by Paul Moseley

History may judge this years West Seattle girls team as one that has no true consistency except they win all the time. Oh…and that Lexi Ioane will play a critical part in each victory. The Wildcats guaranteed themselves a spot in the Regional championships tonight by beating Bishop Blanchet Braves 55-45 in the Sea King District tournament semi-final game. The Wildcats, racking up their 14th win in a row, gave the crowd a roller-coaster ride on the way to a win.

The Braves, who lost to the Wildcats by three points a few weeks back, advanced to the final eight district game by crushing Garfield 79-36 last week. They came into this game with a full head of steam and confidence…and they showed it early. On the first two Wildcat possessions, Bishop Blanchet stole the ball and converted, going up by four quickly. The Wildcats kept their cool, and Charli Elliott stepped in. Elliott, a Senior, crashed the boards on defense and put in five points early to give West Seattle their start. Then Ioane, who missed 3 of 4 from the free-throw line to start the game, moved things along by putting in three buckets from outside and in, and West Seattle led 18-8 after a quarter.

The second quarter was a reversal of fortunes for the Wildcats as Bishop Blanchet sank four 3-pointers from four different players. West Seattle struggled to convert as the Braves pressed and stole the ball, keeping the Wildcats from continuing their surge. The Braves were keying on All-Metro honorees Ioane, Fiso and Giomi. Enter Annalisa Ursino, who has found her voice in this tournament. Ursino contributed five of the Wildcats 12 points in the quarter, and the Wildcats looked like they would go into half-time with an 8 point lead. A last-second hail Mary by Blanchet’s fire plug Taylor Chambers reduced the West Seattle lead to fie, 30-25.

The Wildcats came out in the 2nd half with a much more controlled approach, and Ioane stepped up again. Bishop Blanchet seemed focused on shutting down Giomi, and Ioane took the liberty of scoring 13 points in the second half, including two 3-Pointers. Wildcat clutch player Emily Fiso got hot as well, putting in six.

West Seattle did not make it easy on themselves though. As Coach Elliott pointed out “It’s good to use the clock, but it’s easy for players to make mistakes”. The Braves’ Chambers, Lily DiPietro and Jadyn Bush all rallied and took advantage of forced turnovers, but it was not enough. The Wildcat’s ability to shift responsibility around the court, and Ioane’s consistent effectiveness on offense and defense, helped the Wildcats pull away for the 55-45 win.

“That’s the good thing (about this team)” said Coach Elliott. “We always have a few of the players do better. We have to do it as a team”. On the ability of the Wildcats to continue to win even when they are struggling on offense Elliott replied “Defense wins the game. We played better defense. We had to make some adjustments so we could get on their shooters."

West Seattle will play next against Juanita in the final four of the district tournament. That game is February 19th at 6:30 PM at Bellevue College.

High Scorers for West Seattle:

Lexi Ioane - 20 points including two 3-pointers

Emily Fiso - 12 points

High Scorers for Bishop Blanchet:

Taylor Chambers - 16 including three 3-pointers

Jayden Bush - 11 including 7 Free Throws