YAKIMA — In the midst of chaos, Hudson’s Bay, and specifically, Zoraya Jones, stayed calm.
Jones stepped into a go-ahead 3-pointer and drilled it with 2.9 seconds left, giving the Eagles girls basketball team a 54-53 lead over West Valley of Spokane in the Class 2A girls state fourth-place semifinals at Yakima Valley SunDome.
The ensuing West Valley shot was off the mark, and Bay held on for the win, despite trailing by nine points with two minutes left. The Eagles will play Archbishop Murphy in the fourth-place game on Saturday at 8 a.m.
The game-winning shot was Jones’ first make of the game, and it came at the most pivotal moment, after West Valley went ahead 53-51 on a Madison Carr layup with 14 seconds left.
“I’ve always been a shooter, so it wasn’t really nothing,” Jones said after with a shrug. “I didn’t think about it. I just shot it.
“Our team … we don’t stop fighting. Defensively, once we got going, everything just started to fall.”
Aniyah Hampton led Hudson’s Bay with 16 points, seven assists and six steals, Mahaila Harrison had 12 points and eight rebounds, while Paytin Ballard collected 11 points and 10 rebounds.
“We have a great coaching staff, they keep us calm the whole game (and) we really trust each other,” Hampton said. “So just staying calm and having trust in each other. Z has been a shooter, so we trusted her with that last shot. We’re a selfless team.”
One day after struggling offensively in a loss to W.F. West in Thursday’s quarterfinals, Bay appeared to be faring much better in the opening minutes of Friday morning’s game. There were seven lead changes in the first quarter alone, with West Valley holding a two-point lead through eight minutes.
The Eagles, however, struggled mightily in the second quarter, going without a field goal and scoring just one point on a Miranda Gonzalez free throw near the end of the half.
“(Thursday) we had a really slow start offensively,” Hampton added. “I feel like our defense has been great, probably since January, we’ve just been slow offensively.”
Facing a 22-13 deficit going into the second half, Bay was playing catch-up until the go-ahead shot from Jones.
Bay’s offense came to life in a 19-point third quarter to trail by just two points entering the fourth quarter, but was unable to take the lead.
With 2 minutes, 10 seconds to go, a Delani Walker basket gave West Valley what seemed to be a commanding nine-point lead.
Then, Ballard scored four quick points, Hampton grabbed a steal and flipped a pass ahead to Harrison for a layup and Hampton hit a pair of free throws to get within 50-49 with 1:18 to go.
Carr’s basket for West Valley broke a 51-all tie, leading to the game-winner for Jones.
“We got our offense going,” Harrison said. “Because defensively, I felt like we were there, getting steals, we just couldn’t get shots to fall. We came back into the locker room (at halftime), we got together, we talked about what we needed to work on, just about us and we went out there and we executed.”
After the game, Hampton was presented with a black and gold basketball by her team for surpassing 1,000 career points with the Eagles, which she clinched on the late free-throw attempts.
It was a fitting moment for the senior point guard who had her fingerprints all over the end of the game as a scorer, facilitator and defensive stopper.
“I love playing with Aniyah,” Harrison said. “I’ve been playing with her for years and she’s one of my favorite point guards I’ve ever played with.”
With Friday’s win, the Eagles gave their seniors, Hampton, Ballard and Mae Carse, one final game and while ensuring they’ll be bringing a state trophy home to Hudson’s Bay.
“It feels good,” Hampton said. “We had a slow start (Thursday) and we wanted to go out with a win and keep going, bring something back to Bay. It’s much more than just winning for the team; it’s for our community and for all the other people that have played in these past years.”
HUDSON’S BAY 54, WEST VALLEY 53
HUDSON’S BAY — Promise Bond 2, Miranda Gonzalez 4, Alana Stephens 2, Devon Johnson-Brown 3, Paytin Ballard 11, Mahaila Harrison 12, Aniyah Hampton 16, Zoriah Jones 3. Totals 25 (3) 7-9 54.
WEST VALLEY — Chloe DeHaro 14, Delani Walker 15, Molly Fisher 0, Aubrey Lobdell 2, Abbie Sicilia 5, Madison Carr 6, Aliyah Henry 11. Totals 25 (4) 7-11 53.
Hudson’s Bay 12 1 19 22—54
West Valley 14 8 12 19—53
