YAKIMA – The third-seeded Prosser girls continued what it started in 2022 – making the semifinals at the Class 2A state semifinal in the Yakima Valley SunDome.

For the fifth tournament in a row, the Mustangs are in the final four after rolling past No. 5 Archbishop Murphy 78-41 in a Thursday afternoon quarterfinal.

“The girls have created the culture of our team and we talk about that a lot,” Prosser coach Jessica Huntongton said. “We talk about how if our culture is stronger than other teams’ culture, then that’s what keeps us together in tough games and tough environments.”

It’ll be a familiar foe in Friday’s semifinal at 5:30 p.m. Seventh-seeded Ellensburg,  57-48 quarterfinal winner against CWAC rival Selah, is up for the Mustangs.

The Bulldogs knocked off Prosser in the 2022 and 2023 semifinals, and had beaten the Mustangs’ 19 straight times before this season.

However, this season Prosser has beaten Ellensburg in all three meetings between the teams.

Much of that has to do with the horsepower the Mustangs boast.

Junior Herbie Wright, the CWAC MVP, and senior all-CWAC first-team Deidra Phillips had their usual strong games, scoring 23 and 16 points, respectively, and doing what was needed.

“Those two are special, and I thought Archbishop early did a good job early trying to take both of them away just being physical with them,” Huntington said. “Great all-around games from those two, and it’s not just about scoring with them.”

Lailah Carter, in essentially her first full game on the SunDome, also proved up to the moment. She scored 18 points, and dished out nine assists against just one turnover.

“She’s a leader for us, and she’s only a sophomore and plays almost every minute,” Huntington said. “She’s really filled that point guard role nicely. She’s taking the reins and being our quarterback.”

Prosser (23-3) shot just 37% percent in the first half in opening a 16-point lead at the break.

The Mustangs poured it on in the second half, connecting on 56% of their attempts, and finished a solid 47%, and never trailed in the contest.

Defensively, they limited Wildcats senior Brooke Blachly to just eight points on 3-of-18 shooting. The Santa Clara-bound standout was averaging 30 points per game this season.

A win Friday would send Prosser to its first championship since assistant coach Tamara Jone led the 2011 squad to the 2A title under coach Mark Little.

The Mustangs also won the 1989 state championship led by future Olympic heptathlete Kelly Blair.