LYNNWOOD - For its first two games of the Class 1B Tri-District Tournament, the Lummi girls' basketball team was able to handle the postseason pressure pretty well.

But that may have been because Neah Bay wasn't the one applying the pressure. The Blackhawks certainly had not seen anything like the press the Red Devils threw at them on Saturday, Feb. 18, in the tournament championship game.

"That was something to watch," Lummi coach Kevin Day said. "They're a very athletic team, and they did some amazing things with their press. I wouldn't be surprised to see them playing for the (state) championship in a few weeks."

Neah Bay's defense forced 15 turnovers, including nine via the steal, during a first-quarter shutout to propel the Red Devils to a 60-21 victory and the tri-district title.

"Our ball handling and turnovers are going to need a lot of work," Day said. "What did we have, 20 turnovers in the first half? That's one more than we had in the entire game (Friday, Feb. 17) against Lopez."

The Blackhawks (10-7) will settle for the tri-district's No. 2 seed and will still get to play the regional round of the Class 1B State Tournament close to home at Mountlake Terrace High School. They'll face the District 7 No. 3 seed - the winner of Saturday's Cusick-Wellpinit game -- at 4 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 25.

That gives Lummi a week to work on improving its ball handling.

"That's the first thing we're going to work on Monday in practice, and I'm sure we'll work on it every day up until Saturday," Day said.

The Blackhawks received 15 first-quarter reasons to make that a priority on Saturday, as they repeatedly turned the ball over. Most of the steals came off the dribble, as the Red Devils used their athleticism and long arms to poke the ball away from Lummi ball handlers.

And when Neah Bay didn't get the ball, it seemed to frustrate the Blackhawks and force them to make rushed decisions.

With so many turnovers, Lummi was able to attempt only six first-quarter shots.

By the time the dust had settled after the first eight minutes of play, the Blackhawks found themselves in a 21-0 hole.

The Red Devils, who mercifully called off the press after the first quarter, pushed the lead to 25, before Keisha Birdhat made one of two free throws to get Lummi on the board with 5:13 left in the second quarter.

That ignited a mini run for the Blackhawks, who got their first field goal of the afternoon from Amanda Humphreys on their next possession. Two trips later, Humphreys hit a 3 to cut Lummi's deficit to 21 again, but that was as close as they would get the rest of the game.

"We talked at halftime about not giving up and just having some fun out there," Day said. "This is basketball, and if you can't have fun, what are you doing out there?"

The Blackhawks had their fair share of fun picking the pocket of Neah Bay in the second half, as Humphreys, Tanesha Lane and Treena Humphreys all finished with four steals, and Dawn James had three thefts.

Lummi also cut down on the turnovers, committing only 14 in the final three quarters and finished with only three more (29) than Neah Bay had.

Amanda Humphreys was the only Blackhawk to reach double figures with 12 points, but Birdhat led the team with six rebounds.

Cherish Moss, who hit five 3-pointers, led Neah Bay with 21 points, including 11 in the first quarter. Cierra Moss (15 points) and Rebecca Thompson (12) joined her in double figures for the Red Wolves.

Reach David Rasbach at david.rasbach@bellinghamherald.com or 360-715-2271.

NEAH BAY 60, LUMMI 21

Lummi 0 7 9 5 - 21

Neah Bay 21 11 17 11 - 60

Lummi: Bella James 0, Amanda Humphreys 12, Dawn James 1, Tanesha Lane 0, Keisha Birdhat 3, Reyna Jones 3, Kayla Dennis 1, Shirley Johnson 0, Treena Humphreys 1, Sabrina Rabang 0, Tia Deardorff 0. Team totals: 7-50 5-11 21.

Neah Bay: Hailey Greene 0, Keri Hahn 0, Rebecca Thompson 12, Kaela Tyler 8, Merissa Murner 0, Courtney Winck 0, Cherish Moss 21, Cierra Moss 15, Faye Chatraw 4, Blair Hill 0. Team totals: 22-62 4-8 60.

3-ptg: Lummi 2 (A. Humphreys, Jones), Neah Bay 12 (Ch. Moss 5). Rebounds: Lummi 36 (Birdhat 6), Neah Bay 50 (Tyler 7). Assists: Lummi 2 (A. Humphreys 2), Neah Bay 14 (Thompson 5). Fouls: Lummi 10, Neah Bay 13. Turnovers: Lummi 29, Neah Bay 26.