T O U R N E Y T O W N  ARCHIVES

This page is part of the Tourneytown.com archives and is no longer updated.

“I always tell this story, and she blushes,” says Blaine coach Patrick Green, who gave Summers her nickname — “Stretch” — when she was a student in his language arts/social studies class in eighth grade.

“She couldn’t hit a left-handed layup as a freshman,” Green recalls. “She would actually take her right hand and put it on the inside of her left hand when she’d go up to shoot.” Teaching her to do it correctly one day — first positioning it in the hand, then actually shooting, then taking a step and doing it — was a trying experience for the gangly 14-year-old. “Tears and tears,” Green says. “She laughs about it now.”

Now, she’s a state tournament MVP, a two-time all-state player with 1,691 career points, a slew of school records, the 2A tournament career scoring record (235 points, a total she augmented with a 31-point, 14-for-17 day Saturday in the Borderites’ fifth-place victory) and a full-ride scholarship to play basketball at the University of Idaho.

And this year she actually got to be listed at her height.
“I listed her at 6-foot every year in the program, and I told her, when you start playing like you’re 6-1, I’ll put 6-1 in the program,” Green says. “Now I should put 6-5.”

SCORING DROUGHT: In the final half-minute of Lakeside’s 66-59 loss to Medical Lake in the boys’ third-sixth place game, it appeared the Eagles might just help the SunDome fans to something they hadn’t seen in any of the 52 games during the previous week’s 1A tournaments or any of the 48 before it in the 2A: a game in which both teams reached the 60-point mark.

No, it didn’t happen. The Eagles didn’t get off a decent shot in the final seconds, keeping the tournament’s scoring ebb alive. When Blaine’s Jake Gilmore scored 31 points on Friday, he put up more points by himself than entire boys teams scored on three occasions this week. Five others failed to top 35 points. Friday’s Nooksack Valley-Steilacoom game — a 30-28 Pioneers victory — set a record for lowest combined points.

The girls tourney, meanwhile, had seven losing scores in the 20s this week — and one in the teens, Elma’s record-setting low of 19 on opening day.

AND FOR AN ENCORE: East Valley senior Jami Sharp was thrilled with her four-year career, which ended with Saturday’s 42-27 victory over Cascade for fourth place in the girls tournament.

But there will be no more basketball, save perhaps for an occasional pickup game.

“Words can’t even begin to explain what my four years have been like,” Sharp said. “Four state tournaments, four trophies and two state championships. I couldn’t have asked for anything better.

“But I’m done with basketball.”

Sharp said she will probably attend Yakima Valley Community College next year and explore some career plans.

For coach Robi Raab, meanwhile, it’s golf season.

“I live 2.1 miles from the first tee (of the Yakima Country Club),” said Raab, a three-time Yakima Amateur Invitational champion. “I can’t wait. My whole family is ready for golf season.”

TAKE THE SABBATH: LaCenter senior Bridgette Sexton was able to play beginning at 6:04 p.m. Saturday night, about 25 minutes after the third/sixth game between the Wildcats and Mount Baker began. Sexton, a Seventh-day Adventist, cannot play between sundown Friday and sundown Saturday. Sexton left midway through Friday's semifinal with Pullman to comply with the guidelines. Sundown Saturday was at 6:04.

YEAR OF THE UNDERDOG: It will long be remembered as the tournament when anything was possible.

How else can you explain two boys teams with the most losses reaching the championship semifinals?

And one of them -- East Valley -- going all the way to the final?

Despite double-digit losses, East Valley and Lakeside were the fearless underdogs that everybody seemed to root for as highly ranked teams and district champions fell in their wake.

As surprising as East Valley's march to the final was, Lakeside's performance was perhaps even more of a shock. The Eagles, who came to Yakima with a 12-11 record, lost their first five games and finished fifth in the Great Northern League.

But after winning its district tournament, Lakeside kept right on going, knocking off Foster and Connell to reach the semifinals. The Eagles then fell twice to place sixth but the losses were to champion Hoquiam and third-place Medical Lake.

"When we were 0-5 in December we sure wouldn't have thought we'd be holding a sixth-place trophy today," said Ron Cox. "It's hard now to put it in that perspective after losing but we obviously came a long ways."

Just like East Valley.

"I guess that's what state tournaments are all about. Everybody's 0-0 when they get here and everybody's got their shot," Cox added. "It's about getting hot at the right time and East Valley did that and we did that."

WHICH WAY WHISTLES: It's all a matter of perspective when it comes personal fouls and their cause.

Fans and followers of East Valley's remarkable run to the boys championship game have watched their Red Devils use quickness and tenacity to draw a bevy of fouls which they've converted into a parade to the foul line.

But to East Valley's opponents, they grumble about a homer job.

The fact is in the first three games, East Valley was whistled for 34 fouls while Steilacoom, Eatonville and Medical Lake collectively amassed 71.

As a result, the Red Devils outscored those three teams 56-23 at the foul line.

However one cares looks at it, East Valley did some seriously clutch free-throw shooting to reach the title game.

Vs. Steilacoom — 8-for-10 in the final 1:52.

Vs. Eatonville — 12-for-16 in the final 2:30.

Vs. Medical Lake — 7-for-10 in the final 3:12.

On Saturday, a day after losing to EV 51-50 in the semifinals, Medical Lake coach Arnold Brown put it this way: "We think we made state history. We're the first 4-0 team to finish third. We were 4-0 at least our mind."

SATURDAY'S GROUNDHOG DAY: It was deja vu all over again for half of Saturday's trophy games. In four of the eight contests teams were meeting for the fourth time this season.

In the first two boys games, rematches from district championship games had reverse outcomes.

Blaine's boys, who lost to Nooksack Valley last week, got the best of the Pioneers on Saturday, 48-44. And Chelan, which lost the CWAC district title to Cashmere, beat the Bulldogs 47-41. In both cases the series was a 2-2 split for the season.

East Valley's girls took on Cascade and beat the Kodiaks for a third straight time, 42-27.

Back on the boys side, Medical Lake defeated Lakeside 66-59 for the third time in an all-Great Northern placing final for third and sixth.

ADVERTISEMENT

© 2002-2008 All photos, content and design
are properties of the Yakima Herald-Republic.
 

For questions or additional information
about this site, send us feedback.

Privacy statement