Ferris misses out on trophy

The basketball season didn’t end the way five Ferris seniors – one a fourth-year varsity player and three of them third-year letter winners – had hoped.

But they couldn’t be entirely dissatisfied.

Over the three years, the Saxons compiled a 59-19 record, including 24-5 this year, won two league and district championships and a regional title and competed in two state tournaments.

“That’s pretty special,” said coach Don Van Lierop. “They accomplished a lot in their run at Ferris and on top of that have been good students.”

Ferris, second among all 4A schools academically, finished 1-2, a day short of placing last weekend in the State Tournament in Tacoma. To not get a trophy “was very disappointing, for the second year in a row,” said player Jon Clift.

Still, he was named to the All-Tournament second team, scored the winning basket in the Saxons’ 49-47 tourney opening win over Evergreen of Vancouver, had 18 points in a 63-54 loss to eventual champion Franklin and averaged 14.3 points per game at State.

The Saxons ultimately were eliminated on Friday 67-62 by Mount Tahoma, which placed fourth.

“It’s always the goal to play on Saturday, and we were one day short,” said Van Lierop. “But like I said to them before the game, they’ve been a great group.

“The team represented Ferris very well. They looked right, acted right, played right, are a smart group and worked hard.”

But winning a trophy was not meant to be. In the opener with Evergreen, Ferris trailed 19-17 after a quarter, then allowed only 19 points the entire second half.

With the game tied 47-47, Clift drove for the last of his 11 fourth-quarter points (he had 13 for the game) with four seconds remaining to get the win.

The second game, with Franklin, was winnable, said Van Lierop, but after leading 14-8, the Saxons were outscored 19-5 to fall behind 23-16.

The score was 45-44 Franklin with 2:33 left in the third quarter before the Quakers got away again.

On the third day, Mt. Tahoma made seven 3-point baskets, six by sophomore Patrick McCollum, and enough free throws to hold off the Saxons.

Jace Mattinson, Brian Hallett and Byron Stevens were all three-year varsity players.

Mattinson averaged 10.7 points per game. Hallett just missed double-figures scoring but was the second-leading state scorer with a 13.0 average.

“The thing with Brian,” said Van Lierop, “in our big games the last three years, he’s usually played great.”

He and three-sport, four-year varsity player Caleb Rath were big-time rebounders, instrumental in Ferris’s postseason success.

“It was fun while it lasted,” Hallett said of his high school career.

Floor leader Clift, a two-year starter, had a breakout year offensively with a 16.2 average. He summed up the season following Friday’s disappointing loss.

“It’s not always the games you remember, but more the friendships that you build among the players and coaches,” he said.

Though Ferris did not win a trophy in two trips to Tacoma during the careers of the seniors, there were plenty of successes and friendships to be had.

And for the five sophomores and two juniors who completed this year’s Saxon lineup, there will be more to come.