The Whatcom Community College women's basketball team simply couldn't find a way to score on Saturday, Dec. 29, during the semifinals of the 2012 Lady Devil Holiday Tournament in Longview. It didn't matter if it was from long range, short range or even at the free throw line, and the Orcas suffered a 55-43 loss to Centralia.

"We couldn't score tonight, and we're not used to that," WCC coach Sara Bergner said in a phone interview. "Any time you hold a team to 55 points defensively, that should be enough to win, but we couldn't do it."

Whatcom shot 17 of 56 (30.4 percent) from the field overall, including 5 of 18 (27.8 percent). Even the freebies weren't falling, as the Orcas hit only 4 of 14 (28.6 percent) free throws. Bergner said her team also struggled with Centralia's pressure defense.

Bree Park, who hit four 3-pointers, led WCC with 12 points, while Erika Locker had 9 and Amanda Tapia scored eight.

The loss drops WCC into a 1 p.m. third-place game on Sunday, Dec. 30, against the loser of the Big Bend-North Idaho semifinal, which was being played late Saturday.

CENTRALIA 55, WCC 43

Whatcom CC: Amanda Tapia 8, Jaydee Schmidt 0, Nathalie Gruber 0, Erika Locker 9, Cambie Edwards 6, Margaret Redelinghuis 4, Leah Korthuis 4, Bree Park 12. Team totals: 17-56 4-14 43.

Centralia: Shanae Sauls 13, Karina Gee 2, Italia Mengarelli 0, Leah Davis 7, Kyahri Adams 10, Kristen Schoenherr 13, Sabra Sproul 6, Ali Brossard 0, Jessica Gahan 4. Team totals: 20-58 11-19 55.

Halftime score: Centralia 29, WCC 20. 3-ptg: WCC 5-18 (Park 3), Centralia 4-19 (Adams 2). Rebounds: WCC 47 (Edwards 9), Centralia 40 (Schoenherr 16). Assists: WCC 10 (Korthuis 3), Centralia 8 (Sauls 2). Fouls: WCC 16, Centralia 16. Turnovers: WCC 18, Centralia 7.