Joe Kline / The Bulletin The Lava Bears celebrate after defeating North Eugene in a first-round Class 5A state playoff game Friday at Bend High School.

Todd Ervin had to sigh afterward. Whether it was one of relief or surprise was unclear.

The Bend High coach’s reaction was justified, especially after his Lava Bears girls basketball team racked up 30 points in the fourth quarter to run away with a 66-44 win over North Eugene in the first round of the Class 5A state playoffs Friday night.

“The kids really pride themselves on playing hard,” said Ervin, whose team will take on top-seeded Silverton in the quarterfinals Wednesday. “And I think they just decided that we were in better shape and we didn’t have anything to lose, so let’s just push it out. We were either going to fall over and collapse, or we were going to have a great quarter. Luckily, it was the latter.”

Was it ever.

After taking a 36-31 lead into the fourth quarter, the eighth-seeded Lava Bears nearly doubled down, outscoring the visiting No. 9 Highlanders 30-13 in the final eight minutes and advancing to the state tournament at Gill Coliseum in Corvallis — the program’s fifth tourney appearance in seven years. Bend High will face top-ranked Silverton, which defeated No. 16 Wilsonville 53-36 on Friday.

The emotions of this victory were clear. The Lava Bears (16-7) led by eight points in the first quarter after a 12-0 run. But North Eugene (20-6) climbed back to take a 21-20 halftime lead. The two teams went back and forth in the third quarter with Bend clinging to a five-point lead heading into the fourth.

Following the blare of the final buzzer, Bend players sprinted toward each other and embraced. This win, the Lava Bears’ 11th straight, was obviously the most significant one yet.

“Huge,” Ervin said of the victory. “I’ve got three seniors on this team. As far as they’ve come this year and how they’ve believed in themselves, it’s hard to really explain. It’s just been terrific.”

One of those seniors was Allison Parker, who drilled a dagger of a jumper from the left baseline with 11⁄2 minutes to play, drawing a foul and hitting the ensuing free throw to provide Bend with a commanding 60-44 lead.

“I guess I was feeling it,” said a smiling Parker, who finished with a game-high 22 points. “I don’t know. … It (the shot) is there, so why not? We’re hitting them. Let’s just keep going. Let’s just keep rolling and not stop the flow of things.”

North Eugene’s two-headed attack of Brea Seeley (18 points, seven rebounds) and Sierra Carrier (14 points, six rebounds, two blocks) gave Bend fits. But the Lava Bears — highlighted by Sophia Jackson’s 19 points, six boards and two blocks — withstood each Highlanders surge to move on to the quarterfinals.

Bend has reached the semifinals just once in program history. And although they will have their hands full with Silverton, the Bears were not looking too far ahead. There was still this victory to relish.

“We’re a family,” Parker said. “Those are my sisters. We play for each other every week. It’s not individual; it’s together. We do things as a family.”

— Reporter: 541-383-0307, 
glucas@bendbulletin.com.