With the Neah Bay girls basketball team’s offense struggling, the Red Devils found themselves quickly down in a 9-1 hole against Waterville-Mansfield in their 1B state regionals game Saturday.

No. 1-ranked Neah Bay needed to win to avoid the dreaded loser-out bracket at the state tournament, and to get a first-round bye in Spokane.

Ryana Moss came to the Red Devils’ rescue. She scored 22 points, nine of them in the second quarter, as the Red Devils came roaring back to beat the Shockers 44-36. Moss also added 10 rebounds. Simply put, the Red Devils could not have won that game without her contribution. It was probably the toughest challenge 20-1 Neah Bay had faced all year and the Red Devils showed they can come from behind if they have to.

Moss and her teammates, who made it to the 1B championship game last year, are hoping to return to the title game again this weekend. They begin play Thursday night at the Spokane Arena.

Athlete of the Week is sponsored by Swain’s General Store in Port Angeles.