WALLA WALLA, Wash. – The Linfield women's basketball team's 2022-23 season came to an end Saturday night in a 56-41 loss to Whitman at the Sherwood Center.
Whitman took an early 21-12 lead in the opening quarter, but Linfield outscored the Blues, 18-13, in the second quarter to go into the locker room down by just four points. The Wildcats had their chances down the stretch and limited the damage by the home team, but they were only able to come away with 11 second-half points.
The Blues (19-5, 14-2 NWC) claimed their fourth straight Northwest Conference regular-season championship with the win, sharing the title with Puget Sound. Like their male counterparts, they earned the top seed and hosting privileges in next week's NWC Tournament.
Linfield shot 66.7 percent from the field in the hot-shooting second quarter. The Wildcats connected on 6 of 9 from three-point range in the opening half.
Ella Koebelin scored nine points and grabbed a team-high six rebounds in 28 minutes. She also dished out two assists and had a steal. The freshman scored all her points on three-pointers, making 3 of 4 from beyond the arc. Fellow freshman
Eve Burke went 3 for 6 from the field to add seven points and five rebounds while sophomore
Elyse Waldal also scored seven points in just 12 minutes off the bench.
Elena McHargue nearly registered a double-double with 26 points, eight rebounds, three assists, a block and two steals. She made 11 of 29 from the field. Korin Baker also scored in double figures, putting up 12 points to go with six rebounds and four blocks.
Linfield ended the season at 10-15 overall and 6-10 in NWC play. Picked last in the preseason poll, the 'Cats proved people wrong this season and were right in the mix going into the final two weeks of league play. After winning just one game a year ago,
Casey Bunn-Wilson and company turned it around this season and have a lot to look forward to next winter.