Auburn Mountainview was unable to find its stride, losing 53-39 to North Central of Spokane in the state 3A girls basketball quarterfinals Thursday at the Tacoma Dome.
No. 10 Auburn Mountainview was outscored 26-12 in the first half, with the Lions shooting a woeful 6-of-23 from the floor.
North Central’s Kalen Vis led the charge for the Indians with seven first-half points, including two three-pointers.
The Lions were unable to overcome the first-half deficit and trailed by as many as 18 points in the second half.
Junior Caitlin Carr led the team with a game-high 18 points, with seven rebounds. Junior guard Erika Lombardo had six points and four steals, with junior post Hattie Kosko adding six points and seven rebounds.
Tara Van Weerdhuizen led the Indians with 14 points and Hailey Marham-Patti added 11 points.
The loss relegates the Lions to the consolation bracket and a 10:30 p.m. loser-out game Friday against Lakeside from at the Tacoma Dome.
“We can’t feel sorry for ourselves, we’ve just got to bounce back and play,” coach Chris Carr said. “Now, we’re back to what we’re used to – (with) our backs against the wall.”