Freeman girls snag elusive 1A title
YAKIMA – After a near miss a year ago, the Freeman Scotties stand alone atop the girls State 1A basketball landscape this morning.
The Scotties powered to a 45-27 lead after three quarters and held off defending runner-up Granger at the SunDome to win the state championship 56-36.
The Scotties had endured enough recent state tournament heartache for several programs, but after circling the big trophy for the last six years (second in 2005, fourth in 2006, fifth in 2008 and third in 2009) it now resides with them.
Perhaps the most bitter loss was last year when a free throw with no time remaining in a semifinal game sent Seattle Christian to the championship game and Freeman home with the third-place trophy. That is all a distant memory now.
Coach Ashley Taylor – a senior on the 2005 team – has a state title in her second year as coach and shares it with her younger sister MacKenzie, a second-team all-tournament selection.
The game was the rubber match of what is shaping up to be one of 1A’s best nonleague rivalries. The teams split two prior games – both in the SunDome – the last two seasons.
Tournament Most Valuable Player Korina Baker led Freeman with 14 points and four steals.
MacKenzie Taylor, named to the all-tournament second team, chipped in 13 points as did Megan McIntyre. Alyssa Maine scored 11 points.
Fully aware that Granger had pounced on its previous two opponents early, the Scotties turned the tables. They stopped Granger’s 3-point shooting cold – the Spartans hit five straight 3s at one point in their quarterfinal win and had nine in the semifinals – and had previously averaged nearly a point per possession.
Ashley Taylor insisted that the fast start wasn’t about game-planning for Granger.
“I told them the same thing I do every day,” she said. “The bottom line is play hard and do what we do and we’ll be OK.”
Today, they’re more than OK. They’re state champions.
Chelan 47, Lakeside 43
Jaicee Harris’ field goal off an assist from Cari Williams with 50 seconds remaining gave the Goats a three-point lead that held up through a frantic final minute as Chelan captured the fourth-place trophy.
Lakeside (23-5) took home the seventh-place plaque.
Chelan raced to a 9-0 lead in the first 3:34, but the Eagles closed the gap to 14-12 by the end of the quarter. After that, neither team led by more than four points the rest of the way.
Lexie Zappone led Lakeside with 20 points and nine rebounds, Leslie Stillar chipped in with 10 points.