Crosspoint girls go 1-3 at state tournament

Published 1:30 am Thursday, March 5, 2026

No. 6-seed Crosspoint Christian went 1-3 at the 1B girls state basketball tournament at Numerica Veterans Arena in Spokane, losing their last game to No. 7 seed Pateros 62-55 March 6.

The Wildcats lost their opening-round game against No. 3 seed Watersville-Mansfield 73-67 Feb. 28 and then won their next game against No. 11 seed Liberty Christian 53-44 March 4 before falling to No. 5 seed Oaksedale 55-36 March 5 in the state quarterfinals.

Quarterfinal loss

In the quarterfinal game, both offenses took some time to get going, but eventually Crosspoint senior Libby Parker converted on a layup, allowing the Wildcats to get out to an early 6-5 lead. The Nighthawks quickly went on a 7-0 run, warranting a Kuske timeout with four minutes remaining in the first quarter.

Oaksdale quickly got out to a ten-point lead, largely due to missed shots on the other end from the Wildcats. The Nighthawks led 20-8 at the end of one.

Crosspoint sophomore Maggie Fraser scored the first two points for the Wildcats in the second quarter from the free throw line, and fellow sophomore Katy Kuske followed that up with a mid-range jumper. Then, Wildcat junior Stella Crollard converted a fastbreak layup, warranting an Oakesdale timeout.

The Wildcats trailed 31-23 at halftime.

Oaksdale quickly got its lead back up to double digits after converting on its first two offensive possessions of the third quarter. On the other hand, Crosspoint went scoreless for the first three minutes coming out of halftime.

Crosspoint’s shots continued to miss the mark for a majority of the third, with Anna Kuske’s layup serving as the only points scored for the Wildcats with 1:36 remaining in the quarter. The Wildcats trailed 42-27 at the end of three.

Senior Lucy Wasson scored the first points for the Wildcats at the beginning of the fourth quarter on a fastbreak layup. The Crosspoint defense improved in the fourth, forcing more turnovers and generating more offensive opportunities, largely due to a full-court press.

Nonetheless, Oakesdale continued to hit their shots and were able to generate fastbreak points, preventing any sort of Crosspoint comeback.

Wasson led the Wildcats with 13 points in the game.

“Tough night, not how we would’ve scripted it,” Crosspoint coach Jenny Kuske said. “But the effort of this team is endless; they never quit.”

Round of 12 win

Crosspoint Christian had a fourth-quarter surge to come back and beat No. 11-seed Liberty Christian 53-44 March 4 in the round of 12 of the 1B girls state basketball tournament at Numerica Veterans Arena in Spokane.

Wasson led the Wildcats with 24 points, including 12 in the fourth quarter. Crosspoint was without Kuske, its top scorer on the season, for most of the game due to foul trouble.

“Lucy Wasson stepped up huge for us,” Crosspoint coach Jenny Kuske said. “She was everything we needed, exactly when we needed it.”

Liberty Christian came out of the gates with an immediate full-court press, but Kuske was able to navigate the tight defense and put up the Wildcats’ first points of the game via a mid-range jumper. She later hit a three-pointer with 4:21 remaining in the first quarter and then scored a fastbreak layup off a turnover, scoring Crosspoint’s first seven points of the game.

The two squads kept it neck-and-neck entering the second quarter, with neither jumping out to a substantial margin. Liberty Christian eventually took the lead after converting a long three-pointer with 2:25 remaining in the second, giving the Patriots a 19-18 lead. The score was tied 22-22 at halftime.

The Patriots scored the first four points of the second half, getting out to a 26-22 lead after Crosspoint missed their first three field goals of the half. Parker scored the first points for the Wildcats two minutes into the third quarter on a fastbreak layup, and Wasson converted on a mid-range jumper, tying the game back up at 26 apiece.

Nonetheless, Liberty Christian leapt back out to the largest lead of the game at 31-26 after some Crosspoint turnovers and miscues, warranting a timeout with 2:52 remaining in the third.

The Wildcats kept it within one possession until Kuske converted free throws with 5:26 remaining in the fourth quarter, taking the lead back at 37-36. The game was tied at 40-40 with over three minutes to play when Kuske and Wasson combined to score eight consecutive points via free throws and breakaway layups, ultimately sealing the victory for the Wildcats.