GIRLS BASKETBALL: KW blasts Pasco, advances to state semifinal

The game was billed as the early version of the Class 4A girls state basketball championship.

But the only team on the floor Thursday night that appeared poised to win a title was Kentwood. Lindsey Moore scored a game-high 23 points while Jessie Genger and Kylie Huerta poured in 11 apiece as the top-ranked Conquerors ripped No. 2 Pasco, 59-44, in a state quarterfinal game at the Tacoma Dome.

Kentwood (26-1) will play the Federal Way/Issaquah winner at 8:30 p.m. Friday night in the semifinals. Kentwood, making its fourth straight state appearance, last played in the semifinals in 2007, when the Conquerors fell to Lewis & Clark, 60-57, and finished third overall. Kentwood has never played in the state finals.

It was the first loss of the season for Pasco (26-1), a team that often has been compared to Kentwood this year for its up-tempo play and stifling defense. But the Bulldogs couldn’t slow the high-powered Kentwood machine.

The Conquerors held a 13-10 lead early in the first quarter, then shifted into overdrive, going on a 14-2 run and never looking back. Genger capped the run with a 3-pointer, giving the Conks a commanding 27-12 lead.