King’s rules over Chewelah in 2A
YAKIMA – It was one question for which Kevin Mulligan didn’t seem to have an answer.
What do you tell your team when they do everything you ask of them and yet come up an eyelash short in the biggest game of their lives?
Mulligan struggled with that as he stood Saturday night in a back hallway of the SunDome minutes after his Chewelah team fell just short of an upset of King’s, losing 59-55 in the State 2A girls basketball tournament championship game.
It was perhaps the only question for which he didn’t have an answer. Chewelah had just scared the tall and talented Knights about as badly as possible in a loss, and at the same time had given the rest of Class 2A hope that the 2006 state title (King’s loses only one impact player) isn’t a foregone conclusion.
It was primarily because Mulligan and his staff had an answer for everything they knew the once-beaten Knights would throw at them.
The fearsome King’s press? Sophomore ball-handling whiz Nikki Nelson was the answer there. Nelson’s ability to handle the pressure was crucial to the Cougars staying close when the Knights’ first three opponents couldn’t.
The Knights’ agile, athletic front line and its rebounding prowess? Jochelle Schatz and Nelson combined to shoot 7 for 12 in the first half and 11 for 25 overall, limiting the Knights’ chances on the boards. Mulligan knew the Knights were more athletic and that was eventually Chewelah’s undoing.
But only when unanimous tournament MVP Sara Mosiman – hobbled by foul problems all night – took over the game in the final 1:15 did that become a problem.
Mosiman zipped through the Cougars’ defense for a breakaway layin with 1:12 left, giving King’s a 56-53 lead, then stole the ball with 46 seconds left and converted two free throws with 35 seconds left to seal the outcome. But that was about all Mosiman had a chance to do. She came into the game averaging just more than 20 points a game, including a high of 25. She had just eight points on 2-of-8 shooting, playing less than 18 minutes.
Mosiman picked up two fouls in the first 2:10 and a third with 2:01 left in the first period. She took a seat for the rest of the half, and with her went much of King’s defensive bravado.
With Mosiman out and the Knights playing a zone, Schatz went to work. She hit 5 of 6 field goals as the Cougars opened a 21-14 lead early in the second period.
King’s went on a 12-5 run to take a 26-24 lead, but Schatz closed the half with a leaning bank shot from the right wing, forging a tie.
Mosiman picked up her fourth foul with 5:03 remaining in the third period, again taking a seat for the duration of the quarter. King’s relied on Danielle Clauson – who led all scorers with 22 points – to stay close. Nelson’s back-to-back layins gave the Cougars a short-lived four-point lead and Chewelah entered the final period ahead 41-39.
The Cougars shot to a 45-41 lead early in the final period before King’s asserted its will.
Caitlyn Faidley hit the second of two 3-pointers with 2:39 remaining to give King’s its first two-point lead of the game, 53-51. Hayley Zevenbergen then hit a free throw before Mosiman went to work to secure the title for King’s in its first year of 2A competition.
“I told them they did their best and that they left their heart and soul out on the floor” Mulligan said. “I told them a lot of teams would trade places with us.”
Joining Mosiman on the all-tournament first team were: Sarah Scates, Chewelah; Angela Hartill, Riverside; Cassy Pilkinton, Chelan; and Stephani Kier, Mt. Baker. Chewelah’s Nelson made the second team.