By Byron Beers/Staff Writer CALUMET — Sophomore forward Mariel Miles could not have had it any easier Thursday night during Calumet’s Area II, District 2 playoff opener against Washita Heights. Miles wasn’t going to be denied in the middle and every time Washita Heights inched closer, she had an answer. First-year head coach Lance Weeks’ bunch leaned on Miles when they needed her the most as Calumet cruised to a 72-57 victory and advanced to Saturday’s title game against Arapaho, which eliminated Canute 36-31 in Thursday’s opener. Miles dropped in a game-high 30 points, but she received plenty of help. Juniors Hannah Weldon and Meghan Renbarger also contributed in double figures and combined for 29 points. Weldon finished with 17 points and Renbarger added 12, and both controlled the perimeter with jump shots or dribble penetration while Miles roamed the paint. The Chieftains could never seem to pull away, although they had leads of 11 and 10 points in the second half. Washita Heights stayed within striking distance thanks to torrid long-range shooting. After Weldon buried a 3-pointer from the top of the key that gave Calumet a 35-24 cushion at the 6:24 mark of the third period, the Chiefs exploded back on treys from Rachael Merchant and Tracey Mahurin. Mahurin, who led Washita Heights with 17 points, knocked down a 3-pointer from the left wing that sliced the Calumet lead to four points. But that’s when Miles reappeared for the Chieftains. She scored Calumet’s next six points, including a free throw with 1:31 left in the third that gave her team an eight-point margin. Miles had been silent for the first four-plus minutes of the second half after scoring 13 in the first half. The Chieftains extended their lead to nine points on a 3-pointer from the left corner by Ashley Haydon and took a 47-39 advantage into the final period following a free throw by Miles. Washita Heights would have a couple more runs left in them during the fourth. Kaci Hagy connected on a 3-pointer that got the Chieftains back to within five points in the opening minute, and Rebecca Merchant added another with 4:34 left to close the gap to 59-52. But Miles came on strong again and scored seven points over the final 3:19 that proved to be too much. Five of those points came consecutively after Merchant’s trey. Renbarger also had a stretch of five straight points after Washita Heights had cut the Calumet lead to 49-44. Renbarger scored six of her 12 points during the fourth.