Girls Exit Shadows For Bright Lights
Girls basketball came out of the dark with its move from the Seattle Center Arena into the Kingdome as part of the first combined boys and girls State AAA Tournament experience.
And an enlightening experience it was.
Officials and coaches were generally satisfied with the arrangement despite the size of the building.
“This is going to sound like executive director propoganda,” WIAA executive director Mike Colebrese said, “but this is going really well.”
There were a few glitches with parking, the players and officials getting to locker rooms and crowd changeovers, but those concerns were quickly addressed, he said.
Mead coach Jeanne Helfer was satisfied with the new arrangement.
“It was fair for both teams,” she said. “I think it is a place you have to get used to, like any.”
Helfer doesn’t like the Arena, preferring boys and girls play in equal facilities. Playing on the secondary court, she said, was an advantage because of its intimacy, but she said switching girls and boys games between the two courts would be more equitable.
Point guard Stacy Clinesmith wasn’t unduly overwhelmed by the size of the building.
“It’s humongous and a shock at first,” she said, “but I don’t think it matters. A court’s a court.”
Kent-Meridian coach Derek Powell noted one subtle difference - the size of the Kingdome court. The professional floor is 5 feet longer and wider than what the girls are used to playing on.
“I think this big court is a change for girls. Ours were fatiqued,” he said.
Spokane’s state officials
Working the AAA tournaments from Spokane are girls official Paul Nelson and boys official Larry McClenny.
Nelson got the eye-opening 9 a.m. girls game between Lake Sammamish and Olympic on Wednesday. McClenny worked the 6:30 p.m. Rogers (Puyallup)Juanita boys game.
Two in a row
Spokane Valley native Ken Ainsworth has his MarysvillePilchuck Totems in the girls State AAA for the second straight year.
The Totems were second, a game behind Snohomish, in the Western Conference with a 13-3 record. They qualified fourth from the Bi-West District at 18-5 overall.
Ainsworth graduated from Central Valley High School and is the son of the late Marv Ainsworth, who coahced U-Hi’s boys for 20 years and to three state placings.
Class AA
Easterners absent
Unlike the State B, the State AA lacks a strong Eastern Washington flavor.
Sixteen-team fields at the Tacoma Dome include 13 from west of the Cascades.
So Eastern-residing readers may have detected provincialism in Wednesday’s Tacoma News Tribune.
A photo featuring 10 girls “players to watch” contained just Prosser junior Casie Baddeley. No player from undefeated and third-ranked Cheney made the list.
But further investigation absolved the TNT. Cheney, with Stanwood and Blanchet, was listed as a “favorite.” The Blackhawks, in fact, were selected to advance to the title game and defeat Stanwood 57-54.
Colville’s boys were installed as a “longshot,” but the Indians’ Matt Smith topped the list of players to watch.
His 23.2 ppg scoring average was difficult to ignore.
Colville’s calling
The Colville boys must prepare for Chehalis’ Brian Wilson today. Wilson, a 6-10 junior, is on recruiting lists at Washington, Arizona, Oregon and Oregon State.
The Chehalis boys lost to Franklin to open their season before reeling off 22 consecutive wins. Yet they opened state play with a loss to White River.
Chehalis was the first team to finish the Black Hills League with an unbeaten record.
A long time coming
Colville hadn’t been to state in 22 years, but the Indians aren’t No. 1 in that category. Ferndale’s boys last qualified in 1964 - as an A team.
The 31-year layoff must have produced rust. The Golden Eagles drew Franklin in the opener and shot 32 percent in a 76-43 loss.
Ferndale coach Larry Skogstad left a successful program at Kings to coach East Valley High School in the Spokane Valley in the 1980s. The Knights haven’t been to state since 1968 - also as an A team.
Skogstad left EV after two years of struggle, heading to Fife, where he also qualified the team to state before moving to Ferndale.
Ryan Skogstad, his son and a 6-foot-1 junior, averages 14.7 points per game to lead the team.
Cheney’s chore
Cheney could face freshman sensation Sheila Lambert of Chief Sealth today. Lambert, a 5-7 guard with 14 rebounds per game, is the top girls scorer at 25.5 ppg.
Chief Sealth (21-4) lost three times to Blanchet.
For the record
Aberdeen’s girls set a AA tourney record for one game with 87 points during their opening win over Eastmont.
Eastmont, which scored 41, also accomplished a rare feat. The Wildcats had more turnovers (43) than points.
Task too tall
Blanchet’s Brad Millard, ready to take his 7-1 presence to St. Mary’s, couldn’t save the Braves during an opening 68-43 loss to Gig Harbor. Millard scored 18.
Perhaps Millard was unhappy about his entry in the errorplague tourney program. Millard is listed as scoring nine total points in nine games - the same as freshman teammate Charlie Wellnitz.
Get with the program
Yes, the Class AA program just as embarrassing as last week’s Class B variety.
Again, the girls cover breaks with tradition and displays a game other than the previous year’s championship.
No records are included in the tournament schedules that fans inscribe to follow the events’ progress.
Colville’s record is printed as 13-9-1, with a “tie” against Lapwai, Idaho.
The Enunclaw girls are listed as playing the same district games as the Eastmont girls.
None of the tourney individual records set last year is updated, and rosters are hit-and-miss for scoring averages.
Lonely
The Prosser girls and Hanford boys are among the scarce Eastern contingent.
Prosser (22-2), which inaugurated the tourney with a win over Capital, had never been to state. This year was a perfect time, since four Mustangs starters are seniors.
Hanford’s big force is known more for his autumn exploits. Senior Mac Tuiaea, a 6-foot-6 center, has signed to play the line for the University of Washington’s football team. Tuiaea had 17 points and 14 rebounds in an opening win over Cleveland.