Bulldogs accomplish three-peat in State 1A
Colfax assistant coach Tom Fowler once described Bulldogs head coach Corey Baerlocher as a man “who never met a mike he didn’t like.”
Saturday, Colfax had Baerlocher speechless.
The Bulldogs held Bellevue Christian scoreless in the opening quarter and knocked off the Vikings 49-30 in the Yakima SunDome to win their third consecutive girls State 1A basketball title.
The three-peat is just the third in State 1A history and the first since Lynden Christian did it from 1990-92. It was also the Colfax’s fourth title in five years, and left Baerlocher downright giddy.
“I don’t know what to say,” Baerlocher said. “It’s just incredible. It’s hard to believe. It’s different doing it with the same group of kids. Who would have thought we’d do it again?”
“It’s an amazing feeling,” echoed junior Kylie Shaw. “It just keeps getting better each time.”
In other action, Freeman downed White Swan 51-45 to earn its second straight state trophy, holding off a Cougar rally to win the fourth-place game.
Colfax 49, Bellevue Christian 30: Led by the superb all-around play of Shaw, the Bulldogs (24-4) threw different defenses at the Vikings (23-2).
They held Viking center Melissa Reich, who averaged 17 points per game in the regular season and 16.7 in the state tournament coming into the final, to seven points, including just one point in the first half.
“Kylie is our defensive stopper,” Baerlocher said. “I have some great defenders, but Kylie always gets stuck with the other team’s best player. She gets after it and makes it tough for the other kid, let alone for the other team to run their offense.”
“I’d much rather be on defense and let someone else take the shot,” added Shaw, who finished with eight points and two steals. “I just want to do whatever I can to help the team.”
But it wasn’t just the defense that was clicking. The Bulldogs led 24-15 at halftime, getting points from six different players and taking a 24-14 rebounding edge into the break, due, at least in part, to Bellevue’s 20 percent shooting (5 for 25) in the first half. The Bulldogs set the tone early, not allowing the Vikings to score until 6:35 remained in the second. Colfax led 11-0 after one quarter.
“(The good start) was pretty important,” Baerlocher said. “We knew they were going to make a run and they responded, but our kids responded, too.”
That Colfax did, and after the break, the Bulldogs were on cruise control. The Vikings scored only 15 points in the second half and never got the lead below 11 points. Baerlocher was even able to play Patti Arthur – a little-used senior point guard who swished her only field-goal attempt on Saturday.
“I wanted to give my seniors (Arthur, Katie Burns) a chance to finish it out on the floor,” said Baerlocher.
Sadie Lazzarini had a game-high nine points and grabbed four rebounds for Colfax. Jordan Harazin, named to the tournament’s first team, added six points and four rebounds.
Freeman 51, White Swan 45: Jessie DePell and Claire Moberg finished with virtually identical statistics – each had 21 points, seven rebounds (both game highs) and two steals – a fitting end for the school’s most successful senior class.
DePell, who was named the tournament MVP and led the competition in scoring and steals, was on target early, scoring 13 points in the first half as the defense of the Scotties (22-4) frustrated White Swan (25-2). Freeman had eight first-half steals, forced 14 turnovers and held the Cougars to 15 percent shooting (4 of 27) from the floor before the break.