HERMISTON, Ore.-The Hermiston High School Girls Varsity Basketball team punched their ticket to State with a win over the visiting Southridge Suns on February 21.
Sofia Rodriguez led Hermiston with 23 points as the Bulldogs, the number two seed in Districts, dispatched the fourth-seeded Suns 61-50.
“Having a home game was so fun, the energy was ten times better,” said Rodriguez. “Seeing a few go through the net was like flipping a different switch.”
With so much on the line, Hermiston set the tone defensively early, with Abigail Harshberger establishing a presence down low, snagging defensive rebounds, as well as scoring four points as the Bulldogs took an 8-3 lead after the first quarter.
“Defense and rebounding were key,” said Hermiston Head Coach Jay Ego. “Our defense just keeps getting better, we’ve embraced that end of the floor and its enabled us to compete.”
Hermiston’s stingy interior defense continued, and the Bulldog’s offense got rolling in the second quarter. At times it looked like Hermiston might run away with the game early; however, every time the Bulldogs went on a run, the Suns seemed to answer with timely threes to stay in the game.
Hermiston took a 29-21 lead into halftime behind a balanced offensive attack that saw Rodriguz and Avery Devin with 8 points each, Harshberger with 6, and Jazlynn Ramirez with 5 at the break.
“We’ve played them enough, we know them, and our emphasis was getting to their shooters,” Ego said of his team’s defensive effort in limiting the long-range opportunities for Southridge in the second half.
With the Suns limited from distance, Rodriguez took over the game offensively for the Bulldogs in the second half, and Hermiston took a 44-35 lead into the fourth quarter and pulled away for the 61-50 win to get to state.
“I’m so excited, it’s my sophomore season, it’s a big deal doing it with these girls that I love so much, we’re so excited,” said Rodriguez, of the Bulldog’s state trip.
Hermiston, the 16th seed for the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA) State Tournament, will face 17th seeded Bishop Blanchet, of Seattle, in the opening round at Hermiston on February 24, with tipoff set for 5 p.m.
“This team has faced tremendous adversity, and they’ve grown closer through it,” said Ego. “Now they’re more locked in than they have been all year, and it’s the right time.”
