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The Lady Pirates retained their top ranking in the WIAA's RPI, a statistical system to rank teams, despite the 38-37 loss to Oakesdale. The RPI underscores the strength of the 1B Southeast League, where four of the top seven teams are in Pomeroy's league. Head Coach Tai Bye here gives her squad pointers during a time out.
COLTON–Despite a loss last weekend, the Lady Pirates retained their top ranking in the WIAA RPI and Oakesdale, who edged Pomeroy 38-37 last Friday, nudged its way from third to second. The Lady Pirates rebounded with a decisive win over Colton here Saturday night, winning 55-45.
Pomeroy is cruising to the end of the regular season, facing Prescott on Pirate Court Friday and hitting the road to Touchet Saturday. The final week of hoops sees a non-conference contest with Sunnyside Christian on Tuesday, February 4, and the season home finale against Garfield-Palouse on Feb. 7.
The Lady Buccaneers pledged to give no quarter Saturday at Colton, slamming the door on the Lady Wildcats in the third quarter, then fending off a fourth-quarter rally for the 55-45 win.
"We played with a chip on our shoulder tonight after a tough loss last night," said Head Coach Tai Bye. "I was so impressed with our effort. We never lost momentum and we played with a lot of heart."
The first loss of the season the night before could've made this contest even more difficult, Bye said. "This was a tough weekend for us physically, so for us to come out on top in Colton was huge," she said.
Maddy Dixon was in beast mode, Bye said. Dixon scored 21, hoked 18 rebounds, stuffed six Colton shots, dished four assists and made two steals.
Alyssa Wolf was hot at the arc, hitting four treys to finish with 12 points. Heidi Heytvelt was steady all night and led the team, Bye said. Heytvelt scored 11 points and grabbed five boards.
Oakesdale gave the Lady Pirates their "best game" and it was a 38-37 barn burner.
"It came down to us missing free throws when we needed them and giving up too many lay-ins," Bye said. "Our offense wasn't there tonight. We only finished on one outside shot and it really hurt us down the line."
The first quarter was a defensive battle with the Lady Bucs finishing ahead 8-6. The Lady Nighthawks edged ahead for a 19-13 half time lead.
In the third quarter, Oakesdale built that six-point lead to nine by outscoring Pomeroy 10-3, 29-20 as the fourth quarter got under way.
"We got our momentum and spark back too late in the game," Bye commented. "We just didn't have enough time to finish on top. We got Oakesdale's best game tonight, as expected."
Dixon continued with her key play. "She battled all night, finishing with 24 points and 13 boards," Bye said.
Versus Dayton-Waitsburg on Jan. 21, Sydney Watko sparked the 68-25 runaway with 19 points, seven rebounds and three steals. "Watko rebounded well for us and got a lot of second looks on offense, which is something we have been focusing on during the week," Bye said.
"We shot really well from the outside tonight and got the shots we wanted to take," Bye said.
All Lady Pirates scored in the game. "We shared the ball and didn't lose momentum when we subbed," she said.
Heidi Heytvelt also had a strong game with 15 points, six boards, and six steals.
Pomeroy 55, Colton 45 (1/25)
Col 10 13 12 12-45
Pom 16 13 9 17-55
Pomeroy (55) Maddy Dixon 7-16 7-7 21, Sydney Watko 4-10 1-1 9, Alyssa Wolf 4-10 0-0 12, Heidi Heytvelt 3-20 4-8 11, Jillian Herres 0-2 0-0 0, McKenzie Watko 1-6 0-1 2.
Colton (45) Rylee Vining 8-20 0-0 19, Maggie Meyer 1-2 2-4 5, Josie Schultheis 1-7 3-4 5, Taylor Thomas 1-10 7-8 10, Sidni Whitcomb 1-2 0-0 2, Megan Kay 2-2 0-0 4, Mary Pluid 0-1 0-0 0.
3 Point Goals: Colton-Vining 3, Meyer, Thomas. Pomeroy: Heytvelt, Wolf 4. Fouls: Colton 14, Pomeroy 15. Fouled Out: None. Technical Fouls: None. Rebounds: Dixon 18. Pomeroy Rebounds: Team 35 Turnovers: Pomeroy 4. Assists: Pomeroy 11.
Pomeroy 37, Oakesdale 38 (1/24)
Oak 6 13 10 9-38
Pom 8 5 7 17-37
Pomeroy (37) Maddy Dixon10-17 3-7 24, Sydney Watko 4-16 0-0 8, Alyssa Wolf 0-5 0-0 0, Heidi Heytvelt 0-5 2-3 2, Jillian Herres 1-12 0-0 3, McKenzie Watko 0-1 0-0 0.
Oakesdale (38) Jessie Reed 2-3 2-3 6, Lizzy Perry 7-13 1-3 17, Bree Rawls 1-11 0-0 2, Emilie Buhl 1-1 0-0 0, Lauryn Rawls 2-2 0-0 5, LouEllen Reed 2-9 0-2 5.
3 Point Goals: Oakesdale-Perry 2, Buhl, L. Rawls, L. Reed. Pomeroy-Dixon. Fouls: Oakesdale 15, Pomeroy 14 Fouled Out: None Technical Fouls: None Rebounds: Dixon 13 Pomeroy Rebounds: Team 23 Turnovers: Pomeroy 9 Assists: Pomeroy 9.
Pomeroy 68, Dayton-Waitsburg 25 (1/21)
DW 5 12 4 4-25
Pom 23 22 12 11-68
Pomeroy (68) Sydney Watko 9-13 1-3 19, Alyssa Wolf 2-5 0-1 6, Heidi Heytvelt 6-12 0-0 15, Keely Maves 4-11 2-5 10, Jillian Herres 1-4 0-0 2, McKenzie Watko 1-2 0-0 2, Jaden Steele 1-2 2-2 4, Maya Kowatsch 2-4 1-2 7, Chase Caruso 1-7 0-0 3.
Dayton/Waitsburg (25) Megan Forney 2-6 0-0 4, Cassidy Laughery 0-2 0-0 0, Teagan Larsen 0-0 0-2 0, Kira Boggs 1-4 0-0 2, Destiny 1-2 0-0 2, Mackena Culley 0-0 0-0 0, Kirsten 0-4 0-0 0, Claudia Benavides 1-6 0-1 2, Sadie Seney 5-8 5-7 15.
3 Point Goals: DW-None Pomeroy: Heytvelt 3, Wolf 2, Kowatsch 2, Caruso 1. Fouls: DW 14, Pomeroy 8 Fouled Out: None Technical Fouls: None Rebounds: Maves 7, S. Watko 7 Pomeroy Rebounds: Team 32 Turnovers: Pomeroy 10 Assists: Pomeroy 21.
