Karsyn Freeman and Danika Hallom took turns taking over for Adna on Tuesday, leading the Pirates to a 64-30 win over Toledo in the 2B District 4 quarterfinals.
It was Freeman who was at her best early, as she scored 14 points in the first quarter to help the Pirates take a 17-10 lead. Adna was more balanced in the second, but Freeman still added eight more to help Adna push its lead to 22 at the break.
Freeman cooled down in the second half, scoring just two more points, but it didn’t matter. Hallom scored 11 points in the third and hit three 3-pointers in the second half to help Adna run away with it.
When the Toledo defense did give extra attention to Freeman and Hallom, they were able to easily find Gaby Guard and Kendall Humphrey on the edge, and they both connected from deep in Tuesday’s game.
“We have four girls on the perimeter at all times that can stick shots,” Adna coach Chris Bannish said. “It’s a fun thing to watch.”
While Freeman, the C2BL MVP, scoring in bunches isn’t anything new, Bannish said that the development of her court vision and passing has taken her game to the next level.
“Early in the season, it was just shoot, shoot, shoot,” Bannish said. “That is what’s making her the complete player … Her and Danika playing alongside each other now, it’s tough to guard those two because they both have dynamic abilities.”
Bailey Chapman added eight points, and Humphrey finished with five.
While the result was disappointing for Toledo coach Randy Wood, he gave credit to the Pirates and noted that the Riverhawks are still very much alive in the tournament.
“Survive and advance,” Wood said. “We knew coming in that this was gonna be a tough game, and they’re everything they were cracked up to be.”
Ryah Stanley led Toledo with nine points, while Stefani Arceo-Hansen added six.
Toledo moves down to a loser-out game against Chief Leschi at Castle Rock on Thursday.
The Pirates are on to the semifinals, where they will face Rainier and join Napavine and Toutle Lake in an all-C2BL final four. Those semifinal matchups will take place Tuesday, Feb. 13 at Kelso High School.
