RIDGEFIELD — The Woodland girls basketball team needed a spark.
Once Kaija Olson lit the team’s fire, Woodland never cooled off.
Woodland beat Columbia River 40-34 in a loser-out game at the 2A district tournament Wednesday at Ridgefield High.
The Beavers ended the game on a 21-3 run, which began with Olson’s 3-pointer at the end of the third quarter. It cut Columbia River’s lead to 31-22.
That shot was an alarm bell for a slumbering Woodland offense.
“Any momentum play like that really gets things going,” Olson said. “I think that’s what we needed to let us know that we’re still in this. We can do it. We can get to the next game.”
Payten Foster and Nicole Guthrie scored on back-to-back possessions to start the fourth quarter. Within 90 seconds, Woodland had pulled within 31-30.
“Then it was a ballgame,” Woodland coach Glen Flanagan said. “It was on.”
Woodland (14-9) will face Washougal on Saturday for third place and the tournament’s final berth to the state tournament. A time and location will be determined Thursday.
Columbia River (12-12) opened the game’s first sizable lead midway through the third quarter. Erin Baker hit a 3-pointer, which gave the Chieftains a 25-16 lead.
Jordan Ryan led River with 12 points. Her nice crossover drive gave the Chieftains a 31-22 lead late in the third.
But Woodland switched to a man-to-man defense in the fourth quarter. The Beavers also attacked the basket and drew fouls. Woodland made 12 of 15 free throws in the fourth quarter.
“Last time against these guys we had 30-something turnovers,” Flanagan said. “Tonight we had 16, which is huge. We didn’t give them a lot of second shots, which was huge.”
Kaily Christensen made five free throws in the fourth quarter, part of her game-high 13 points. Woodland took its first lead at 35-34 on two Olson free throws with 2:24 to play.
Woodland’s pressure defense never allowed Columbia River an uncontested shot down the stretch.
“Our hustle plays are everything,” Olson said. “We don’t necessarily have star players. We just all work together. Our hustle really comes out in our playing. We never give up, no matter how far we’re down.”
WOODLAND 40, COLUMBIA RIVER 34
WOODLAND – McKenna Flanagan 0, Kaija Olson 8, Payten Foster 8, Dana Glovick 2, Kelly Sweyer 0, Kaily Christensen 13, Nicole Guthrie 9. Totals 11 (3) 15-24 40.
COLUMBIA RIVER – Ellie Furth 2, Liz Canton 1, Lily Jonas 2, Sydney Flores-Tucker 3, Erin Baker 8, Katie Kolbe 6, Jordan Ryan 12, Ellie Christian 0. Totals 14 (16) 2-6 34.
Woodland 6 7 9 18–40
C. River 8 8 15 3–34
