1A/2A girls Hardwood Classic 2020: Quarterfinal highlights, photos, standout performances, statistical leaders

YAKIMA - The 1A/2A Washington high school girls basketball state quarterfinals are happening Thursday with eight teams playing in loser-out games.

The 2A girls games take place in the morning, 1A in the afternoon.

Here is a breakdown of each game, statistical leaders, top highlights and photos:

2A FINAL: LYNDEN 62, ELLENSBURG 44

UP NEXT: Lynden plays Burlington-Edison at 3:45 p.m. Friday in the semifinals; Ellensburg drops to a consolation playoff at 9 a.m. Friday.

What made the difference?

No question, Lynden remember last year's unfortunate state draw - and even worst result in a No. 1-vs.-No. 2 matchup against East Valley of Spokane.

The Lions made sure not to repeat last season's effort.

And they did it with hot 3-point shooting, making 12 of them, in handling the Bulldogs at the SunDome.

Half of them came in the second quarter as Lynden started on a 14-4 run over the first 3:49 to grab a 28-12 lead.

Ruby Vander Haak was the deadliest of the marksman, canning four of them in the second quarter - and five for the game to finish with a game-high 18 points.

Ellensburg girls coach Jeff Whitney said on a few occasions, he had defenders who had a hand in her face. Nothing fazed Vander Haak She kept making them from long range.

"She is legit," Whitney said.

The Lions came out with two quick baskets in the second half, including a 3-pointer by Anna VanderYacht, to go up 42-24.

"We embraced (another 1-2 matchup)," Vander Haak said. "We knew we didn’t want the same outcome as last year."

Players of the game

Ruby Vander Haak, Lynden

She finished with 18 points, and drilled four second-quarter 3-pointers in a 3 1/2-minute stretch midway through the quarter.

Rylee Leishman, Ellensburg

The hard-working guard got to the foul line constantly - and made nine of 10 free throws en route to a team-high 13 points.

2A FINAL: WEST VALLEY-SPOKANE 44, W.F. WEST 43

UP NEXT: West Valley plays Tumwater at 5:30 p.m. Friday in the semifinals; W.F. West drops to a consolation playoff at 10:30 a.m. Friday.

What made the difference?

Jillian Taylor's heady play. She knew her shot off the glass was too hard with five seconds to go, so she followed it into the lane, grabbed the rebound and laid it in for the game-winning basket in a wild fourth quarter.

Players of the game

Jillian Taylor, West Valley-Spokane

When you make a game-winner to send your team to the state semifinals, you get the nod. She scored eight points.

Annika Waring, W.F. West

She shared team-high scoring honors with Taya McCallun with 10 points, including a pair of 3-pointers.

2A FINAL: BURLINGTON-EDISON 43, PORT ANGELES 38

UP NEXT: Burlington-Edison plays Lynden at 3:45 p.m. Friday in the semifinals; Port Angeles drops to a consolation playoff at 9 a.m. Friday.

What made the difference?

Attacking the basket. Burlington-Edison was dismal shooting the ball in the second half (7-for-28), but the team made 13 of 20 free throws (and outscoring the Roughriders, 13-4, from the foul line).

Players of the game

Katie King, Burlington-Edison

The do-everything forward had 18 points, 10 rebounds and three assists in leading the Tigers to the state semifinals for the second time in the past four seasons.

Emilia Long, Port Angeles

The Roughriders' leader led her team with 14 points, seven rebounds, four assists and four steals in a losing effort.

2A FINAL: TUMWATER 43, EAST VALLEY-YAKIMA 38

UP NEXT: Tumwater plays West Valley-Spokane at 5:30 p.m. Friday in the semifinals; East Valley drops to a consolation playoff at 10:30 a.m. Friday.

What made the difference?

Tumwater's defense. The Thunderbirds threw athletes at Red Devils standout Ashlynn Sylve (five points, 2-for-12 shooting) on defense as they took an 11-point lead into the final quarter - and held on.

Players of the game

Olivia Bailon, Tumwater

She sometimes gets lost in the fray of standouts, but she had 13 points, 10 rebounds and buried a pair of 3-pointers.

Jaelynn Livingston, East Valley

The guard was dialed in from long range, canning three 3-pointers, which accounted for all nine of her points.

1A FINAL: LA SALLE 41, KING'S 37

UP NEXT: La Salle plays Cashmere at 7:15 p.m. Friday in the semifinals; King's drops to a consolation playoff at 10:30 a.m. Friday.

What made the difference?

Trista Hull. She is the best post player in the tournament, and her inside move and basket with 15 seconds to go finally hold off the Knights, who did not score a field goal in the final 4:46.

Players of the game

Trista Hull, La Salle

She was simply awesome, leading the Lightning with 19 points (on 7-for-9 shooting), 11 rebounds and three blocked shots.

Samantha Skaggs, King's

With point guard Claire Gallagher all but bottled up, the 6-3 junior led the Knights with 11 points, four rebounds and four assists.

1A FINAL: FREEMAN 47, WARDEN 40

UP NEXT: Freeman plays Lynden Christian at 9 p.m. Friday in the semifinals; Warden drops to a consolation playoff at 2 p.m. Friday.

What made the difference?

3-point shooting. Warden needed to make its shots - and fell off drastically, making just one of 21 attempts. Meanwhile, Freeman made three 3-pointers in the pivotal second quarter, including two by Sydney McLean in building a 12-point lead.

Players of the game

Anna Chisholm, Freeman

She led all scorers with 16 points (on 7-for-12 shooting) in 29 minutes of action.

Riley McKay, Warden

She was the lone bright spot, scoring a team-high 13 points with six rebounds and three blocked shots

1A FINAL: LYNDEN CHRISTIAN 63, ZILLAH 41

UP NEXT: Lynden Christian plays Freeman at 9 p.m. Friday in the semifinals; Zillah drops to a consolation playoff at 2 p.m. Friday.

What made the difference?

Lynden Christian's ability to stop Zillah's driving guards. Brynn Widner is a hard charger into the lane, and a key adjustment the Lyncs made late in the first half was switching more defensive assignments on her - and it worked.

Players of the game

Emily Mellema, Lynden Christian

The Lyncs point guard seems to always make something out of nothing - and she was sensational on all spots of the floor with.a game-high 15 points.

Hollie Ziegler, Zillah

She had her moments for the Leopards, finishing with a game-high 16 points, including two 3-pointers. She also had three steals.