Photos: Ellensburg continues to fluster 2A girls basketball with its unrelenting pressure

'It kind of rattles them at first,' says senior forward Dylan Philip after the Bulldogs force 23 turnovers in their 60-42 2A quarterfinal victory over West Valley of Spokane

YAKIMA - With 1-seed Tumwater out of the picture, undefeated Ellensburg has emerged as the clear favorite to win the Class 2A girls basketball title.

And Bulldogs girls coach Jeff Whitney wants them to keep their eye on the prize.

"Once you stop, and start wanting to do something else, it takes away the egg," Whitney said.

Forward Dylan Philip scored a game-high 19 points, and the Bulldogs defeated West Valley of Spokane, 60-42, in a 2A quarterfinal game Thursday at the SunDome.

Ellensburg immediately jumped out to a double-digit lead - 22-7 - but saw the Eagles claw their way back into it, cutting it to a seven-point deficit.

That is when the Bulldogs took the game back over in their halfcourt pressure.

"Not a lot of teams expect us to be as good as we are," Philip said of the team's defensive pressure.

Here is Sean Carter's photo gallery from the Ellensburg-West Valley of Spokane game: