ARLINGTON — In order to make it to the regional round of the state basketball playoffs for a third consecutive season, a lot has had to go right for the Arlington girls basketball team. First and foremost, the Eagles have had to be good. Second, their players and coaches have had to make smart decisions at crucial times. And finally, like all great teams sometimes do, they’ve needed a little luck.
There’s no denying the Eagles are good. Their 21-3 records speaks for itself, but they’ve had plenty of the other two ingredients to success this season to help them get back to the state playoffs. Arlington will face Shadle Park at 2 p.m. on Saturday at Mt. Spokane High School with a third consecutive trip to Tacoma for the state quarterfinals on the line.
“Clearly, that was one of our goals coming into the season was to get back to Tacoma,” Arlington head coach Joe Marsh said. “We didn’t really talk about it much early in the season. We knew we had business to take care of to get there. For us, it’s one step at a time.”
A big step came midway through the season. With one of his best players, junior Jayla Russ, struggling to stay on the floor because of persistent foul trouble, Marsh came up with a plan that he knew might not be popular with his star forward.
Rather than start as she had since late in her freshman season, Russ would come off the bench. Marsh thought the move would avoid early foul trouble and bring some energy in with the second unit.
For Russ, the move took some getting used to.
“It was hard at first because I’d been starting since my freshman year, but then I took it as a positive,” Russ said. “I get to go in with the second group and bring more energy. I just took it as a positive and think it’s working out.”
To Marsh’s credit, he made sure Russ knew exactly why he was making to move.
“I told her, ‘I’m not punishing you. This is to try to help you stay in games. We need you in games,’” Marsh said. “She literally was probably playing half of the minutes that we wanted her to because of foul trouble in the first half. That’s just not good for the team.”
Marsh’s decision was a risk, but it has paid off. Since making the move, the Eagles’ only loss came in the 3A District 1 semifinals to Glacier Peak.
The loss to the Grizzlies meant the Eagles had to win two consecutive loser-out games to advance to this weekend’s state regional game. After a 19-point victory over Stanwood in the first of those games, the Eagles’ resolve was tested in the second.
Their opponent in the winner-to-regionals/loser out game was Edmonds-Woodway, the only team other than Glacier Peak to beat the Eagles this season. It looked like the Warriors might get a second victory over Arlington until Jessica Ludwig, one of just two seniors on the Eagles’ roster, knocked down a 25-foot 3-pointer with 12 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter that ultimately would send the game to overtime. Arlington won 57-52 in overtime.
It wasn’t exactly how Marsh drew it up, but sometimes you need a little luck.
Down by three, Marsh set up a play for junior Sevi Bielser, one of the team’s better shooters, but the Warriors’ defense was ready.
So was Ludwig.
“That’s a play ran for Sevi (Bielser) and we’re anticipating for her to shoot, but they know she’s a shooter,” Ludwig said. “I just stepped out and she passed it to me. I knew we needed a shot and even though we had a lot of time it was kind of just instinct to shoot it — and it went in.”
Marsh probably wished it didn’t come down to a 25-footer, but said he had faith in his senior when he saw she had an open look.
“I wasn’t worried, I was happy,” Marsh said. “It was a clean look and there was nobody around her. She got a clean look at it, so you just hope for the best at that point — and it was all net.
“What more can you ask for out of a kid that’s had a great career who’s not ready to be done and just says, ‘You know what, I’m going to knock this thing down,’” he added.
The Eagles’ defense kept the Warriors off the scoreboard for the final 12 seconds of regulation and the team went on to win and advance as the district’s No. 3 seed. After making the district championship game the last two seasons while still a 4A school, the Eagles took a different path, but in a district that has three of the top six teams in the final Associated Press poll of the season (No. 1 Lynnwood, No. 4 Glacier Peak and No. 6 Arlington), the Eagles are simply happy to still be playing.
“We’re really happy to get out of that district,” Marsh said. “We knew it was going to be really hard to do. This time of year it should be hard. I’ve never seen it where we had that level of talent on multiple teams.”
Despite what the rankings say, it’s possible that the three best teams in the state might be the three ranked teams from Wesco.
“On any given night we’ll go out and we’ll play with anybody. That’s what we feel like,” Marsh said. “I know watching and having played against Glacier Peak twice this year and having played Lynnwood the last couple of years and watching them that those are two of the best teams in the state. There’s no doubt in my mind. I’m just going to tell you about us. We’ll take the challenge and go play anybody on any night because we feel like we have a chance to win.”
The Eagles have a very good chance to win this Saturday. Their regional opponent, Shadle Park, comes into the game with a record of just 7-16, but Marsh and his players know not to take anything for granted.
“We just realize no matter what draw you get, every team is good at this point,” Ludwig said. “You can’t take anybody lightly. There is no reason to take anybody lightly at all. Every team is good. It’s a long drive, but we just look at it as a positive. We get to be together as a team.”
With three straight regional appearances, the Eagles have already accomplished something most teams don’t get a chance to do, but they’ll wait to reflect until after the season.
“I don’t think high school kids understand how unusual it is,” Marsh said. “Three straight league championships. Three straight 20-win seasons. Those don’t just happen by accident and they don’t happen very often. It’s one of those things you really have to enjoy. Once we step away they’ll get some perspective on it, but now we want to get to Tacoma. That’s what it’s all about. That’s the big prize.”
Aaron Lommers covers prep sports for The Herald. Follow him on Twitter at @aaronlommers and contact him at alommers@heraldnet.com.
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