, blitzing out to a big lead and never looking back in a 76-29 dismantling of Mark Morris in a 2A District 4 quarterfinal.
“I was really proud with how we came out,” W.F. West coach Kyle Karnofski said. “Our upperclassmen did a really good job of setting the tone and showing our group what postseason play was like.”
The Bearcats (18-3, 12-0 2A EvCo) allowed the first basket, but then went on an 18-0 run to push their lead to 15 and extended it to 22 by the end of the first.
Their dominance carried over into the second, where they added 20 more points and took a 37-point lead into the locker room. Julia Dalan scored 15 points in the first half.
While Dalan had a stellar night, it was the freshmen who helped W.F. West break the game open. Joy Cushman hit four threes en route to a career-high 22 points.
“She’s seen the ball go through a few times, which helped grow her confidence,” Karnofski said. “She’s playing well right now. And when she gets going, she can get them in bunches, which is cool to see.”
In addition to Cushman, Dilyn Boeck and Kaitlyn Chloupek combined for 19 points, and as a team, the Bearcats shot 9 for 18 from beyond the arc.
“The freshman did a really good job of giving us a really good boost,” Karnofski said. “Collectively, I was really proud of our whole program tonight … It was a fun night.”
With a quarterfinal win under their belt, the Bearcats will now head to Longview, where they’ll take on Ridgefield in a winner-to-state district semifinal at Mark Morris.
