[ t o u r n e y t o w n . c o m -- 2004 State Tournament]

Zillah -- Wentz 0-0 2-4 2, Perrault 3-8 3-4 9, Hall 1-2 0-0 2, Mortensen 0-2 0-0 0, Affholter 0-6 0-0 0, Guthrie 1-5 0-0 2, Schilperoort 0-0 0-0 0, Alcala 0-4 0-0 0, Delvo 1-4 0-0 2, Calhoun 5-8 2-2 12, Griffin 3-9 4-4 10, Cameron 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 14-48 11-14 39.

Tonasket -- D. Moser 4-7 3-4 11, Attwood 0-0 0-0 0, Rothrock 0-0 0-2 0, Jones 1-2 0-0 2, Wilson 0-1 0-0 0, Ogborn 1-1 0-0 2, Hedlund 2-3 0-0 4, Lusk 1-2 0-0 2, Freeman 5-7 0-0 11, Call 5-7 4-5 14, Stangland 3-10 2-2 8, W. Moser 0-0 0-2 0. Totals 22-40 9-15 54.

Zillah

Tonasket

3-point goals--Z 0-12 (Hall 0-1, Griffin 0-1, Perrault 0-2, Mortensen 0-2, Affholter 0-3, Guthrie 0-3), T 1-2 (Freeman 1-2). Rebounds--Z 27 (Delvo 5, Calhoun 5), T 32 (Hedlund 6). Assists--Z 3, T 16 (Call 4, D. Moser 4). Steals--Z 15 (Perrault 9), T 9 (Call 4). Blocked shots--Z 2 (Griffin 2), T 2. Fouled out--Delvo, Calhoun. Total fouls--Z 15, T 13. Technical fouls--None. Turnovers--Z 20, T 21.

Call Leads Tonasket to Fifth, 54-39

By MICHAEL ANDERSON
YAKIMA HERALD-REPUBLIC

Zillah coach Tony Fritz told his team before the state tournament he would dye his short brown hair any color the team wished if the Leopards brought home the 1A championship trophy.

As he stood -- knowing that his hair would be artificially colored anytime soon -- near the SunDome’s Northeast entrance while his players took turns holding the eighth-place trophy the Leopards got after Saturday’s 54-39 loss to Tonasket in the consolation final, the first-year coach talked about the other things his squad got out of a 22-4 season that included a SCAC West title.

“I told them that I could not be prouder of a group of girls,” he said. “I think the life lessons learned are as important as the basketball.

“Them just becoming friends again is more important than any basketball achievement.”

There were some basketball achievements. The Leopards snapped a five-game state tournament losing streak and brought home a trophy for the first time for the first time since 2001. For the SCAC West standard-bearers, it was the first step back to being regarded as a state power.

Fritz took over last summer after a contentious 2002-03 season that culminated in the departure of longtime coach Robi Raab. He spent as much time mending fences as a result of intraprogram division over Raab's departure as he did drawing Xs and Os.

Fritz spoke at length about the play of his point guard, Cherie Perrault. The tiny dynamo scored nine points -- seven in the second half -- and had nine steals in her final game as a Leopard.

“I would take a team full of players like Petie,” Fritz said, calling Perrault by her nickname. “She didn’t quit.”

Tonasket, a state finalist in 2003, jumped on the Leopards early, moving from an 8-8 tie with 4:59 remaining in the first period to a 21-8 lead when the period ended. Krissy Call led the onslaught, scoring all of her team high 14 points in 10 minutes of playing time.

Tonasket’s defense played a big part. The Tigers held Zillah to 22.7 percent field goal shooting, five of 22. The Tigers also had 18 rebounds to Zillah’s 11.

But in the second half, when Tonasket kept Zillah at arms length, Danielle Moser and Shayne Freeman stepped up.

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