SEATTLE - Resounding whoops and hollers reverberating through the locker room at Hec Edmundson Pavilion late Friday night trumpeted the tale of triumph for a local girls basketball team.

Mere minutes earlier, the No. 3 John F. Kennedy Lancers had fought through a furious semifinal game to outlast Hanford 54-49 and earn a third try at the only team to take their measure this season, No.1 Auburn-Riverside, in the championship game of the 2008 basketball tournament on Saturday after press time.

The Seamount League champion Lancers of Burien (24-2) fell to the Ravens in at both the SPSL/Seamount sub-district and West Central /Southwestl bi-district tournaments, but gave Riverside its toughest battle in a 66-56 loss at WCD/SW.

"If we play like this (Saturday), I'm telling you, as a team we will go out smiling and happy," explained Yasmine Fuller, who scored 19 points and earned four steals. "I can't wait to play them again."

After rallying from a 9-5 deficit to take a15-13 first quarter lead, Kennedy moved the ball quickly and displayed a well-oiled running attack against Hanford's shifting 2-1-2 and 1-3-1 zones to roll to a 23-13 second quarter margin before settling for a 32-24 halftime lead.

"We had to run more motion," stated Lancer coach Tom Mummert. "We were stalemated for awhile. Attacking the basket and staying active on the ball helped us."

Daidra Brown had 11 first half points as part of the JFK surge.

Hanford gradually gained power, especially on defense, and held a 47-44 lead on a Stacey Stanhope jump shot with 4:06 left in the fourth quarter as the Lancers missed one shot after another.

Fuller's two free throw shots shaved the Falcon lead to 47-46 where it remained until the one-minute mark. Kennedy then misfired on three consecutive inside shots while controlling the offensive boards.

While falling out of bounds in the process of grabbing an offensive rebound, Aminah Williams fired a pass to Fuller who scored a layup to send Lancers ahead for good at 48-47. Hanford turned the ball back to the Lancers on an inbounds violation in back court and JFK ran an inbounds pass to pperfection under the basket resulting in a quick bucket from Fuller off a feed from Jasmine Lemon.

"I didn't know I was going to get a layin," admitted Fuller. "I was going to dish it out and I just decided I was going to shoot it. Then, I did it and just put it to God and made the shot. We go to the hole and everybody takes a risk. We're with each other."

Brittany Quick responded for the Falcons with a post move to draw Hanford within 50-49 with 37.6 seconds left to play, but Lemon dribbled down clock time and converted a running bank shot from inside the key with12.7 seconds left to enlarge the advantage to three at 52-49.

Fuller stole the ball for the fourth time in the game and was fouled. Although Fuller missed the front end of a one and one, the scramble for the rebound let Lemon tie up the rebound and the Lancers kept possession with 4.3 seconds remaining. On the inbounds, Fuller was fouled intentionally and sank one out of two. At the end,Fuller would make final free throw to finish with 10 clutch points in the quarter.

"The main thing was our focus word 'intensity'," stated Lemon. "We knocked on it and it was hard. We have to play our best and our goal is to go out and be happy."

Brown finished with 13 ponts for Kennedy while Lemon pitched in nine. Williams chipped in six points and nine rbounds.

Quick scored 14 points and hauled in 15 rebounds, while Stanhope added 10 for Hanford.

Mummert praised his team's effort and accomplishment while also looking ahead to Auburn-Riverside.

"It's all these girls," concluded first-year head coach Mummert. "They played with such passion and so much heart. We're getting a little closer (to Auburn-Riverside each time. Maybe it's time we can get over the hump."

Kennedy 73, Kamiakin 51

SEATTLE - It took awhile to shift from low gear to high gear for the John F. Kennedy Catholic High School girls basketball team on Thursday at the Bank of America Arena in Hec Edmundson Pavilion on the University of Washington campus.

Once the shots started dropping in, the green flag was waved and the Lancers roared away and became nearly unstoppable in a 73-51 Class 3A state championship quarterfinal victory against District 5 Kamiakin of Kennewick.

"With the fouls being called, we had to play with a little cushion and still be aggressive," explained Kennedy coach Tom Mummert.

Trailing, 12-3, in the first quarter with Yasmine Fuller's layup accounting for the lone Lancer field goal, Kennedy made its transition game and debilitating defense go to work with 2:05 remaining.

Andrea Goins carried the Lancers with nine consecutive points to tie the score at 12-12 before the teams fought to a 14-14 first quarter standoff.

As the teams fought on, the squads exchanged scoring runs until the score was tied at 26-26 late in the second quarter.

Goins had already been forced to the bench with four fouls by the 2:04 mark.

Fuller's athletic rebound basket sent JFK into a 28-26 lead that it would never relinquish as the Lancers led 32-29 at the half.

With Kennedy clinging to a 34-33 lead, Jasmine Lemon unloaded a high arching field goal from outside to unleash the Lancer express for 14 consecutive points and a 48-33 command.

"Our bench made the difference," said Goins, who sat out the entire second half, but still managed 11 points and seven rebounds. "It shows what the people who sit on our bench can do."

As the defense continued tormenting Kamiakin, the greyhound racers for Kennedy smoothly transitioned and filled the lanes for breakaway layups or for good half court sets.

The Lancer lead cascaded as high as 28 points before the final buzzer.

"The biggest surprise was our bench," said Mummert. "Jamie Yellam came off the bench and just exploded. That was great to see. We also got our eyes back at the free throw line."

Reserve Yellam scored 13 points in 11 minutes on the court.

For the game, the Lancers shot 20-for-26 from the free throw line after just 6-for-15 shooting from the charity stripe in the opening night win.

Fuller led the Lancer way with 15 points.

Kennedy last journeyed to the semifinals in 1996, when the Lancers lost to Bishop Blanchet in the title game. In Mummert's first year as an assistant coach, Kennedy made its only other semifinal appearance in 1990.

On Wednesday, Kennedy got its up tempo game in groove at the right time to transition away from Lakeside 46-32. Daidra Brown's 14 first half points pushed Kennedy to a 22-13 lead. The Lancer margin was at 11 before the Lions used a switching combination man-to-man and zone defenses to interrupt the Kennedy rhythm enough to close the gap to 26-23 early in the first quarter.

Fuller and Allie Madison then combined to accelerate the Lancers away to a nine point lead midway through the final quarter.

Brown led all scoring with 18 points.