They wanted to go out like this.

Deserved to, too.

So it seemed entirely fitting that Zillah’s starters were allowed to leave Saturday’s Class 1A state tournament game with River View one by one, to loud ovations from their fans and hugs from their coaches.

They could do so because the Leopards had shot the SunDome lights out in the second half, hitting 62 percent en route to a 63-50 win that earned them their 25th win and a third-place trophy.

“I wouldn’t have wanted it any other way,” said Justin Rico, who wielded the hottest of hands with 26 points. “It was a great way to finish our season.”

And prep careers for Rico and six other seniors who had keyed three successive state appearances and a 6-2 tournament record over the past two years. Zillah had lost on opening day last season, then won three in a row to place fifth.

“I think we should be playing for the championship tonight, to be honest,” said Andy Jones, a 6-foot-1 senior who was the Leopards’ second-highest scorer with nine points while adding two assists and two steals.

“But all our seniors got to go out with a win. And we have nothing to be ashamed of.”

Indeed. Their coach, Doug Burge, said the squad was one of the most enjoyable he’s coached in his 13 seasons at Zillah.

“It’s been an emotional week,” Burge said afterward, his eyes a bit red. “This definitely has been a special group, great kids to coach and just be around.

“And I’ll tell you something. If someone had asked me if I’d take 25-3 and third in the state back in November, I’d have said, ‘Fast forward. I’ll take it in a heartbeat.’”

It took only slightly longer than a heartbeat for the Leopards to break open what had been a plodding, deliberately-paced game into the fourth quarter. River View (20-8), after all, had used its half-court style to come within an eyelash of upsetting Bellevue Christian the night before.

Zillah nailed 10 of 22 3-pointers on the day, and back-to-back treys by junior reserve Chase Marquis had given the Leopards a 17-15 lead at halftime. A long ball by Rico made it 35-30 at the end of the third quarter, and proved to be the beginning of the end for River View.

In less than 90 seconds of the final period, Rico scored eight points, following two free throws with successive, rapid-fire three-balls. When he finally missed one, with 4:47 left, the irrepressible Zach Sybouts grabbed one of his game-high 15 rebounds and scored.

And when Rico drained yet another three, with 3:29 to play, he capped a 14-0 run that left Zillah up 52-35.

“Coach has told me,” Rico said, “that when I get my feet set I’m one of the best shooters in the league. It’s fun to get it going like that and get the crowd into it.”

Nick Gaston, a 5-7 junior, hit 5 of 7 3-pointers to lead the Panthers with 18 points.

“I’m really proud of these kids,” Burge said. “Zach had a great week, Chris Gasseling did a tremendous defensive job less than 24 hours after guarding (Brewster’s Michael) Taylor all night.

“And Justin, it was like, boom, he had it going. That changed the whole game.”

And allowed Zillah to take a well-deserved bow.

Zillah -- Mi. Winters 0-0 0-0 0, Ma. Winters 0-0 1-2 1, Gasseling 2-7 0-1 6, Ross 0-0 1-2 1, Friedrich 0-0 2-4 2, Z. Sybouts 3-6 1-4 7, Marquis 2-4 0-0 6, Rico 8-15 5-6 26, Jones 3-8 2-2 9, A. Sybouts 0-0 0-0 0, Collins 0-1 1-2 1, Gay 2-2 0-0 4. Totals 20-43 13-23 63.
River View -- Gaston 5-9 3-4 18, Gier 1-6 0-0 3, Davis 1-8 2-2 5, Sickler 1-2 0-0 3, Smith 3-7 3-3 10, Dallas 3-9 0-1 6, Dickinson 2-5 0-0 5, Woods 0-0 0-0 0, Ledgerwood 0-2 0-0 0, Hart 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 16-48 8-10 50.
Zillah	5	12	18	28	--	63
River View	10	5	15	20	--	50
3-point goals--Z 10-22 (Rico 5-10, Marquis 2-4, Gasseling 2-4, Jones 1-4), RV 10-26 (Gaston 5-9, Sickler 1-2, Dickinson 1-2, Smith 1-3, Gier 1-3, Davis 1-7). Rebounds--Z 34 (Sybouts 15), RV 29 (Smith 6, Hart 5). Assists--Z 12 (Gasseling 5), RV 6. Steals--Z 3 (Jones 2), RV 7 (Gaston 2, Dickinson 2). Blocked shots--Z 2, RV 0. Fouled out--None. Total fouls--Z 13, RV 20. Technical fouls--None. Turnovers--Z 10, RV 8.