The No. 1-ranked Burns girls basketball team advanced to the final eight-team bracket of the OSAA/OnPoint Community Credit Union 3A Girls Basketball State Championship with a 53-31 victory over La Pine on Saturday, Feb. 23, at Burns High School.

Both teams had their offenses working after the opening tip, with Burns getting out to a 9-8 lead. The Lady Hilanders then closed out the quarter on a 14-4 run, including two 3-pointers by McKenzi Hoyt and one by Aundraya Ceja, to lead 23-12.

Ceja sank three more shots from behind the arc and a pair of free throws in the second period to help Burns grab a 36-22 advantage at halftime.

Neither team could do much offensively in the third quarter, and Burns led 41-27 going into the final stanza.

The Lady Hilanders’ Kaiden Raif hit a 3-point shot to open the fourth quarter, and Burns outscored La Pine 12-4 over the final eight minutes for the victory.

Ceja led all scorers with 19 points, including five 3-pointers. Shai Skinner added 11 for Burns, and Hoyt and Raif had seven each.

Burns will play Brookings-Harbor at 1:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 28, at Marshfield High School. The tournament runs through Saturday, March 2.