Down by 22 points in the third quarter?

So what!

The Wahkiakum Mules girls basketball team came back in a thrilling fourth quarter to beat White Swan 63-56 in regional play on Friday night at Mark Morris High School.

When junior Macie Elliott landed a half court shot on the run with only a second left to go in the third quarter, the Lady Mules caught fire. They scored 27 points in the fourth quarter, shooting 63 percent, much improved from the first half, where they were averaging one of four.

They also held their opponents to just five points in the final period.

Diana Zimmerman

The bench, including Team Manager Solana Stanley, front, couldn't contain their joy when the Lady Mules tied White Swan at 56-56 with 2:56 to go in the fourth quarter.

"The girls showed a ton of heart and never gave up," Coach Rob Garrett said. "Just kept believing! Multiple girls hit clutch shots, and Ellie Leitz was unstoppable inside in the second half. That was an unreal comeback that stemmed from great defense and big rebounds down the stretch."

Leitz led scoring with 19 points. Paige Mace had 14 points and four assists. Macie Elliott contributed 12 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists. Maddy Mace had eight points and four steals. Jansi Merz scored eight points and pulled down six rebounds. Alex Watkins added two points.

White Swan 16 11 24 5 --56

Lady Mules 6 10 20 27 --63

The win sent the Lady Mules straight into the quarterfinals at the State Class 2B tournament in Spokane this morning (Thursday). They will play the winner of the Napavine/Brewster game on Wednesday.

Check The Wahkiakum Eagle Facebook Sports Report for updates.