About three inches.

That was about what Mabton was giving up per man, and also the difference of a game that began almost as a question — what are these Mabton guys doing here? — and ended with a Eric Tellez 3-pointer that came up short by, yes, those same three inches.

And, the Vikings’ 48-45 loss to perennial contender Cashmere notwithstanding, the early question about their presence at the Class 1A tournament was answered resoundingly: Because they belong.

They just didn’t look it like during the first 12 minutes of the game, when they couldn’t grab a rebound or hit a shot to save their lives.

Meanwhile, Cashmere’s Drew Ross was doing plenty of the latter, scoring 11 of his 17 points in the first half, and the Vikings found themselves staring at a 20-4 deficit.

“It was almost like they were playing like they didn’t belong, like everybody was right,” Mabton coach Brock Ledgerwood said.

But Ledgerwood’s team was undersized everywhere but in the heart category and, somehow, the Vikings turned their fortunes around just as quickly. A 19-2 scoring run actually gave them a 23-22 lead midway through the third quarter.

“It was a combination of things,” Cashmere senior Michael Miller said of that turnaround. “Some of it was their intensity, and some of it was we’ve got a new team with a lot of guys that haven’t been here. When it comes to state, everybody’s going to be fighting you for everything — the state tournament is just a different world.

“I think we got caught on our heels with their intensity a little bit. (The Vikings) play hard. They’re small, and they’ve got to rely on being scrappy.”

But all of that scrappiness couldn’t buy Mabton a rebound. Cashmere (17-10) had nearly a 2-to-1 rebounding edge (37-21) for the game, and that dearly cost the Vikings (12-12) — especially when Mabton players penetrated and missed layups.

And they missed a bunch of them.

“We missed some opportunities out there that,” Mabton coach Brock Ledgerwood said. “If we had capitalized on a couple of them, we’d be in the winners’ bracket.”

But every time Cashmere threatened to put the game away — like the Bulldogs’ 42-32 lead with 2:59 remaining — the Vikings rallied. And when Reynolds hit a reverse layup with 11 seconds remaining, Mabton had pulled to within a single point.

Then they made the mistake of putting Miller on the foul line for a one-and-one. A four-year starter in his fourth state tournament, he’s money at the line — even with just nine seconds remaining in a one-point game.

“I’ve been there before. It doesn’t matter how much time is left,” Miller said. “In all honesty, I want to be the guy at the line in those situations. I like the pressure.”

Miller swished both free throws, meaning the Vikings needed a 3-pointer to tie. And Tellez very nearly got it for them.

“It looked like it was going in,” said Torrez, who led Mabton with 12 points. “But it was just a little short.”

Cashmere -- Ovenell 2-6 1-2 5, Kerns 1-4 0-0 3, Miller 4-7 2-2 10, P. Farias 3-7 0-0 7, E. Farias 0-5 0-0 0, Gubsch 3-5 0-0 6, Ross 6-7 5-8 17. Totals 19-41 8-12 48.
Mabton -- Reynolds 2-3 0-0 4, R. Sanchez 0-5 0-0 0, Herrera 3-8 1-2 8, Smith 1-4 4-4 7, E. Sanchez 0-1 0-0 0, Morfin 4-10 1-2 9, Huecias 0-3 0-0 0, Tellez 6-15 0-0 12, Quintero 2-2 1-2 5. Totals 18-51 7-10 45.
Cashmere	8	14	7	19	--	48
Mabton	4	11	11	19	--	45
3-point goals--C 2-13 (Kerns 1-1, P. Farias 1-3, Miller 0-2, E. Farias 0-3, Ovenell 0-4), M 2-11 (Smith 1-2, Herrera 1-3, Morfin 0-1, Huecias 0-2, Tellez 0-3). Rebounds--C 37 (Miller 10), M 21 (Tellez 7). Assists--C 4 (Ovenell 2), M 5 (Tellez 2). Steals--C 3, M 9 (Morfin 3, Tellez 3). Blocked shots--C 3 (Ross 2), M 0. Fouled out--None. Total fouls--C 12, M 12. Technical fouls--None. Turnovers--C 18, M 7.