Early Dominance and Efficient Shooting Propel Chemeketa to Seventh Victory

Chemeketa used a fast start and balanced scoring to pull away from Tacoma for an 85–74 win Sunday afternoon (Dec. 21) at the Storm Center.

Chemeketa seized control early, winning the first two quarters 22–14 and 27–17 to take a 49–31 halftime lead. Tacoma answered with its best stretch in the third quarter, outscoring the Storm 25–20 behind strong interior work and second-chance opportunities, trimming the deficit to 13 (69–56) entering the fourth. But Chemeketa held steady late, matching Tacoma's pace in the final period (16–18) and closing out the 11-point victory.

Chemeketa (improved to 7–2) got production throughout the lineup:
- **Ava Rubio** led the way with 17 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 steals.
- **Ella Holwege** was highly efficient, scoring 14 points on 5-of-7 shooting (2-of-3 from three).
- **Mia Fullbright** added 11 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists.
- Bench scoring mattered: Maddy Bell chipped in 11 points (5-of-7) and Cheyenne Fields (Pictured - 13) hit 2 three on the way to 8 points.

Tacoma (0–13) was paced by its frontcourt:
- **Lanasha Lacy** poured in 27 points, knocking down 5 three-pointers (5-of-15) on 10-of-22 shooting.
- **Laney Green** posted a strong all-around line with 16 points and 17 rebounds (7 offensive boards).
- **Ikunaday Filipe** contributed 16 points and 8 rebounds, but also had 6 turnovers in a high-usage role.

- **Shooting: Chemeketa shot 46.3% (31/67) to Tacoma's 38.5% (25/65), a key difference given similar free-throw accuracy (both 16/19, 84.2%).
- **Ball movement/ball security: Chemeketa finished with 19 assists and 15 turnovers, while Tacoma managed 5 assists with 23 turnovers—a possession gap that helped protect Chemeketa's early lead.
- **Rebounding: Tacoma won the glass 44–38 and grabbed 18 offensive rebounds, fueling the third-quarter push, but couldn't fully offset the turnover and shooting disadvantages.

Chemeketa's early 18-point halftime cushion proved too much to overcome, even with Tacoma's rebound edge and third-quarter surge, as the Storm's balanced offense and steadier execution down the stretch secured the 85–74 final.

Photo Credit: The Athlete Studio     Instagram: @TheAthlete_Studio