State 2B girls: Hayden Kaut hits 3-pointer to lift Napavine over Okanogan in championship

It was a play the Napavine girls basketball team had put into its playbook midway in the season.

It paid dividends Saturday.

Sophomore Hayden Kaut’s 3-pointer with 16.5 seconds left lifted Napavine to a 41-40 win over the Okanogan Bulldogs in the State 2B championship game at the Arena.

As soon as Kaut took the pass, she fired away.

“That was a play we started practicing halfway through the year. In the timeout, he (coach Shane Schutz) told us we were going to get a stop and we were going to run that play.”

Napavine (23-3) watched a 35-26 lead early in the fourth quarter evaporate as Okanogan (22-5) staged a furious comeback.

A basket by Camryn Ashworth, who somehow managed to wiggle out of a trap deep in the key to get off the shot, gave Okanogan the lead at 37-36 with 2:06 remaining.

Moments later, Addison Brown made a 3-pointer, extending Okanogan’s lead to 40-36 with 1:28 to go.

A running bank shot by Kaut preceded her winner at the 1:05 mark. She scored five of her seven points late in the game.

A shot clock violation by Okanogan gave the Tigers possession with 30.5 seconds remaining.

A 3-point attempt by the Bulldogs fell short at the buzzer.

It was a heartbreaking finish for a second straight year for Okanogan. The Bulldogs fell to Colfax in the state title game last year.

“This is insane,” Kaut said of winning the title. “We knew that we could win, but it’s unbelievable that we are state champions.”

Dakota Hamilton led Napavine with 15 points and seven rebounds, and Keira O’Neill had 10 points and nine rebounds.

Jacy Boesel led Okanogan with 14 points and 10 rebounds.