Thomas fourth, LC third

BURLINGTON, Wash. – Lewis and Clark freshman Chessey Thomas finished fourth in the final round of the State 4A tournament Wednesday, leading her team to a third-place finish at Avalon Golf Links.

Thomas, a St. George’s student who plays for the Tigers, displayed her talents off the tee, consistently hitting the ball longer with her driver than most opponents in the tournament. Thomas shot 2-over-par 74, a two-stroke improvement from Tuesday, finishing at 6-over 150.

She said her young age helped her going into the second-round action.

“People don’t expect a lot out of a freshman,” she said. “I could only exceed people’s expectations, which was good to know.”

The other Tigers, senior Katrina Bech and sophomore Morgan Fuhs, tied for 32nd place, both shooting 174.

LC coach Michelle Grafos said she was proud of the Tigers’ third-place finish.

“Chessey was instrumental, but all the girls played well today,” she said. “We wanted to take home the whole thing, but third this year will have to do.”

The Mead Panthers, who placed third at state last spring, finished sixth overall, led by the 1-2 punch of juniors Brittany Wilcox and Lauren Howell. Wilcox and Howell both shot 165, finishing the tournament tied for 22nd out of the 43 competitors.

Howell slowly shook her head while describing her performance, but she was quick to look to the future.

“I had nothing today, absolutely nothing going my way,” she said. “Next year though, after some work this summer, I’m going to come back and finish at the top.”

Wilcox said the mental side of the game was the biggest battle.

“If you get frustrated you can be frustrated the whole day,” Wilcox said. “I had to let some mistakes go and just get ready for the next hole.”

The other Spokane competitor, Central Valley senior Katie Sorenson, finished 28th, shooting 168 after another 84.

Kamiak freshman Seo Hee Moon was dominant throughout, winning by 12 strokes with a 7-under 137. Defending champ Sadena Parks of Bethel tied for second.