WALLA WALLA, Wash.  A celebration expressing gratitude for a trio of seniors whose well-rounded excellence honors their school, whose class honors the women's basketball program and whose effort and character honor their teammates?

Check.

A spiritual exfoliation scrubbing the residue from recent disappointments as the season's calendar flips inexorably from "regular" to "playoffs"?

Check.

A dazzling glimpse into the future of the program, whence confirmation that it is in profoundly capable hands?

Check.

Whitman seniors Emily Rommel, Sierra McGarity and Casey Poe took well-deserved bows prior to the Blues' regular-season finale against Linfield at the Sherwood Athletic Center on Saturday, then distilled over the ensuing 40 minutes of gametime their singular and exceptional legacies. The senior triumvirate combined with first-year Taylor Chambers to deliver an 82-71 victory and beckon the postseason.

"We got our mojo back," said Chambers, who doubled her previous career-high in scoring with 24 points.

"We've got some adjustments to make," Whitman head coach Michelle Ferenz said. "But I'm ready. Let's play tomorrow."

How about Thursday? That's when the ninth-ranked Blues (22-3, 14-2 in conference) open the NWC conference tournament, at home, against Willamette. The semifinal will serve as a rubber match after Whitman and the Bearcats split their regular-season series, with Willamette stunning the Blues at the Sherwood Center on Friday.

Whitman scored a season-low 55 points in the loss, and some of that offensive malaise lingered in the first half on Saturday. By the end of a 31-point third quarter, it was gone.

Chambers and Rommel had seven points in the quarter, which turned a halftime deficit into a 59-52 lead as the fourth quarter loomed.

Poe kept that flow going to open the final period, converting a three-point play, blocking a shot, then assisting consecutive baskets by Makana Stone to cap a 17-2 run that bridged the third and fourth and made it 66-52, Whitman.

Rommel had 15 points and six rebounds, McGarity 11 points on 3-for-5 3-point shooting with two steals, and Poe nine points, four rebounds, three assists and two steals.

"We were coming off of two tough losses, and it was important to get this back on track for our seniors," said Chambers, who also had four assists and no turnovers in the game, and nine points in the fourth quarter. "Our seniors have done so much. I've learned to be a leader from them. And I've learned so much about the (point guard) position) from Casey."

Whitman led for only 13 seconds in the first quarter and just 24 brief seconds in the second, a frustrating first half belied by its mere five-point deficit at the break.

The Blues played the last 15 minutes of the first half without Poe, whose second personal foul at the 5:06-mark of the first quarter left ball-handling duties and catalytic functions to others. Poe's relief helped Whitman survive 34.6 percent field-goal shooting; Chambers scored a team-high eight points and dished two assists.

A 3-pointer by McGarity with 2:36 left in the first quarter was not only the first basket of the game generated by Whitman's halfcourt offense, it enlivened the gym and got the Blues in a semblance of rhythm. McGarity's jumper started a 6-0 run that gave Whitman its first lead of the game, 12-11, on Rommel's free throw with 1:33 to go in the period.

Burdett's driving bank shot late in the second quarter gave the Blues their last lead of the half, 27-26. But the Wildcats ended the half on a 7-1 run culminating in Paige Graham's 3-pointer with three seconds left.

Linfield led 33-28 at halftime.

Whitman shot 57.9 percent from the field in the third quarter and 61.5 percent in the fourth. In the decisive third quarter, it had eight assists and limited the Bearcats (9-16, 5-10) to just 35.7 percent shooting from the floor.

"Our energy was good from the get-go, and our execution was better in the second half," Ferenz said. "Linfield is a veteran team with an impressive front line. People don't understand how good our conference is.

"It's been a rough week," she added. "We came into the weekend off of a Fox game which we felt like got taken away from us a little bit."