Ferris Gives East Side A 1-2-3 State Finish

The Ferris girls were looking for respect. They added to a legend.

The Saxons joined the “Beasts of the East” list by defeating Foss 54-46 Saturday afternoon at Mercer Arena to finish third in the girls State AAA basketball tournament.

With Mead and Kamiakin in the championship game, Ferris (24-6) gave East Side teams a 1-2-3 sweep.

“I’m not as happy as I would be bringing the championship home,” Ferris senior Jennifer Swinton said after scoring 13 points, “but it shows the East Side deserves more teams. Five of our six losses are to the top two teams.”

Since the state tournament returned to 16 teams in 1988, 21 Greater Spokane League teams have qualified and 17 took home trophies.

Point guard Jayme Morrisette, the other senior starter who added eight points and eight assists, said, “Third in the state was beyond what we thought we could do, but there was no pressure because nobody ever believed in us. Central Valley (the No. 3 GSL team) could have placed here, definitely - probably fourth.”

Foss coach Jim Black said, “Let’s face it, the other side of the mountains looks like it’s the cream this year.”

The Saxons shook off the disappointment of their semifinal loss to Mead, going on a 12-0 roll after the Falcons (24-3) scored the opening basket. All five Ferris starters scored in the 4-minute run.

Foss rallied to close within 25-22 at the half and got the first bucket of the third quarter. Then Ferris went on a 15-0 run over 5:13, hitting 5 of 6 shots, including three 3-pointers.

“They went into a zone and left our outside girls open and they stuck some 3s,” said Ferris coach Janet Skaife.

Sophomore Karie Pruett, who had four 3s and 13 points, hit two in the run and Morrisette added the other. Swinton had one basket and Amy George two free throws and a basket.

“You need a couple of days to prepare for them,” said Foss senior Becky Harris, who had eight points in the fourth quarter to rally the Falcons within 51-46 with a minute left. “They’ve got it together.”

Swinton, a 6-foot-1 center, had a bucket in the decisive run and played a big role in keeping 6-4 Arizona-bound Tatum Brown in check. Brown had just one rebound and eight points in the first half and 10 points and four boards through three quarters. She finished at 20 points and nine rebounds, giving her a tourneyrecord 55 boards in four games.

“She is a very strong player,” Swinton said. “It was not just me. All the guards blocked out and everyone crashed the boards.”

George, a 5-8 sophomore, had 12 rebounds to go with her 11 points.

“I just go get the ball,” George said. “When I see the shot go up, I just go after it. I’m not intimidated.”

Jannelle Morrisette, a 5-11 sophomore, helped Swinton give Ferris an inside presence with nine points.

By adding three wins at state, the Saxons won the most games in school history. The 1984 team, which finished third in the school’s only other state appearance, was 22-2.

Ferris 54, Foss 46

Ferris 16 9 20 9 - 54 Foss 8 14 4 20 - 46

FERRIS Pruett 4 1-2 13, George 4 3-4 11, Jay.Morrisette 3 1-3 8, E.Brown 0 0-0 0, Swinton 6 1-2 13, Jan.Morrisette 2 5-6 9. Totals 19 11-17 54.

FOSS Frazier 1 0-0 3, Reed 1 0-0 2, Davis 1 0-0 2, T.Brown 7 6-8 20, Harris 4 0-0 11, Hunter 2 0-0 4, Craig 1 2-2 4. Totals 17 8-10 46. 3-point goals - Pruett 4, Jay.Morrisette, Frazier, Harris 3. Total fouls - Foss 16, Ferris 11. Foueld out - none.

, DataTimes