ELMA — A coach’s ideal situation entering the postseason is to have his or her team peaking at the right time. Count Elma’s Lisa Johnson among those after her team’s Friday night performance against King’s Way Christian.

With nothing resembling a five-point win on the road in December, the Eagles took flight with offensive rebounds, tight defense and potent scoring to run the Knights out of the gym, 81-26, in the opening round of the District IV 1A girls basketball tournament.

On Tuesday, Elma (12-8) will hit the road to Vancouver to take on Trico League champion La Center in the district semifinals. A win on Tuesday will secure a regional berth and a spot in next Saturday’s district title game at Kelso.

“I wouldn’t even compare us as a team that we were in December when we faced them to right now,” Johnson said. “We are really firing on all cylinders. As you can see, great defense, great ball movement, hitting shots, making plays. They came out with the energy we expected from them and it has been that way over the last two weeks. We’re hitting our stride when we need to be. This was awesome tonight.”

The first time these two teams faced was in December, with Elma winning in Vancouver, 52-47. The Eagles scored 52 points by the midway point of the third quarter this time around.

Elma never trailed on Friday. Taking the initiative by pushing the pace on every possession, the Eagles were started by senior Peyton Elliott — scoring seven of Elma’s first nine points on drives to the basket and perimeter shooting — en route to a game-high 30 points.

Forced turnovers also established the pace, with Elma forcing nine turnovers in the first quarter alone, and possessions were extended with offensive rebounds. The Eagles pulled in 12 offensive boards, three of them were put back immediately, to keep the Knights on the defensive. Also, Elma finished with just eight turnovers, a season low.

It was the start of Elma’s best game of the year, taking a 20-7 lead after one quarter and extending it into a 42-15 halftime margin. The Eagles added more perimeter shooting — 3-pointers from Elliott, Kayli Johnson, Kali Rambo and Alle Bol — to extend the lead. Elma finished with 10 treys, five of them from Elliott, who played in her final home game along with fellow seniors McKenzie Neary and Tawni Heller.

“This is the best we’ve played all season,” Johnson added. “Everyone did their part tonight. There was no letup, regardless of what the rotation was. Everyone played well and it doesn’t get any better than to play in front of your hometown crowd. It was awesome and fun.”

The second half was more of the same — more Elma pressure and pace, more King’s Way frustration. The Eagles substituted liberally in the second half, especially in the fourth quarter when they hit the 40-point mercy rule running clock with 6:11 remaining in the contest at 64-24.

Molly Johnston knocked down 17 points and pulled in 15 rebounds, with Quin Mikel and Brooke Sutherby each adding 11 rebounds for Elma. MacKenzie Ellertson led KWC with 12 points.

KWC 7 8 7 4 — 26 Elma 20 22 17 22 — 81

King’s Way Christian (26) — Brown 3, Hutchin 1, Moats 8, Bertrand, Kolb, Conway, Nichols, Ellertson 12, Feldman, Stokes 2. FG — 9-53. FT — 4-7.

Elma (81) — Sackrider 2, Elliott 30, Sutherby 5, Olson, Neary, Johnson 6, Mikel 8, Heller 2, Johnston 17, Rambo 5, Bieker, Bol 3, Burgher 3. FG — 30-72. FT — 11-15.