Sophomore reserve Kira Wood provided a spark to lead Shorecrest to a 43-36 win against Cleveland in a Class 3A state regional game.
Cleveland looked like the most dangerous team in Class 3A girls basketball the way it tore through the Metro League tournament and won the title.
It was a polar opposite Saturday in a state regional game against Shorecrest. Both teams were cold offensively to start, but the No. 13 seed Scots had a built-in icebreaker in Kira Wood.
The sophomore reserve provided a spark to lead Shorecrest to a 43-36 win against No. 12 seed Cleveland at Bellevue College.
“In a bad way, I get excited,” Wood said of waiting to get put into games. “I know I can bring the extra energy that can pump everybody up.”
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Wood entered the game in the second quarter, hitting a three-pointer for a 12-8 lead with 3:13 left. Shorecrest led 19-14 at the break, and Wood’s eight points in the third quarter gave her team a 34-24 lead headed into the final quarter.
Cleveland (15-7) tied the score at 34 with 2:21 remaining in the game after a pair of free throws by senior Jazzeem Bethea. Shorecrest sophomore forward Sydney Vanness and senior center Julia Strand each hit a three-pointer to help the Scots close on a 7-0 spurt.
Wood finished with a team-high 11 points. Bethea led the Eagles with 13 points.
Shorecrest (17-7) advances to the state tournament for the first time since winning the Class 2A state title in 2016. Cleveland’s season is over.
“We play in the WesCo where things move a lot slower, so it was a matter of us adjusting,” Scots coach Carlos Humphrey said. “All of the up and downs we’ve been through this season … we worked our way to where we are. I’m really proud of them.”