Westerberg bears pain in CV win

TACOMA — Thanks to Emily Westerberg shrugging off the pain, there's more to gain.

Thanks to Westerberg's 31 points and 10 rebounds, top-ranked Central Valley shrugged off a determined Garfield team 64-59 in last night's semifinals of the Class 4A state girls basketball tournament at the Tacoma Dome.

The two-time defending state champions moved one victory away from big-school basketball history. With a win over Prairie (27-2) in tonight's 7 p.m. championship game, the Bears from Spokane can become the first 4A or 3A team — boys or girls — to win three consecutive state titles.

"I'm ready to go right now," said the 6-foot-2 Westerberg, who shook off a twisted ankle from the state opener. "No one can take this energy from me. I can't believe my last high-school game will be for the state championship."

Westerberg, who will play next season at Arizona State, is making a strong case for her second straight tournament Most Valuable Player honor. She is averaging 24.7 points, 10.7 rebounds and 2.0 blocks at the state tournament.

Ninth-ranked Garfield (21-6) was gritty in defeat, pushing Central Valley to the limit and until the final buzzer for the date with destiny.

"I'm excited for my girls," Garfield Coach Joyce Walker said. "We know we were undermanned with six or seven girls. I'm just proud of them."

The Arizona State-bound Westerberg, who has worn a soft cast on her twisted left ankle in the tournament, finished 11 of 18 from the field and 9 of 10 free throws.

Brittany Baynes' pull-up jumper off a steal with 5:55 remaining pushed Central Valley's lead back to 51-43, but Garfield kept fighting. The Bulldogs from Seattle never got closer than four the rest of the way.

The Bears jumped in front by nine points early in the second quarter, but Garfield responded with an 8-0 run to close the gap to 23-22 on freshman Samantha Tinned's layin with 3:28 left before halftime.

The 6-foot Tinned finished with 20 points and nine rebounds, and sophomore Malia O'Neal had 14 points, seven assists, six rebounds and three steals for Garfield.

Delaney Conway scored 16 for the Bulldogs.

Garfield had a 39-31 rebounding edge.

Central Valley used a 6-0 surge for a comfortable seven-point lead and the Bears took a 31-26 advantage into the halftime break.

The smaller Bulldogs had no defensive answer for Westerberg inside. She riddled them for 16 points on 6-of-9 shooting from the floor and six rebounds in the first half. She also hit all four of her free throws.

Still, the underdog Garfield squad scrapped and hustled to stay close until late in the fourth. The Bulldogs trailed the 4A favorites 43-40 entering the final quarter and were behind 41-40 on Conway's three-pointer with 1:23 left in the third.