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Dismal half sinks Pirates in Class 3A tournament By CLIFF PFENNING CORVALLIS -- Phoenix girls basketball coach Kyle Walker thought his team had a good chance to steal a win from No. 9 The Dalles in the Class 3A state tournament Tuesday. But a four-point second half sent the Pirates straight into the consolation bracket. Phoenix made just one of 20 field-goal attempts in the second half and lost 45-20 in the first round at Gill Coliseum. The Pirates, who didn't score in the third quarter, finished 7-for-41 from the field, had 24 turnovers and had seven shots blocked. Their point total missed the tournament record by just three points. "That's the worst half we've played all season," Walker said after his team's season-low output. "I can't remember the last time we played that badly in one half." Phoenix (14-10 overall) will play Scappoose at 2 p.m. today at Corvallis High. Scappoose lost 59-27 to Philomath in its first-round game. The Dalles (19-5), third in the state last year, plays Philomath (20-5) in the quarterfinals Thursday. The Pirates fell behind 17-4 with 5:53 left in the second quarter but rallied behind their defense and got within 23-16 at halftime. Phoenix forced turnovers on four of six Indians possessions at one point, and senior Tara Curtis scored on a rebound basket and a 3-pointer to send the Pirates into the locker room with plenty of hope for an upset. "That's the tough part of this game," Walker said. "I thought we had weathered the poor start and we were going to come out and play hard and win." But The Dalles blocked three shots in the first two minutes of the third quarter and Phoenix had a run of six turnovers in seven possessions. The Pirates didn't score until senior Jennifer Bones made two free throws with 6:50 left in the fourth quarter. "We just weren't ready to play," said Curtis, who was 3 of 6 from the field but took only one shot in the second half. "They came out more aggressively, and we just weren't awake when we needed to be." Curtis led Phoenix with seven points. For the Indians, Jeannie Thomsen had 10 points and six steals and Meredith King added 14 points and five rebounds. Walker said his team would be more inspired today against Scappoose. "Our goal at the tournament has always been to just keep the season going until Saturday," Walker said. "I think we'll see a better effort in our next game." PHOENIX (20) -- Gonzalez 2, Prisbrey 0, Curtis 7, Nikoym 0, Bones 4, Capp 2, Gallagher 0, Bourdon 0, Clark 0, Ross 2, Jackson 1, Meredith 2. THE DALLES (45) -- Krier 7, Thomsen 10, King 14, Johnson 6, Hodges 4, Haley 0, Watkins 2, Bennett 0, Carter 2, Colbourne-Eagy 0, Fritz 0. Phoenix ..............................................4 12 0 4 -- 20 The Dalles ..........................................13 10 11 11 -- 45 Today's Edition : News | Sports | Business | Weather | Tempo | Classifieds Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 2000, Medford, Oregon USA