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Quincy 43, Liberty Bell 39
Game 7. (Loser out)
At Chelan, WA

After missing all but one shot during the game, Amy Field would seem to be one of the last persons to attempt a shot with the game tied and less than 30 seconds to play.
The Quincy senior proved to be the right choice when she swished a 10-foot baseline jumper with 24 seconds left to snap a 39-39 tie.
"I figured I hadn't made any other shots and since I hadn't had any go in, why not now," Field said. "Actually, I just prayed for it to get in."
Liberty Bell never got a tying shot attempt in the final seconds, as Lynn Brown's pass was stolen by the Jacks. Amy Weber's two foul shots with nine seconds left clinched it for Quincy.
The game was a struggle for both teams. Quincy shot 32 percent from the field and Liberty Bell, which missed about 15 layups, shot 29 percent. Liberty Bell focused its defense on Quincy's Krystal Bowman, who still managed 11 points and 10 rebounds, and the other Jacks struggled to score. Meanwhile, Brown (17 points, 10 rebounds) was the Mountain Lions' only consistent scoring threat.
"We hung around," said Quincy coach Mike Haerling. "We always talk about just give us a chance to win at the end. That's what happened."

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Omak 47, Okanogan 42
Game 8. (Championship, winner to state)
At Chelan, WA

A year ago, Rosalie Dexter and Brandy Hurlbert could only watch during the North Central District A girls' basketball championship game.
Thursday night, the Omak guards did more than enough for the Pioneers to win.
Dexter and Hurlbert led Omak from seven points behind in the fourth quarter to stun third-ranked Okanogan 47-42 in the district championship game.
The Pioneers won the district title last year, too, but it was hard for Hurlbert and Dexter to watch. Hurlbert was suspended for a team rule violation and Dexter had a knee injury.
"I wanted to play real bad last year," said Dexter, who scored nine of her game-high 15 points during Omak's winning run. "This is special."
"It feels good to be back," said Hurlbert, who scored five of her 10 points during the fourth quarter. "I think we're finally coming back as a team."
With the win, eighth-ranked Omak (19-2) will be sending a girls' team to the Class A tournament in Tacoma for the second year in a row and sixth time in the last eight seasons.
The district's second state berth will be decided 1:30 p.m. Saturday at Wenatchee High, when Okanogan (19-4) plays Quincy (16-8). The Jacks eliminated Liberty Bell 43-39 in Thursday's loser-out game.
The Pioneers trailed by seven early in the fourth period when Dexter and Hurlbert took charge, leading Omak on a 13-0 run.
After Alisha Howard's basket for Omak, Dexter drove to the basket for two points, then drove and picked up the fourth foul on Okanogan post Melissa Merkley.
"I was getting excited," Dexter said. "I thought I'd try to drive and draw a foul or dish off."
Dexter made one free throw and Hurlbert rebounded the missed second try, eventually leading to Hurlbert's 3-point bomb which put the Pioneers ahead 35-34 with 5:48 to play.
Omak wasn't done. Moments later, Dexter hit a trey and Howard made two free throws. After Okanogan closed within two points, Dexter nailed another trey.
"I just saw the basket and thought they're in," Dexter said.
"Rosalie just stepped up tonight," Hurlbert said.
"Rosie's played up lately," Omak coach Lynn Holder said.
Okanogan never had a chance to tie in the final seconds and the Pioneers sealed the win when Lisa Lampe hit two free throws with eight seconds left.
"Mr. Behymer (Omak assistant Bryan Behymer) and I always practice those shots," said Lampe, who blocked four shots and had two steals in the fourth quarter. "I just thought of me and Mr. Behymer out there practicing."
After two previous losses to Okanogan, Holder knew she had to do something for the Pioneers' psyche.
"We've been working hard on the mental side," said Holder, who called on former Omak wrestling coach Larry Gibson to help with visualization. "It's worked. They all had scissors (to cut down the nets after the game) in their bags tonight. Even when we were down seven, they had confidence."
"I think (the two previous losses to Okanogan) made us work harder and want it more," Lampe said. "It was a challenge and we met it."
The game certainly didn't do much for Okanogan's mental frame of mind. The Bulldogs had won 12 straight since a New Year's Eve loss to a touring Australian team. Against Omak, the Bulldogs struggled offensively for most of the game.
"I think we came out a little tight offensively," said Okanogan coach Michelle Ferenz, whose team scored only 11 points in the first half. "We wanted it too badly. When you want it, you have to focus on it. We just got tight."
Even while struggling during the first half, Okanogan stayed in the game, trailing by three points at halftime. A 10-1 run through the middle of the third quarter, sparked by Hillary Merkley's three baskets, gave the Bulldogs a seven-point lead. Okanogan made nine of its first 13 shot attempts in the period, but only 32 percent overall for the game.
The Bulldogs were hurt by fouls. Melissa Merkley, who scored 11 points, fouled out, costing Okanogan at both ends of the floor. Okanogan was called for 16 fouls to only six against Omak.
"I'm sorry, but Omak doesn't foul six times in a game," Ferenz said.
Leilah Nicholas had team-high totals of 13 points and 10 rebounds for Okanogan, and Michelle Messinger netted 10 points.

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Okanogan 49, Quincy 42
Game 9. (Winner to state, loser out)
At Wenatchee, WA

After a season of success, the Okanogan High girls' basketball team was suddenly looking at disappointment.
It was halftime and the Bulldogs, in foul trouble, were trailing a scrappy Quincy team by one point.
"We just realized we had to do it now or (the season) was over," Melissa Merkley said after Okanogan came back to beat the Jacks 49-42 in the North Central District A second-place game on Saturday.
The victory sends Okanogan (20-4), ranked No. 3 on the latest Associated Press poll, into the Class A state tournament beginning Wednesday at the Tacoma Dome. It's Okanogan's second state trip in three years. Quincy was eliminated.
The Bulldogs were a bit tentative after losing to Omak by five points in the district championship game on Thursday.
"The way this tournament sets up, it's tough to come back," Okanogan coach Michelle Ferenz said. "Especially after losing a game where the kids expended so much emotion.
"I'm just proud we hung in there. We didn't fold. We were in foul trouble and we found a way to win."
Sisters Hillary and Melissa Merkley helped turn the tide for Okanogan. Hillary, a sophomore guard, scored 13 of her 18 points in the first half to keep the Bulldogs within range, then she buried four free throws to hold off Quincy in the fourth quarter. Melissa, a 6-foot senior post, scored 12 of her 18 points in the second half to go with a team-high 12 rebounds.
Okanogan had a tense halftime session, in which more patience on offense was stressed.
"We wanted to come out and play really good in the second half," Melissa Merkley said. "We didn't want Quincy to stop us from going to state two years in a row."
The Bulldogs scored the first five points in the second half, three from Michelle Messinger, but Quincy recaptured the lead by one point. Melissa Merkley responded by scoring five points during a 7-0 Okanogan run and the Bulldogs never trailed the rest of the way. Quincy could get no closer than five points in the final six minutes.
Amy Field paced Quincy, which finished 16-9, with 18 points and seven rebounds. She had 12 points in the first half. Krystal Bowman snagged a game-high 14 rebounds for the Jacks.

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Tournament Scoring Leaders