Peyton Dalton leaps to close out on Hailey Lohman on the perimeter.

CASTLE ROCK — Bella Colombo and Jackie Steenerson were volleyball teammates this year, and they made a volleyball-style play, cooperating to save the ball in-bounds in the early minutes of the District semifinal against Mary M. Knight.

Colombo chased it down and tossed it over her head as she sprinted past the baseline, and Steenerson ran it down on a bounce to keep it in on the sideline, making a blind pass right to Kaylin Shrives in the lane. The play was somewhat typical of the first half: the Comets were a bit disjointed (and in fact didn’t score on the play), but overmatched Knight was slow to react and didn’t put up much resistance.

Naselle won the game 60-18, clinching a berth at Regionals.

Despite some miscues, Naselle had no real trouble taking quick command. At the 5:24 mark, Colombo pushed the lead to 8-0 when, on the break off her own steal, she got off a contested ten-foot one-handed runner while sideways to the basket.

Naselle led 21-7 midway through the second quarter but went on a 29-2 run that lasted until the fourth. Lauren Katyryniuk helped get them playing more smoothly, starting the run with a pick-and-roll assist to Kaylin Shrives and following with a slick bounce pass to Steenerson off a long outlet from Colombo. She then hit a pair of threes while scoring eight points in the third quarter as the Lady Comets outscored Knight 19-0 in the period for a 50-9 lead.

In the other District semifinal, Taholah edged Columbia Adventist 48-46 on a Natayla Russell layup. Naselle (11-8) will play Taholah (14-7) in District finals in Montesano Thursday, Feb. 20 at 8:00 p.m. In one of their best performances of the year, Naselle beat Taholah 54-42 at home in January.

Regardless of Thursday’s outcome, the Lady Comets will advance to the following week’s Regional round, where a victory would put them in the State tournament for the second straight year.