Tahoma blisters Davis of Yakima, earns automatic berth to WIAA Class 4A girls basketball quarterfinals
AUBURN, Wash. - Hope Hassmann isn't a showy entertainer, much like a cocky boxer who prances around the ring.
The three-time 4A NPSL player of the year just plays basketball - and understands when it is her moment.
It came Saturday in Tahoma's biggest playoff game in decades. She scored a game-high 29 points - 23 in the first half - as the Bears walloped Davis of Yakima, 86-59, in a Class 4A regional game Saturday at Auburn High School.
Tahoma earned a bye into the WIAA quarterfinals Thursday, and will face the Gonzaga Prep-Sumner loser-out survivor from the day before.
Angelina Cavanaugh added 19 points, and sister Lily had 14 as the Bears shot a blistering 55.7 percent from the floor (34-of-61) in this much-anticipated West-vs.-East run-and-shoot showdown.
"We came out from the get-go," Hassmann said. "I got it going. I got my teammates going.
"We just put it on them. We played hard."
But it was Hassmann's night as she put on dazzling spin move after spin move, getting by any Davis defender with ease to convert easy looks.
She also had seven steals and six rebounds in one of the most complete efforts of her career.
"Kind of like she had been waiting for about 4-5 years to play on this stage, right?" Tahoma girls coach Pete Smith said. "She was just ready to go.
"At the shootaround today, she kind of had that look. Honestly, they all had it."
She scored on four field goals in the final two minutes of the first quarter to give the Bears a 15-7 lead.
It didn't stop there. She had six more field goals in the second quarter, including a nifty twirling maneuver in the lane and bucket with one second remaining for a 45-27 Tahoma advantage.
"I thought she made the right plays tonight," Smith said.
The constant playmaking took the steam out of the Pirates and standout Esmeralda Galindo, who did finish with 25 points.
Now with her team already in the 4A quarterfinals, Hassmann said it's time to ride the wave of momentum
"In the locker room (at halftime), we said, 'This isn't over. In the second half, let's put it on them. And let's take it to the Dome.'
"This is only the beginning."