Ferris boys, LC girls cap perfect seasons

When all was said and done, four days of basketball in Tacoma provided the perfect ending.

Two South Side teams, the Ferris boys and Lewis and Clark girls, compiled identical 29-0 records to win State 4A basketball championships. Between them during a two-year period, they have combined for 91 consecutive wins. It had never happened before in league history. Who knows if it will happen again?

What transpired in Tacoma was merely the continuation of the Greater Spokane League’s remarkable season of team title accomplishments.

It began with state championships by the Mead and North Central boys cross country teams, continued with the Panthers’ fifth straight state volleyball title in an all-GSL finish and Lewis and Clark’s state football title.

And now this: Two more championships in basketball and in unprecedented fashion.

Ferris became the first 4A boys team to run the table in two consecutive seasons. Its 58-0 combined record is the second-longest winning streak of all classifications in state history.

“Fifty-eight and 0,” marveled Jared Karstetter during celebration on the Tacoma Dome court following the Saxons 24-point triumph over Federal Way. “It doesn’t get any better than that right there.”

Ferris players were the media darlings, tape recorders thrust in their faces, headsets covering their ears as they took their turns addressing questions on television and radio.

“You never think it could happen,” said Karstetter. “But it’s just a great experience and I couldn’t be happier.”

LC coach Jim Redmon never gave perfection a thought either. But here were his Tigers, most of a wealth of past Division I talent already graduated, reveling as the first Washington 4A girls team to win three successive titles and unbeaten, no less.

“It’s funny,” Redmon philosophized. “Some of our issues are beside the point because of what Ferris’ boys did – winning 58 in a row and winning the way they did – and we’re in a battle each and every game.”

Unlike the Saxons who had a two-year winning streak as their goal, Redmon almost cursed the fact that LC was carrying the burden. He knew that talk in postseason about an unbeaten season would ultimately arise in the media.

“We were concerned about going into tournament play without a loss,” he said of uncharted territory. “Our feeling was you don’t talk about it, but everyone’s human. We didn’t bring up the undefeated season until regionals.”

Earlier this year, Shadle Park’s Tim Gaebe called Ferris the best team in the history of the GSL and maybe in state history as well. He wouldn’t get much argument from those in Tacoma after witnessing a dominant performance. The Saxons’ average victory margin was 20 points per game.

“I may be biased, but I think so,” said coach Don Van Lierop when asked his opinion.

Someone asked him about the 30-0 Sehome team in 1996.

“They did it once,” he answered. “We did it twice.”

Karstetter was voted tournament MVP with his 68 points and 25 rebounds, but DeAngelo Casto, who set a tournament record with 25 blocked shots and one-game mark of eight, scored 60 points and had 38 rebounds, was worthy. One guard, Erick Cheadle, came up big with nine 3-pointers in two wins. Another, Jeff Minnerly, had games of 20 and 17 and was among the team rebounding and assists leaders. Shawn Stockton was a second-team all-tourney selection.

It was, said Van Lierop, a team that kept plugging away at the task at hand until they accomplished a heretofore unattained goal.

The Tigers girls did the same, even if their wins didn’t come so easily after the first day. There were no gaudy offensive stats – no double figures scores and the tournament’s 11th best rebounder.

But one statistic was telling. Brittany Kennedy led the tournament in steals and Jeneva Anderson tied for eighth. In the four games, LC forced 121 turnovers.

“It’s all about defense for me, not scoring,” said Kennedy, who was on her third pair of shoes after wearing out two others with her hustle.

The Tigers were offensive opportunists with timely 3-point shooting and clutch work around the basket. Kennedy scored 21 points in the first two wins. Anderson scored 12 to lead two and 13 in the title win. In the semifinals sophomore Daisy Burke scored 12 as a trio of guards accounted for 29 of 52 points.

“We didn’t play a perfect game,” said Redmon. “You can never have a perfect game. It’s not about perfection, but without a doubt it’s special.”

Yet from this imperfect game called basketball, Ferris and Lewis and Clark brought home perfect seasons and left a Washington legacy.