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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

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Gallant effort by Highlanders

No question Shadle Park has the second-best 3A girls basketball team in the state. Keep rearding for the unedited game story from its championship game loss to Kennedy Saturday night.

 

Kennedy was impressive – and impressed.

The top-ranked Lancers from Burien completed a perfect season with a hard-fought 50-43 win over Shadle Park in the championship game of the State 3A girls basketball tournament Saturday night in the Tacoma Dome.

Though the only time Lancers (28-0) trailed was 2-0, they could never shake the Highlanders (22-7).

“They are really good, they came right at us,” tournament MVP Yaz Fuller said. “They wouldn’t back down. They’re a good defensive team.”

Fuller made just 7 of 25 shots on her way to 20 points as the Lancers shot 39 percent from the field.

“The defense overall was amazing. (Fuller) hit some incredible shots,” Shadle Park coach Chad Dezellem said. “You can’t ask much more of Lindsay (Niemeier) and the help from her teammates. (Aminah Williams) was tough inside.”

Williams, a 5-foot-10 sophomore, finished with 12 points and 10 rebounds, all from under the basket.

“It was a tough loss against a great team, but it’s tough to swallow,” said Niemeier, who made the All-Tournament second team despite never scoring in double figures. “I’m so proud of my girls. We played so hard, we just came up short.

“They have four amazing double figure scorers. That’s intimidating to begin with. I take so much pride in our defense as a team. Yeah, Fuller got 20 points. I thought I did OK and she still got 20 points. There’s only so much you can do.”

The Highlanders held the Lancers to their lowest point total of the season and were only the second team to lose to them by less than 10 points.

Ultimately the difference was experience and Fuller, whose last two points came on a back-breaking layup when she sliced through the line to make it 48-43 with 30 seconds left.

Shadle Park overcame a nine-point deficit in the first half and caught the Lancers at 29 midway through the third quarter. But Kennedy responded with eight quick points and led 42-32 early in the fourth quarter before the Highlanders made one last charge.

Give Shadle Park a lot of credit,” Kennedy coach  Tom Mummert said. “They’re a good ball club. They’ll be back next year. Our girls weren’t going to let this get away.”

Kennedy went  24-3 last year, losing to Auburn Riverside in the championship, their third loss to Ravens.

“Our goal was to not let them have fast break baskets and points after turnovers,” Dezellem said. “We didn’t meet that goal, obviously. We if we have done that we would have won.”

They also hit just 8 of 15 free throws and shot 33 percent from the field.

“We normally shoot free throws better than we did and we had some wide open 3’s we didn’t stick either,” Dezellem said. “They’re a good team.”

Dezellem’s daughter Tori, a senior guard, said, “We played with a lot of heart. We never gave up. We gave it our best shot. I don’t think we hit the shots we could of and we didn’t get back on defense. That’s my job and we gave up a couple of easy baskets.”

Shadle Park’s only lead was 2-0 when sophomore Kendra Knutsen, who left the game with a knee injury early in the fourth quarter, scored an uncontested layup after the opening tip. The Lancers scored the next nine, starting with a Fuller 3 and three straight baskets by Williams.

The lead reached nine before the Highlanders regrouped and closed within 17-11 at the end of the first quarter. The 17 points was the most Shadle allowed in a quarter. In fact, in three previous games, the Highlanders gave up just 17, 19 and 19 in the first half.

“We were just not ready,” senior Bianca Pope, who was first team All-Tournament, said. “We had heart, we had desire, we had everything, we were just a little nervous, a little cautious. They’re an amazing team."

A 3-pointer from 5-9 freshman Aleisha Hathaway, who had eight points and nine rebounds, and layup by Pope, who finished with 10 points, pulled Shadle within 19-17 3 minutes into the second quarter. Then Kennedy ran off seven straight over a 3-minute, 15-second span and led 29-22 at halftime.

It was the first time at state that the Highlanders had allowed more than 20 points in a half.

The two teams, which had forced opponents into 167 turnovers in the tournament (Shadle 85, Kennedy 82) combined for only 13 turnovers. The Highlanders finished with 18, the Lancers 17.

Knutsen, Niemeier and sophomore Chelsea Chandler combined for the first seven points of the third quarter to tie the game. Then Williams sandwiched two inside baskets around a Fuller drive and Daidra Brown, also a first-team selection stole the ball and made a layup for a 37-29 lead.

Pope responded with two layups to spark the final Highlanders charge.

“Hats off the them,” coach Dezellem said. “They’re a good team and we’re a good team. I’m very, very  proud of my kids.”

Tip-ins

Spokane referee Syd Perno Mott, a former player at University High School and Gonzaga University, worked the championship game. … At halftime, East Valley and coach by Rob Collins, received the 3A academic award. … The Highlanders last won a state trophy in 1989 when they captured the second of back-to-back championships. They made three appearances after that, the last in 2001. In both of those championship years Shadle Park also won volleyball titles, as the Highlanders did last November. … Kennedy was making its ninth straight appearance at state but before last year’s runnerup finish had only earned a seventh-place trophy in 2002.



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