B’S Get Dose Of R & R Russel Keys Ritzville Girls
FROM SPORTS SECTION page C2 (Monday, March 10, 1997): Replay Ritzville girls basketball player Erin Weber was misidentified in a photo caption on the front page of the Sunday sports section.
Shannon Russel reared up. She kicked. She fired. And when her 3-pointer with 41 seconds left in the game ripped the nets the Broncos knew they could load up the girls State B basketball tournament championship trophy and carry it back to Ritzville.
In the lowest-scoring title game in the history of the tournament, the Broncos fought off a game but outmatched Wilbur-Creston team to post a 33-26 victory Saturday night at the Arena and claim their second state championship and their first since 1979.
“I knew we’d done it when Shannon hit that shot,” said senior guard Megan Wellsandt. “After a whole week of playing, both teams were pooped. There weren’t a lot of baskets out there.”
“Both teams played some great defense,” said Ritzville coach John Foulkes. “Those kids out there were struggling … their legs were gone. Give both teams a lot of credit.
“There wasn’t a lot of scoring, but that’s because these two teams know each other so well. I’m so happy for our girls. It’s the greatest feeling there is. All the hard work paid off. This is a once-in-a-lifetime thing and it hasn’t quite sunk in.”
The Wilbur-Creston girls probably deserve a guest appearance on the television show “How’d They Do That?”
It was an amazing feat for the Wildcats to even make it to the title game. Their top player, Mindy Bandy, wasn’t able to play in any of the tournament games because of an injury.
“I couldn’t be any prouder of these girls even if they’d had won the title,” said Wildcats coach Steve Jantz. “This group of girls is the kind you’ll always remember. They made themselves, their coach and their community very, very proud.”
Jantz said he wasn’t surprised that both teams struggled to score.
“We know each other so well,” he said. “We know each other’s tendencies so it’s easy to concentrate on taking away our strengths. We were a little outmanned underneath and didn’t have enough legs to hit the outside shot.”
Ritzville started strong, jumping to a 9-2 lead on a Russel 3-pointer midway through the first quarter. Four minutes later, Ritzville held a 16-9 lead.
Baskets by Niffer Horpedahl and Megan Yerxa stretched the Broncos’ lead to 20-9 early in the second period, but the Wildcats rallied.
Alyssa Erickson sparked a 9-0 run with a three-point play as the Wildcats pulled to within 20-18 at the half. Wilbur-Creston forced the Broncos into missing their last eight shots.
As unlikely as it seemed, both teams stepped up their defensive pressure in the third quarter. Ritzville scored six points in 8 minutes, yet increased its lead to 26-20 heading into the final period. Wilbur-Creston hit 1 of 8 attempts from the floor; Ritzville hit 2 of 15 shots.
The Wildcats stayed within striking distance in the final period until Russel hit the biggest shot of her life.
“I hoped it would go,” Russel said. “It felt good when it left my hand, but then so did some of the ones I missed earlier.”
Russel guarded the opponent’s top scorer for the second time in as many games.
Coming off a game in which she held St. John-Endicott’s Tricia Lamb to 12 points until midway through the fourth quarter, she was given the task of controlling the Wildcats’ Alyssa Erickson.
“I’m completely exhausted,” said Russel. “Those two players on back-to-back nights is too much… . I’m not really known as a defensive player, but I guess coach had confidence in me.”
How does it feel to be a champion?
“It is incredible,” Russel said with tears in her eyes. “It was hard not to get carried away out there playing before so many people. I kept having to remind myself to just stop and play.”
, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Color photo
MEMO: See related story with same headline.