Lady Bombers fall short to the Blue Devils - By Macie Milum

    Heading into the last game of the regular season, the Lady Bombers take on the Walla Walla Blue Devils in their house. There was massive intensity going into the game after the last time the Lady Bombers met up with the Blue Devils in their home gym, and the ending score was 47-55 in favor of the Blue Devils. Before heading into the post-season play, this would be the last league game for the Bombers seniors, Macie Milum, Maya Rowe, Kaya Chang, and Jazymn Soldate. Hearing from sophomore Kylee Kukes, she had this to say about heading into the last game of the regular season, “Mostly sad because it would be the last season game with my favorite seniors, but also proud of everything we have accomplished.”

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    The night started with extreme energy, having it be the Blue Devils' senior night recognizing Carly Martin, Madison Reibel, who averages 15 points a game and contributes in all areas for the team, and Cami Martin, averaging 11.9 points a game. You could feel the intensity in the gym from both teams wanting to win the last game heading into the postseason. Looking around, there were around 100 people present, all cheering loudly for their home team. The game starts with Richland winning the tip and Junior Mackenzie Shulz immediately scoring a 2-point field goal. But Senior Madison Reibel returns the favor with a free throw, and junior Jaelyn Davenport has a 2-point field goal herself. The game was back and forth, with both teams scoring with extreme energy, wanting the upper hand in the half. Richland Bombers had contributors on offense in the first half, from Senior Macie Milum adding 7, Junior Mackenize Shulz contributing 6, Kylee Kukes having 4 herself, Kaya Change having 3, and Jazmyn Soldat with 2. Unfortunately, that wasn't enough. Going into the half, the Blue Devils were up 29-24 against the Bombers.

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    You could tell both teams were ready as they stepped onto the court for the second half, the gym electric with both student sections getting loud, rooting for their home team. But right out of the gate, the Blue Devils ran a quick 9-0 on the Bombers, followed by a head coach timeout by Amy Westerfiled to get a new game plan going. Junior Mackenzie Shulz responded to this 9-0 run by saying, “We tried to pressure more and make them earn their shots. Unfortunately, they were on a roll, and their shots kept falling.” The game resumes with a score of 24-38 in favor of the Blue Devils. Senior Madison Reibel, Carly Martin, and Miriam Hutchens showed up to play the second half, all having 3-pointers falling. The Lady Bombers tried adjusting their defense, but the opposing team had just found a way around it. Richland didn't give up, though; they could break the press and get multiple open shots along the arc, but it was just not enough to keep up with their opponents. 

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    The game ended with a final score of 49-68, with the Bombers losing. Senior Macie Milum from Richland said, “ It was a tough loss. In the end, they played a better game. They finished more and executed more plays. We will take this loss and push through to our next game, realizing what we need to change to win.” It was a well-fought game by both teams, but in the end, the Walla Walla was able to execute and finish more to lead them to victory. Highlighting players of the game for Walla Walla were Miriam Hutchens, leading her team with a huge 23 points, and Madison Reibel, following with a nice 17. As for the Bombers, Mackenzie Shulz and Macie Milum combined for 27 points. Reaching out to freshman Kayalni Reyes, she had this to say about the game: “It's interesting watching the upperclassman play from a different point of view as a freshman. Walla Walla has a good shot range, which our team tried to adjust to throughout the game. It all came down to who made more shots and played better defense, and unfortunately, that was the other team.” The Bombers will now head to play Central Valley on 2/8 to start their journey in the post-season play. As for the Walla Walla Blue Devils, they will face off against Ferris on 2/10. 

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