黑料福利社

Davis proved once again its ability to reach a level few other teams can match in a highly anticipated meeting between two top-ranked teams Wednesday night.

The defending Class 4A champion Pirates hit their stride in the second quarter and overwhelmed 1A No. 1 Zillah for a 78-45 win, their 37th straight regular season win against Washington state opponents. Two days after a rare off night when she shot just 1 of 7 from 3-point range against Lake Washington, Isa Garcia hit all four of her threes in an 18-point first half and didn't miss a field goal until the fourth quarter on her way to a game-high 24 points.

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PHOTOS: Davis defeats Zillah 78-45 in girls basketball

• EVAN ABELL 黑料福利社

"It was great, honestly, because I take a lot of pride in my shooting but even when I have those off nights, I鈥檓 going to have work somewhere else, like rebounding," Garcia said. "Yesterday I got a whole bunch of shots up 鈥� so coming back in here it gave me a little boost of confidence, definitely."

A similar desire to contribute anyway she can motivated reigning Washington player of the year Cheyenne Hull, who didn't convert a field goal until a three-point play early in the third quarter. Davis coach Akil White said the 6-foot junior told him she'd find other ways to win and she still finished with 14 points in addition to 12 rebounds and eight assists.

She also played a key role defensively as part of a fast, aggressive full-court press that helped force Zillah into 19 turnovers. An 8-0 burst followed by back-to-back threes by Deets Parrish and another by Garcia on the next possession stretched Davis's lead out to 38-20 midway through the second quarter and the Pirates kept pushing the tempo during a 12-2 run coming out of halftime.

"We're at our best when we're just running down the floor and we're sharing it and everybody gets it," White said. "That's our Pirate basketball."

Zillah coach Joel Yellow Owl always stresses transition defense but called trying to stop Davis "an eye-opener" for the Leopards and his coaching staff after 13 straight wins, all by at least 15 points except an overtime win over Deer Park at the SunDome Shootout. That ended the Stags' 58-game regular streak and remains their only loss of the season.

Bella Valadez knocked down two early 3-pointers to keep the game close and finished with a team-high 15 points thanks to four threes, including a four-point play in the second half. Addison Johnston also converted a four-point play and 5-5 guard June Fiander hit some tough shots off the dribble against a tall, athletic Davis defense.

"It's nice but at the same time (Davis) is a team that keeps playing," Yellow Owl said. "Championship teams, they know how to get to the next play the quickest and I think we kind of got caught up in those moments a little bit."

The Pirates lost a pair of games to Oregon teams at the prestigious Holiday Classic Tournament in Portland over Christmas break, before Parrish returned from an offseason shoulder injury. White said the Eastern Washington signee added another dimension for a team that had already picked up wins against California's Mission Hills and Bellevue, the top-ranked team in the WIAA's 3A RPI rankings.

Parrish took over at point guard, allowing Garcia to relinquish those responsibilities and giving her more flexibility. White said another guard means everyone can stay fresher with some occasional breaks and Garcia said Parrish will keep improving after scoring 10 points in her fifth game back.

"I like聽being off the ball because I can get in my spot to shoot and she's able to do a good job of controlling, getting us into plays and talking," Garcia said. "Even on the defensive end, she does a really good job of controlling their best players."

Another junior guard, Averie Brandt, recorded 11 points to reach double figures for the ninth time in 14 games for the Pirates. They shot 48% from the field while becoming the first team to hold Zillah to less than 50 points this season.

Both teams will聽play only league opponents the rest of the way before taking big aspirations into the postseason. Davis (12-2) will travel to Wenatchee on Friday while the Leopards (13-2) host Wahluke.

Wednesday's game wouldn't have happened if not for Eastside Catholic's decision to cancel a trip across the mountains to face Davis in December, and Zillah paid the required $200 fee to schedule an extra Foundation game. White and Yellow Owl both said they would be interested in a rematch next year between the two junior-led teams, which brought a near-capacity crowd to the Davis gym even with no boys game afterwards.

"There was a lot聽of hype," Garcia said. "All of us know each other from the Lower Valley. We've all played against each other, played with each other and so also just seeing the gym packed and everything, it was a nice environment and great atmosphere to play in."

窜滨尝尝础贬听鈥�聽Bella Valadez 15, Addison Johnston 12, Fiander 9, Klitzke 6, Buck 2, Creeley 1, Ramirez 0, Walle 0, Favilla 0, Cantu 0. 17-49 5-7 45.

顿础痴滨厂听鈥�聽Isa Garcia 24, Cheyenne Hull 14, Averie Brandt 11, Deets Parrish 10, Kobe Johnson 6, Craig 7, Gasseling 2, James-Teeias 4, Wheeler 0, Dimmer 0, Jones 0, Perez 0. 28-58 14-19 78.

窜颈濒濒补丑=8=16=11=10=鈥�=45

顿补惫颈蝉=14=26=18=20=鈥�=78

3-point goals:聽Zillah 6-22 (Valadez 4-9, Johnston 2-5), Davis 8-19 (Garcia 4-5, Hull 1-3, Brandt 1-4).聽Rebounds: Zillah 31 (Fiander 7), Davis 37 (Hull 12).聽Steals: Zillah 6, Davis 10.聽Turnovers:聽Zillah 19, Davis 9.聽Fouls: Zillah 12, Davis 10.聽Fouled out聽鈥� None.