Lady T-Birds basketball went 1-1 with a 47-38 victory over Tacoma and a heartbreaking 47-44 defeat from conference giant Lower Columbia.

Against Tacoma, a steady shooting performance topped with timely three-pointers gave Highline the edge over the Titans, 47-38.

From the tipoff, the Lady T-Birds opened with a layup and strung together an early lead of 8-5 by the end of the first quarter.

In the second, Highline bumped up the intensity with a tag team performance from Savannah Arneach and Aulani Benitez, who sank six points each. Highline was up 18-16 with 1:28 left until halftime. The lead continued to shift up until a six-point conversion play from Alexis Willis and Arneach cemented the T-Bird lead for good.

The Lady T-Birds were up 24-18 at the halftime break.

In the third, the Lady Titans tightened up their efforts by matching Highline with 11-11 scoring for the quarter. 

A strong lead in the first half kept Highline soaring ahead with 35-29 at the end of the third quarter. Both teams shot below average with 33 percent from the field.

In the fourth, an early bucket from Tacoma brought them within four, 35-31, the closest Highline would permit. An all-around effort punctuated by a three-pointer from Benitez gave the Lady T-Birds their largest lead of 11 points with 0:34 left. That, matched against missed shots and sparse defense from Tacoma, sealed the Highline win, 47-38.

Super sophomore Savannah Arneach led the way for Highline with 11 points and eight rebounds. Freshman Aulani Benitez controlled the perimeter with 10 points on 2-4 behind the arc.

The win snapped Highline’s three-game losing streak and bumped them up to No. 5 ranking in the NWAC West.

Last Saturday, Highline hosted undefeated Lower Columbia and fell just short in an end game thriller, 47-44.

Highline held the Lady Devils to a shooting percentage of 35.8, compared to their average 44.1 percent, in the low scoring match.

In the first quarter, Highline scored first putting them ahead 3-0. It wasn’t until 5:49 left that the Devils sank their first bucket of the match. Highline held the Devils to a 26 percent from the field to lead 11-9 at the close of the first.

In the second, the Lady Devils gained on Highline up until a three-pointer from Lexi Roberts leveled the match 19-19 with 1:28 left. Highline’s Savannah Arneach responded with a layup and a shot block to put Highline up 21-19 at the halftime buzzer.

In the third, Highline flew steadily ahead of the Devils with a score of 30-25 after two consecutive layups from Arneach. Lower Columbia stayed relatively close despite Highline’s biggest lead of six with 2:37 left. The score was 34-30 at the end of the third quarter.

In the fourth, Lower Columbia got on an 8-4 scoring run to level the game a second time, 38-38 with 6:01 left. Back-to-back turnovers and a slowed Highline defense allowed the Lady Devils an eight point conversion play to steal the lead, 46-41. This forced a full timeout from Highline. 

The Lady T-Birds turned right around with a three-pointer from Mahine Bergeson and a subsequent uproar from the Highline crowd. A defensive block from Arneach kept the Devils at a tails-length, 46-44 with 0:17 left. Bergeson tried for another three but it didn’t fall and a Highline foul allowed opponents one more, 47-44. Highline called a timeout with 0:05 in hopes to make an eleventh hour tie to force overtime. But the Devils crowded Highline as they tried for a three-pointer and it fell short.

Lower Columbia closed out the game 47-44, their fifth straight conference win.

The Lady T-Birds are 1-4 in conference play and will have played every team in the division after this week. 

On Wednesday, Highline hit the road to play Grays Harbor, also 1-4, to conclude round one. The winner of the match will move up to a fifth place ranking in the West. Results were unavailable at press time.

Then, Highline will play all six teams once more. Every team will play for a shot as one of the four championship tournament contenders from the West.

The following week, Highline will travel to No. 4 Pierce on Wednesday, Feb. 8. The game will begin at 5:30 p.m.