HS Girls Basketball: Ridgefield Knocks off Black Hills in Thriller, One Win Away from Going to State

2/18/26

Ridgefield 49, Black Hills 46

In a loser-out game with high stakes on the line, Ridgefield and Black Hills High School went down to the wire in a showing that was back and forth all night, with no one knowing what would be the outcome. Black Hills came into the game off a loss to Mark Morris 55-41, sending them into the double elimination bracket. Ridgefield lost their opening game of the tournament to WF West and then went on to beat Tumwater 46-40 to get to this game. Both teams knew the consequences and put it all on the line with their season hanging in the balance.

First Half

Both teams took a while to get going in the opening minutes as they were figuring each other out. Allie Doman would get things started for the Spudders with the first four points of the game, as Ridgefield started to get things going. Ridgefield would get up to a 9-3 lead, but foul trouble led to free throws for the Wolves dig into the lead. Josie Hicks would then hit a mid-range jump shot, to which Tyler Venable responded with a fast break layup. The Spudders, however, would continue to stack plays as Save Chanda would get a put-back layup for the and-one. Madison Ingham started to heat up with two back-to-back steals and layups for Ridgefield to make it a ten-point game.

After some free throws from Black Hills, Ingham would respond with a three and give the Spudders an 11-point lead. The Wolves would continue to rack up points from the free-throw line the scoring slowly settled for Ridgefield. Ellie Johnson for Black Hills would then hit a layup with under a minute left to bring the Spudder lead to just siz but with some momentum on the side of the Wolves going into halftime.

Second Half

In the second half, Black Hills came out hot with Johnson getting a layup in the first couple of seconds, which was followed by more free throws from Tyler Venable to tie the game. Both teams had gotten into a groove in the third quarter and made adjustments during halftime. The teams exchanged shots back and forth, which kept the game tight. Nat Buchanan would then get fouled and make two free throws to help Black Hills take their first lead of the game. Buchanan followed that by getting her own rebound and a put-back layup on the next possession. As time ticked off in the third quarter, Tyler Venable would find Taylor Morrison on the fast break to give the Wolves a five-point lead going into the fourth quarter.

Madison Ingham and Sava Chanda would open up the fourth quarter by each hitting a three-pointer to bring the game within one point. This would then be followed up by a tough shot from Allie Doman, which gave the Spudders back the advantage. Madison Ingham would continue the clutch scoring run by hitting a mid-range jumper that brought the lead to five for Ridgefield. Tyler Venable responded with a big three out of a timeout, however, and kept the Wolves pushing. As both teams cooled off from scoring, time began to favor the Spudders, who maintained a two-point lead until Tyler Venable got a steal and layup to tie the game.

A costly charging foul by Nat Buchanan on a fast break would give Ridgefield the ball back, who would respond with a post score from Allie Doman to take back the lead. Then, after a missed three from Madison Ingham, Sava Chanda would get the offensive rebound and the put-back score to make it a four-point game with under a minute remaining. Ellie Johnson would be fouled and shot two free throws, which she made to bring it back to two. The Wolves had to foul and put Ridgefield into the bonus. Both teams would foul and exchange free throws, but the Spudders made the ones that needed to be made. Black Hills tried a half-court shot with five seconds left that was no good, and Ridgefield took home the win.

MVP and Stats

The Thorbecks’ MVP of the game belongs to Madison Ingham, who had 15 points in the game as well as multiple steals and clutch moments throughout all four quarters. She played a massive role in the win of the Spudders and was the second leading scorer on her team. Sava Chanda also had an outstanding game and was very clutch as well. She tallied a total of 17 points in the game. Allie Doman finished with 11 points, with Tiana Sanchez and Josie Hicks each having two.

For Black Hills, Tyler Venable finished with 17 points, Ellie Johnson had 13, Nat Buchanan had 6, Haley McMahon had 4, Taylor Morrison had 3, Megan Dolby had 2, and Cassidy O’Reily had 1. A tough-fought battle from the Wolves, who came up just short. Nonetheless, though, a successful season with a good playoff run to remember.

Ridgefield will now go on to face Columbia River on February 21st at Kelso High School at 2:45 pm. The winner of this game will advance to the state tournament.

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