12:22 PM: The West Seattle HS girls took third place in districts with a 57-54 win over Lake Washington this morning. Full details to come!

(WSB photos by Patrick Sand)

ADDED 3:42 PM: Neither team pulled away at any point during this game, but the Wildcats found their surest footing when it counted most, in the late going.

And #32, junior Meghan Fiso (above), was back on the scoreboard, with 13 points, after a scoreless Saturday game. She began with a three-pointer a little over two minutes into the game, halving what by that point was a 6-0 Lake Washington lead. The Wildcats’ next three points were also all hers. Next to score for West Seattle was #21, sophomore Julianna Horne:

She had a total of six points in the game. As the second quarter began, the Wildcats were down 14-10, but a few minutes in, they went on a run, and with #20, senior Grace Sarver, getting her 13-point day going, West Seattle took the lead, 19-18, with about five minutes left in the half.

The Kangaroos regained the lead until a three-pointer by West Seattle #4, senior Kelsey Lenzie, tied it up at 22-22.

Lake Washington answered with a three of their own shortly after that, erased by a WSHS basket and foul shot, and then West Seattle went three points up on a distance shot by #34, senior Anissa Babitu:

The half ended with the Wildcats up 31-27. In the early going of the second half, they led by as much as 6, until the Kangaroos stepped things up and regained the lead, amid a wave of cold shooting by West Seattle. With three minutes left in the third quarter, Lake Washington was up 44-43. Head coach Darnell Taylor gave a few of the starters a bit of down time in the ensuing minutes – we noticed #5, junior Ashley Young, and #1, freshman Ciera Jorge, in the mix – until about two minutes into the fourth quarter. Lake Washington was up by five when West Seattle’s #21, senior Jayla Wilson, got the first of her two key late-in-the-game baskets.

A subsequent Kangaroo three-pointer raised the stress level, but #11, senior Jasmine Gayles, won a fight for control by netting a basket at just under five minutes to go.

Unrattled, Lake Washington threw in a three. Suddenly the Wildcats were down by seven. But they refused to let the Kangaroos run away with the momentum. A Wilson basket, Sarver foul shot, Gayles basket followed in the ensuing minute and a half, and they were down by just two. A Fiso basket and foul shot put them ahead at 2:49 to go in the game. Lake Washington failed to score again; WSHS’s Sarver added a basket for insurance. 3 points, however, is by no means insurmountable, and the gym fell into a hush during the time-out called with :43 to go. The Kangaroos still couldn’t get anything going after that, and 57-54 was the final score.

WHAT’S NEXT: The regional/state tournament starts Friday; we’ll update here when we find out who, where, and when WSHS plays.