Knappa girls basketball coach Tracie Brockey is increasingly familiar with Pendleton.

Brockey reached Pendleton in consecutive years during her playing days. Now, as a coach, she’s taking her team for the second straight time to Pendleton for the 2A girls basketball tournament.

The Loggers earned the quarterfinal slot in the tourney with a 46-39 home court victory over Heppner on Friday. They’l play Weston-McEwen Thursday at 8:15 p.m. at Pendleton High School.

Knappa made a Cinderella run last season to place third in the state, so returning to the state tourney always was a goal this season.

A rematch against Heppner — which had defeated the Loggers on Dec. 27 — stood in the way of the state tourney. But the Loggers got 23 points from junior guard Mylie Lempea to defeat Heppner in the rematch on Knappa’s home court.

“A theme for our team the last couple years has been if we have a down game, we hope for another opportunity to play that team,” Brockey said. “I don’t think we played our best ball back in the December game, so there were lots of chances to improve in certain areas. The girls executed the plan and I’m so proud of them.”

Both teams came out shaky and took a while to find their offensive rhythm. The Loggers got out to an 11-6 lead after the first quarter, but Heppner chipped away in the second and went into halftime down by just one point, 15-14.

“I told the girls at halftime, this is what we prepare for,” Brockey said. “In practice we put ourselves in close game situations to replicate that feeling, to get ready for games like this. They’re a strong team and we knew it was going to be a close game, so trying to build that resiliency to stay level-headed and play with composure when it counts.”

Not only did Lempea score half of the Loggers’ points, she led the team in rebounding from her guard spot.

“When we needed rebounds, she came through,” Brockey said. “Those rebounds ended up being huge for us.”

In the December game, the Loggers gave up 26 points to Heppner guard Hallee Hisler. Stopping Hisler was a key part of Knappa’s game plan, and the combination of Taylor Pass and Alondra Pina held her to 19 points in the rematch.

“There’s nowhere better to be on a Friday night than in this gym with a packed house,” Brockey said. “It’s special; these are the memories these girls will carry with them for life and it’s wonderful for the kids, school and community. There’s so much support out here, we’re lucky.”

The state quarterfinal game with Weston-McEwen also is a rematch for Knappa; the Loggers fell to the TigerScots, 44-30, on Dec. 28. The two teams bring similar records to Pendleton; the Loggers are 21-6 overall and the TigerScots are 22-6.

Knappa boys season ends

The Knappa boys team won’t be making the trip to Pendleton for the state tournament.

The Loggers traveled to Stanfield on Saturday for a first-round playoff game, but the sixth-seeded Tigers eliminated the Loggers with a 79-54 victory.

The Loggers end the season with a 20-8 record and a second-place finish in the Northwest League.

Astoria girls win tuneup

After suffering a loss Tuesday that cost them the Cowapa league title, the Astoria girls bounced back with an impressive victory Friday over Marist Catholic.

Behind 22 points from Malory Dundas, the Fishermen took a 20-18 halftime lead into a 48-36 victory over the No. 8 Spartans.

Astoria (14-9) travels to Crook County (15-9) for the first round of the 4A playoffs on Friday. Tipoff time is to be determined.

Philomath beats Seaside

The Seaside girls also played a state playoff tuneup against No. 1 seed Philomath on Saturday.

The Seagulls kept things close through the first 27 minutes. With five minutes left, Seaside trailed 47-38, but the Warriors pulled away for a 60-44 victory. Carly Corder led Seaside with 16 points.

Seaside (13-9) returns to its home court Friday to take on Marist Catholic (14-9) in the first round of the 4A playoffs. The game starts at 6 p.m.