The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
The Spokesman-Review Newspaper The Spokesman-Review
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883
Current Temperature
58°F
Current Conditions
Overcast clouds
View complete weather report
Subscribe now

Shadle falls short in championship quest

Shadle Park's Amanda Carlton, left, calls for a time-out as she battles Kennedy's Andrea Goins for a lose ball during the second quarter of the Girls Washington 3A high school basketball championship game in Tacoma on Saturday. The Highlanders came up short against the Lancers, falling 50-43. (John Froschauer / The Associated Press)
The Associated Press
Shadle Park's Amanda Carlton, left, calls for a time-out as she battles Kennedy's Andrea Goins for a lose ball during the second quarter of the Girls Washington 3A high school basketball championship game in Tacoma on Saturday. The Highlanders came up short against the Lancers, falling 50-43. (John Froschauer / The Associated Press)
TACOMA, Wash. — A perfect ending to a perfectly redemptive season for Yaz Fuller and Kennedy. Fuller, the tournament’s Most Valuable Player, scored 20 points and Aminah Williams had 12 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Lancers of Burien past Shadle Park 50-43 on Saturday night for their first Class 3A girls state championship. Fuller had 13 of her points in the first half for Kennedy (28-0), which kept repelling charges in the second half by the gritty Highlanders. The Lancers won their first title in 16 state trips. They lost to Auburn Riverside in the title game last year. Bianca Pope had 10 points and nine rebounds and Aleisha Hathaway added eight points and nine rebounds for Shadle Park (22-6) of Spokane, which lost to a Class 3A team for the first time this season. The Highlanders won 4A state titles in 1988 and 1989. They were back at the state tournament for the first time since 2000. Shadle Park entered the game with all five of its losses to Class 4A teams. The Highlanders dropped from Class 4A to Class 3A this season. They rallied to cut Kennedy’s 10-point lead to three late, before Fuller scored on a drive to make it 48-43 with 31 seconds remaining. The Highlanders also rallied from a nine-point deficit to tie the game at 29 midway through the third quarter, on a short jumper by Chelsea Chandler. But Fuller had an answer for that, too. She scored five points and Williams had four during an 11-2 run. That put Kennedy up 40-31 entering the final period. Fuller’s big first half included two 3-pointers and helped give Kennedy a 29-22 lead at halftime.