After finding groove, Woodinville girls will play for fifth consecutive district basketball title, 3 takeaways

WOODINVILLE, Wash. - Senior Lyla Kahrimanovic scored a game-high 19 points, and second-ranked Woodinville's decisive late-third quarter run was enough to push the Falcons past No. 9 Eastlake, 57-44, in the Class 4A District 1/2 girls basketball semifinals Tuesday night.

With the win, Woodinville has a chance to capture its fifth consecutive district crown Friday night against No. 5 Bothell at North Creek High School.

After trailing by double digits early, the Wolves cut it to 27-25 with 3:23 to go in the third quarter.

But Kahrimanovic's 3-pointer on the other end triggered a 13-2 Falcons' run, and the reigning seven-time 4A KingCo champions never were threatened again.

Woodinville has won two of three games this winter from the defending state champion Wolves, who were paced by the 12 points apiece from Darcy McCoy and Tatum Wood.

Here are three takeaways from the Woodinville-Eastlake game:

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SURVIVING BAD QUARTER

There haven't been many unproductive quarters of basketball by the Falcons - but they were loose enough in their second-quarter play Tuesday to let Eastlake back into the game.

A team that likes to play with pace and shoot a bunch of 3-pointers - the sloppy eight minutes had Woodinville girls coach Scott Bullock scratching his head.

The Falcons scored just two points in the quarter.

"That gets hard, because we haven’t had many games like that," Bullock said. "On top of that … we were throwing the ball all over the gym."

And yet, the Falcons did not relinquish the lead at halftime, up 18-14.

"You can live with one quarter like that," Bullock said.

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JAECY EGGERS KEY TO HOW FALCONS GO

One thing is for certain - 6-foot-3 forward Jaecy Eggers have come into her own as a senior.

The Eastern Washington University signee is the undisputed leader - and go-to playmaker as a scorer and passer for the Falcons.

And after being limited to one first-half field goal, Eggers had a two-minute stretch in the third quarter when she was aggressive getting to the basket, converting three consecutive field goals.

Eggers finished with 13 points and 10 rebounds.

"When she makes that easy stuff, everything gets easier on the outside," Bullock said. "But she can be really deliberate - she’s not just driving into traffic. She will hold the ball, look and. 'Footstep here, footstep there.' And she can pass the ball.

"For us, she’s been really good."

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EASTLAKE STILL A BIG THREAT

Even after watching the Wolves be dominated for that three-minute span at the end of the third quarter, Sara Goldie still came away satisfied with how her team played (especially with guard Sofia Aluas missing much of the game in foul trouble).

"They had to earn that win," Goldie said. "We had them thinking and forcing them to executive perfectly, which they did during that third-quarter (stretch)."

Some of the ugliness of the game can be attributed to the importance and intensity of playoff basketball. And a little of it can almost be expected given how these two teams know each other so well.

"I was bummed nothing could go our way to get in a little bit of a run," Goldie said.

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