The Vancouver Volcanoes advanced to the semifinals of the International Basketball League playoffs Thursday with a 131-117 victory over the Salem Soldiers.
Vancouver was the No. 4 seed in the six-team postseason after finishing the regular season with an 11-8 mark. The Volcanoes, the defending league champions, will face the host team and No. 1 seed Bellingham Slam at 7:30 p.m. Friday.
The championship game of the single-elimination tournament is scheduled for 5 p.m. Sunday at Whatcom Pavilion.
On Thursday, the Volcanoes rode a big second half to the victory. After leading 64-55 at halftime, Vancouver outscored Salem 37-27 in the third period, then extended the lead to 25 points early in the fourth.
Andre Murray led a balanced attack for Vancouver, finishing with 26 points. Devin Uskoski scored 22, including 10 of 10 from the free-throw line, and Alex Tiefenthaler had 20.
Josh Tarver (18 points), Porter Troupe (16) and Brad Lechtenberg (15) also contributed. Lechtenberg went 5 of 6 from 3-point range, accounting for all of his points.
Tiefenthaler added 22 rebounds as Vancouver held a 64-46 edge on the boards, helping the Volcanoes overcome a 36-point outing by Salem’s Cory Largent.
Timbers U-23 teamwill play in Camas
The Portland Timbers U-23s play in Clark County for the second time this season on Friday, hosting the Washington Crossfire at 7 p.m. at Doc Harris Stadium in Camas.
The Timbers U-23s (8-3-2, 26 points) are in third place in the Premier Development League’s Northwest Division. Only four points separate the top four teams in the division, with Kitsap (9-3-2, 29 points) currently in first place and the Crossfire (8-5-1, 25 points) in fourth. Portland is one point away from clinching a playoff spot.
Admission to Friday’s match in Camas costs $8, $2 for ages 12 and younger.
At 6 p.m. Sunday at Hare Field in Hillsboro, Ore., the Timbers U-23s play Kitsap in Portland’s last PDL regular-season home match.
