BATTLE GROUND SENIOR Haley Grossman (21) has been an all-around force for the Tigers this season according to coach Joe Potter. Photo by Mike Schultz.
The Battle Ground Tigers have advanced to the Class 4A bi-district girls’ basketball tournament as the No. 2 seed from the Greater St. Helens League.
The Tigers finished the regular season with an 11-9 overall record, which includes a 7-5 mark in GSHL games. Battle Ground finished the season with a win over Union and a loss to league-champion Skyview in its final two games.
“We’re better than we were a week or two ago,’’ said Battle Ground coach Joe Potter. “Everybody’s healthy and we are playing fairly well together.’’
Potter said the key to the postseason for the Tigers will be taking care of the basketball.
“The main thing is we need to take care of the ball,’’ Potter said. “We’ve had some fairly high turnover numbers in the games when we have lost.’’
Battle Ground will need to win two games at the bi-district tournament before it loses two games in order to advance to the regional tournament.
In the final two games, Haley Grossman led the Tigers with 11 in a 52-33 loss to Skyview and Tessa Vanderpool (16 points), Grossman (15) and Nikki Bond (14) each scored in double figures in a 54-43 win over Union that clinched second place in the league for Battle Ground.
Here’s a look at some other area girls’ basketball teams heading into the playoffs:
Class 2A
Woodland and Hockinson each lost their first-round playoff games in the district tournament and will both face loser-out games on Tues., Feb. 14.
Woodland lost a heart-breaking, double-overtime battle 59-56 to North Thurston Feb. 10. The Beavers, who were led by Emily Smith’s 20 points in the loss, will play Black Hills Tues., Feb. 14 at 7:45 p.m. at WF West High School.
Hockinson will meet Tumwater at 6 p.m. at WF West the same night – Tues., Feb. 14. The Hawks lost in the first round 53-30 to River Ridge in a game played at Lacey.
Hockinson, now 10-12 on the season, had to play its way into the postseason during the final week of GSHL play. The Hawks defeated R.A. Long 47-46 in a tiebreaker game played Feb. 7 at Washougal High School. Hockinson trailed by 12 points at halftime but ralled for the win, thanks in large part to a 15-4 run in the third quarter. Emily Gunderson made a free throw with 6.7 seconds left in the game to seal the victory. Jenna Hagen led Hockinson with 16 points.
Hockinson forced the tiebreaker game with a 47-31 win over R.A. Long in a game played Feb. 6 at Hockinson. Haagen and Maggie Smith each had 14 points in that game and Katelyn McGuire added 12.
