Lady D-Dubs get berth in League Tournament

WALLA WALLA–On the final night of EWAC league play last Tuesday, Dayton-Waitsburg lost to DeSales 40-24, bringing the regular season to a close with a 3-9 league, 3-17 overall record.

But the ball bounced the right way for Dayton-Waitsburg and the team’s three-way tie for fifth place in the EWAC, plus the league’s division into east and west subdivisions, spelled a chance of further post-season play for Dayton-Waitsburg.

The Lady D-Dubs play in Granger this Saturday, February 8, at 8 p.m., against TriCities Prep.

In action leading up to the final weekend of league play, TriCities Prep ran over the Lady D-Dubs last weekend, riding a big second quarter to a 57-30 win in Pasco. Lady Jaguar defenders kept all DW scorers in single digits, holding Sadie Seney to nine and Claudia Benavides, who scored 25 against Liberty a few nights earlier, to eight.

“We had some really strong play against TCP, and some let downs that let them get ahead,” said Head Coach Tamira Culley. “We had more turnovers than we want to see, but overall, the girls played tough and worked hard together.”

Dayton-Waitsburg hosted league-leading Columbia Friday, Jan. 31, but couldn’t keep the Lady Coyotes from chalking up big numbers.

Columbia’s full-court press caused a lot of problems for the DW attack and taking care of the ball. “We have to be able to take care of the ball in order to compete in any game,” Culley said. “This hurt us last night.”

The Lady Deedubs were on fire when Liberty Christian visited Waitsburg on Jan. 29.

Freshman guard Claudia Benavides poured in a personal best 25 points and Sadie Seney hit four three pointers on her way to 18 points.

The Lady Patriots were within striking distance at half time, 32-25, but Benavides took them out with 12 third-quarter points, her string broken only by a Kira Boggs trey.

Down the stretch, Seney popped in two three pointers and a bucket on a put back with Destiny Bricken hitting a three and Teagen Larsen and Cecilia Acevedo chipping in at the end.

“Defense was the key in the win,” Culley said, “especially in the third quarter.”

Liberty’s Emma Reed is a strong and aggressive player, Culley said, pointing to “a great team effort” and the sticky defense on Reed by Kirsten Miller, which “was especially effective in slowing her down.”

“We are very proud of the girls for continuing to work hard and focus on the little wins throughout the season, and last night was a big win for them,” she said.

DeSales 40, Dayton-Waitsburg 24 (2/4)

DW 8 5 5 6-24

DeS 10 9 14 7-40

Stats unavailable.

TriCities Prep 57, Dayton-Waitsburg 30 (2/1)

DW 11 3 8 8-30

TCP 11 22 10 14-57

DW: Forney 2, Laughery 3, Larsen 2, Dobbs 3, Culley 3, Benavides 8, Seney 9

3s: Laughery, Culley, Seney

FT: Larsen 2, Dobbs. Rebounds 27, turnovers 37, fouls 15.

TCP: Brandner 7, Ghirardo 4, Dickson 12, Balcom 4, Martinez 14, Monteon 5, Long 2, Chang 9.

3s: Brandner, Martinez, Chang.

FT: Brandner 4, Martinez, Monteon, Chang 2. Rebounds 30, turnovers 14, fouls 11.

Columbia 71, Dayton-Waitsburg 22 (1/31)

CB 29 12 17 13-71

DW 7 10 2 3-22

DW: Forney 3, Laughery 3, Kira 2, Dobbs 6, Culley 3, Seney 5.

3s: Laughery, Culley, Seney

FT: Forney, Dobbs 2, Seney 2.

Rebounds: 30. Turnovers: 35. Fouls: 17.

Columbia: Dyer 2, Stanley 9, A. Kinsey 9, Stafford 2, Jacobo 13, S. Kinsey 6, Johnson 14, Curtis 2, Larson 5, Talley 8.

3s: Jacobo.

FT: Stanley 5, A. Kinsey 2, Stafford 2, S. Kinsey 2, Johnson 2, Larson, Talley 2.

Rebounds: 27. Turnovers: 12. Fouls: 10.

Dayton-Waitsburg 69, Liberty Christian 43 (1/29)

DW 21 11 15 22-69

LC 12 15 2 14-43

Dayton-Waitsburg (69) Cassidy Laughery 6, Teagen Larsen 2, Kira Boggs 3, Destiny Brincken 7, Kirsten Miller 4, Claudia Benavides 25, Sadie Seney 18. Cecelia Acevedo 4. Free throws: 1/6-17%.

3s: Laughery 2, Boggs, Brincken, Seney 4. Rebounds: 44. Turnovers: 17. Fouls: 12.

Liberty Christian (43) Lauren Reed 5, Emma Reed 22, Annalise Drinkard 2, Hannah Bush 12, Grace Thompson 2. Free throws: 1/4-25%.

3s: L. Reed, E. Reed 3, Bush 2. Rebounds: 22. Turnovers: 17. Fouls: 11.