TUMWATER — Napavine’s defense has always been its calling card this season, and that was no different in its Opening Round matchup against Mount Vernon Christian on Friday in Tumwater.
The top-seeded Tigers shut down the No. 8 Hurricanes, pulling away for a comfortable 62-34 victory that gives them a first-round bye at the 2B State Tournament in Spokane next week.
“Defense always gives you a chance,” Napavine coach Shane Schutz said. “I’m always proud of our kids on that side of the floor. It gives us the best chance to win.”
Napavine was all over MVC early, forcing nine turnovers in the first quarter alone and holding the Hurricanes without a field goal for the first 12 and a half minutes of the game.
The Tigers weren’t able to take full advantage early, though.
They hit just three field goals of their own in the first half, but shot 14 for 20 from the free-throw line to build a 28-18 halftime lead.
Schutz said that it can be tough to stay in a rhythm on that side of the ball, especially since Napavine has mostly played just one game a week since the beginning of February due to the postseason schedule.
“You’re not always in sync,” Schutz said. “You can practice all you want, but sometimes getting into those games when you’re used to playing two or three games a week, that’s the adjustment.”
In the second half, MVC found its footing offensively, but so did Napavine.
Hayden Kaut scored just two points in the first half, but she quickly scored seven points in the paint to open the second half, including a three-point play.
Kaut had another run in the fourth, scoring the first 11 points of the frame before hitting another three-pointer later in the frame.
She finished with a game-high 23 points, and she also brought down 20 rebounds while nabbing three steals and blocking two shots.
“At halftime, all the coaches told me that it doesn’t matter if me and Taylen (Evander) are getting denied, we need to figure out how to score anyways,” Kaut said. “We ran an offense where I’m inside, and once I started scoring, then they put a big on me. I had to sag off, so then we put me back on the perimeter.”
Kaut’s big second half helped Napavine build a double-digit lead, but another defensive stand shut the door for good.
The Tigers didn’t allow a single point in the game’s final 8:19, which included the entirety of the fourth quarter.
By the end of the night, the Hurricanes had shot just 8 for 49 (16.3%) from the field, including a 4 for 28 clip (14.3%) from three.
Ava Ondong and Nicholle Valentine both scored eight points, and Ondong also tallied four rebounds and two steals. Sophia Bittner added seven points and six assists, and Taylen Evander added seven points of her own.
Hannah Fay added six points, Clara Fay scored two, and Alexis Schutz tallied one.
The Tigers will now head to Spokane for the fourth year in a row, looking to secure their fourth straight top-five finish and, potentially, their second state championship in the last three years.
“It means everything,” Kaut said. “Senior year, one more trip with all my girls. We really want to come out on top, so it’s exciting.”
With the bye, Napavine (20-4) won’t take the court in Spokane until 10:30 a.m. on Thursday against either No. 2 Northwest Christian, No. 7 Adna, or No. 10 Colfax. NWC and Adna play each other in a Regional Round matchup on Saturday, and the loser of that will face Colfax for the right to face Napavine.
“This is why we do all the work in the offseason,” Shane Schutz said. “We’re one of 12 teams left. You want to be in that position. This is what you spend all the summers, in the gyms, in the tournaments, in the weight room, so that you can hopefully give yourself the best opportunity in situations like this … You hope it pays off.”
