Lady Braves runnerup in Bi-District tourney

Their team doesn’t wear the Bi-District hoop crown, but La Conner fans can still tip their caps to the Lady Braves.

That’s because coach Scott Novak’s charges have again thrown their hat in the ring for a possible State Tournament berth.

The Lady Braves, now 17-5 overall, take the first step toward what they hope will be a trip to Spokane with a Regional matchup opposite Napavine this Saturday at 4 p.m. at Everett Community College.

This comes after La Conner split two Bi-District home tests last week, edging Crosspoint Academy 43-42 Thursday night before losing 36-32 to once-beaten Bear Creek in Saturday’s tourney finale.

Senior wing Katie McKnight clinched the thrilling, down-to-the-wire triumph over Crosspoint — La Conner’s longtime girls’ soccer nemesis — with two clutch free throws in the waning moments.

It was a splendid week for McKnight.

She scored 11 points on Thursday to join teammates Katie Novak and Lauren Reynolds in double-digits against the Lady Warriors.

Novak led La Conner with 12 tallies, while Reynolds added 10, seven in the first frame — when the Lady Braves bolted to a quick 11-0 lead.

McKnight then paced La Conner with 17 points and helped lead a frantic and nearly successful second half comeback bid in the Bear Creek game.

McKnight scored 11 points in the third period as La Conner cut into a 23-9 Bear Creek halftime edge.

Bear Creek’s length and size up front posed problems all night.

Only Anna Cook was able to solve the Lady Grizzlies’ interior defense in the first half, scoring all nine La Conner points before the break.

Bear Creek was able to challenge shots and close off passing lanes until McKnight’s perimeter shooting opened things up in the third quarter.

But it was still tough for La Conner to get good looks on each possession.

Reynolds was the only other La Conner player to score, sinking a pair of third period free throws that trimmed the Bear Creek lead to 25-18.

La Conner trailed 28-22 going into the final stanza after a pair of McKnight jumpers.

McKnight’s free throw and long trey cut the Bear Creek lead to just four points in the final seconds as the Lady Braves played hard to the end, forcing two turnovers in the last minute.

Still, it was McKnight’s pressure-packed free throws icing Thursday’s win over Crosspoint that drew the most attention.

“I was definitely nervous,” McKnight said afterward, “but I knew I had to make those two shots. So I ended up being pretty comfortable up there.”

Crosspoint’s Deseree Doty led all scorers with 23 points.

La Conner took command early in great part due to superb interior passing by Aubrey Stewart. That forced Crosspoint to switch its defense to a zone.

The move worked as the Lady Warriors eased back into the game, forging a 24-23 halftime lead.

La Conner surged back ahead with an 11-5 third period run, and led by five with less than two minutes to play.

But late treys by Doty and Holly Bandara made necessary McKnight’s two charity tosses with :22 remaining.

For La Conner, it then became a case of holding onto their hats until the final buzzer.