Air-it-out Woodinville and Union go down to the wire in 4A regional thriller, 3 takeaways

BELLEVUE, Wash. - All season, Union has shown a quick trigger from the 3-point line.

But the Titans might have faced the one team Friday that shows even less hesitation - and has an even quicker release.

Hailey Quiggle scored a game-high 25 points - 15 coming in the second half, and fourth-seeded Woodinville won an O.K. Corral-type showdown, 70-66, over the No. 5 seed Titans in a Class 4A regional game at Bellevue College.

The teams combined to make 25 3-pointers, including 15 by Woodinville.

Union standout and 4A GSHL player of the year Brooklynn Haywood led all scorers with 38 points on 13-of-23 shooting, rallying the Titans from an 11-point deficit with 4:15 remaining.

Her 3-pointer capped an 8-0 run as Union cut it to 67-64 with 2:07 to go.

It was a one-possession game when Woodinville turned it over on a shotclock violation with 13.3 seconds remaining, giving the Titans a chance to tie, trailing 69-66.

And they worked the ball to Haywood in the right corner. But when the guard made a move to get an open look at a 3-pointer, she stepped out-of-bounds with 3.2 seconds to go.

Haywood did crack the 2,000-point barrier in the first quarter, and now has 2,032 points for her career heading into Tacoma.

Sienna Bieler made one free throw on the other end to seal it for Woodinville.

Here are three takeaways from the Woodinville-Union game:

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FLINGS IT FROM FAR OUT

You might think 15 made 3-pointers in a high school game is a lot.

Earlier this season, the Falcons made 19.

So, 15 is par for the course.

And players just keep taking turns, starting with Bieler and Quiggle in the first quarter - then Jazzy Wilkerson's big second quarter (three 3-pointers), finishing with 19 points.

But perhaps the one who did in Union in the third quarter Samantha Harris, who wiped out the Titans' halftime lead with three 3-pointers in the first 7:05 of the second half.

"This team is probably the best 3-ball shooting team in Woodinville history," Quiggle said. "There are so many games where we are in the 'teens' for 3-balls, and it's because all the girls are putting in so much work inside and outside of practice." We're seeing the results obviously."

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WOODINVILLE STAMPS SPOT IN PREFERRED THURSDAY GAME

The last couple of seasons have not been kind for the Falcons at the WIAA championships.

Two seasons ago, they were upended by Emerald Ridge in the regional game - and had to play a Wednesday game, eventually losing to Camas in the state quarterfinals.

Last year, they beat Tahoma to clinch a direct spot to the quarterfinals, only to lose to eventual state finalist Gonzaga Prep.

Which path does Woodinville girls coach Scott Bullock prefer?

"Both days are kind of hard," Bullock said. "If you play on Thursday, you are playing a team that has already played once, and is used to the (Tacoma) Dome. But if you play on Wednesday, it is really hard to go all the way because youa re going to be gassed.

"If you want to go all the way, you are going to want to play Thursday."

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UNION YOUNG BUT DANGEROUS

The Titans have two key seniors in the rotation in Janessa Chatmand and Carli Christensen. But the nucleus of this team is Haywood, a junior, and a pair of sophomores in Myla Larry and Jalise Chatman, who are emerging rapidly for this squad.

And they went toe-to-toe with one of the best programs in Washington, shooting 55.8 percent from the floor (24-of-43). What did the Titans in was 19 uncharacteristic turnovers.

"I felt like we definitely stepped up as a team," Haywood said. "We've never been in that position before, so first time playing like that against one of the best teams in the state ... it was good,"

Added Union girls coach Gary Mills: "That is the second- or third-best team in the state, in my mind, and definitely we are not happy right now (with the result), but we belong. We are going to be a tough out for anybody."

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