Clarkston girls cruise past Hounds to head back to district title game

Editor's note: Story has been updated with the new game time for Thursday's championship game at Deer Park.

Eight minutes into the contest and with the Clarkston girls basketball team already holding a double-digit lead, the Bantams were far from finished.

The Bantams combined for three straight 3-pointers and 11 total points to open the second quarter as part of a 20-0 run that stretched from the end of the first quarter to the final minute of the second.

Aneysa Judy and Reese de Groot shared the team lead with 12 points apiece, the Bantam defense held Pullman to just two points in the second quarter and Clarkston beat Pullman 59-33 in the second round of the 2A Greater Spokane League district tournament on Tuesday at Clarkston High School.

The Bantams will play at Deer Park at 5:30 p.m. Thursday in the 2A GSL final while the Greyhounds end the season having doubled their win total from last year.

Bantams apply pressure

The Bantams opened the game with a level of defensive intensity that Pullman simply could not match.

After the Hounds got the first points on the board with an Eloise Clark 3-pointer on their first possession, Jaelyn McCormack-Marks fired a trey several seconds later.

Clark showed shooting prowess early with a reverse layup to restore a 5-3 Pullman lead about a minute into the contest, but Clarkston was not to be outdone.

De Groot spun around in the paint to nail a layup and tie the game at 5, ushering a 15-3 run to close the quarter.

Clarkston coach Debbie Sobotta said that her team did an excellent job of understanding and implementing the game plan, which included an intense commitment to pressure defense at every level.

With Clarkston applying the pressure, Pullman coach Angie Barbour said that her team often rushed possessions and took its first-look shots, even if they were suboptimal.

For the Clarkston players, the defensive focus paid off big time.

“This is an easier shot so ... make them push it out,” Judy said of the Bantams’ defensive plan. “And when it’s going up, try to tip it.”

The junior guard followed that plan to a “T” in the first quarter when she stayed with Pullman guard Grace Kuhle through an offensive rebound, rose up and blocked the Greyhound shot.

Clarkston pushed past an early 5-5 tie to lead 20-9 after the first quarter, led by 17 points at halftime and pushed the advantage to 30 by the end of the third.

“Our defense just carried into our offense,” Judy said. “And so it just led to more open shots for everyone.”

Clarkston’s deep lineup contributes

With a comfortable double-figure lead for the majority of the game, Clarkston got 12 total players on the floor and saw 10 take at least one shot.

Senior guard de Groot hit a pair of 3-pointers on back-to-back possessions to jumpstart the second quarter and Preslee Dempsey hit a 3, then a reverse layup soon after.

Sobotta said that many of the girls on the floor to start the second quarter had rested at the end of the first as the Clarkston coaching staff attempted to keep players fresh for a hopeful berth to the district title game in two days.

Lexi Villavicencio hit a 3-pointer and turned a steal into a fast-break layup during a seven-point day, McCormack-Marks made a trey on her way to seven points and Tatum Sevy made a pair of 3s to register eight points in the Clarkston victory.

“We trust whoever for that game is coming off the bench,” Sobotta said.

Freshman Joslyn McCormack-Marks, sister of junior starter Jaelyn McCormack-Marks, has earned her coach’s trust.

Joslyn McCormack-Marks filled up the stat sheet on Tuesday with six rebounds, five assists and a steal to complement her sister’s seven rebounds and two steals.

“She has just a knack for being around the ball,” Sobotta said. “She’s a very good utility player. I can put her at five spots, and no matter what spot she’s going to end up near the basket, going for a rebound.”

Seven more wins for Pullman

While Pullman found itself outclassed and outhustled by its closest league opponent, the Greyhounds walked away from the season with a lot to learn and a lot to be proud of.

The Hounds doubled their win total from the previous season, winning 14 after winning seven last year.

And with just one senior this year, the Hounds return the majority of their core next year, including GSL first-team player Kuhle at guard and second-teamer River Sykes in the post.

Kuhle scored a game-high 14 points with a spotless 7-for-7 mark from the foul line and Sykes added 10 points as a respected force in the paint.

“This is going to sting for a minute, but we’ve got to celebrate the building that’s going on within our program,” Barbour said.

Title game on tap

The Bantams advance to the district title game where they will meet Deer Park, a team that beat them twice in the regular season.

While Deer Park accounts for 50% of Clarkston’s total losses, the Bantams are far from discouraged, thanks in large part to their coach.

“It’s a really long season, so it’s really easy to just get like really down on yourself, but she’s just always there to keep you up no matter what,” Judy said of Sobotta.

Sobotta said her team knew that this two-day turnaround to face Deer Park was likely going to happen and they know that they cannot afford to make too many mistakes against the Stags.

The Bantams lost to Deer Park 61-45 on Jan. 14 and 69-49 on Feb. 7.

“They’re a really fast team and they’re super aggressive,” de Groot said. “So we’re just gonna have to come out swinging and be ready for anything.”

PULLMAN (14-8)

Bri Rasmussen 0 0-0 0, Grace Kuhle 3 4-4 14, Olivia Whitworth 1 0-0 2, Ada Harris 0 0-0 0, Taylor Darling 0 2-3 2, River Sykes 3 4-5 10, Taylor Cromie 0 0-0 0, Eloise Clark 2 0-0 5, Inara Driskell 0 0-0 0, Faith Perry-Dyer 0 0-0 0. Totals 9 13-15 33.

CLARKSTON (18-4)

Jaelyn McCormack-Marks 3 0-0 7, Preslee Dempsey 2 0-2 5, Reese de Groot 5 0-0 12, Aneysa Judy 4 3-4 12, Joslyn McCormack-Marks 0 0-0 0, Ryann Combs 1 2-2 4, Tatum Sevy 3 0-0 8, Sydney Janikowski 0 0-0 0, Ella Leavitt 1 0-0 2, Laney Augir 1 0-0 2, Elise McManigle 0 0-0 0, Lexi Villavicencio 3 0-0 7. Totals 23 5-8 59.

Pullman 9 2 12 10—33

Clarkston 20 18 15 6—59

3-point goals — Judy 2, Sevy 2, Jaelyn McCormack-Marks, Dempsey, Joslyn McCormack-Marks, Villavicencio, Kuhle, Clark.

Taylor can be reached at 208-848-2268, staylor@lmtribune.com or on X (formerly Twitter) @Sam_C_Taylor.