3 answers for local teams’ state tourney questions

Published 11:50 pm Monday, February 25, 2008

Someday Randall Edens will find time to relax and fully appreciate all the success.

But right now something else demands the complete attention of Edens, Lake Stevens High School’s girls basketball coach, and 15 of his coaching peers.

Lake Stevens is one of 16 teams participating in this week’s four-day Class 4A state championships at the Tacoma Dome. First-round action tips off Wednesday.

Edens, the Vikings’ third-year coach, has guided his squad to the state tourney for the third-consecutive season, an enviable 3-for-3 streak.

Not bad, especially considering the Lake Stevens job is his first as a head hoops coach.

“It’s tremendously sweet,” said Edens, who credited the program’s talented, dedicated players — past and present — for the unusual achievement.

The sweetest thing of all, he said, would be to earn a top-eight trophy, something Lake Stevens failed to do the past two years.

“No matter what we’ve accomplished so far this season, the bottom line is to get to (a trophy game) Saturday at the tournament,” Edens said. “We would trade everything we’ve accomplished up to this point to get to that day and bring home a trophy.”

Can they do it? Here is an answer to that question and a few others involving the three local teams (Lake Stevens, Jackson and Snohomish) in the 4A girls state tourney.

Can Jackson and Lake Stevens make history?

Yes, based on the Associated Press 4A rankings.

District 1 champion Jackson (22-1) has won 21 consecutive games. Back at state for the third straight year, the third-ranked Timberwolves appear to be title contenders. The program’s highest finish ever came last season, when it placed eighth.

No. 4 Lake Stevens (21-2), which lost against Jackson Saturday in the district title game, has never placed higher than fourth. The Vikings had a two-point lead over Jackson before fading in the final 2 minutes.

“They have a shot to win the title. They’re a great team,” Jackson coach Jeannie Thompson.

Snohomish (19-5) is the only team that beat Jackson and Lake Stevens this season.

The tourney favorites are top-ranked, unbeaten Lewis &Clark (25-0) and No. 2 Prairie (18-3).

Which player’s unlikely return sparked Lake Stevens?

Two days before the start of the season, Alona Personius hadn’t decided if she’d try out for basketball. Lake Stevens is sure glad Personius took a chance.

After taking a year off from basketball during her junior year, Personius became an important piece in Lake Stevens’ return to Tacoma. The athletic 5-foot-9 guard fit perfectly on a squad that returned four starters.

“It’s huge. It allows us another weapon to score from the perimeter, and frankly her length and instincts on defense has been a tremendous asset,” Edens said of Personius, a first-year varsity player who averages about nine points, five rebounds, three steals and three assists.

“We wouldn’t have been able to make it as far as we have without her,” Lake Stevens senior Leah Tate said.

Why did Personius return? She said she temporarily gave up hoops last year to focus on softball, but she couldn’t pass up a chance to reunite with her friends.

Said Personius, “I really wanted to get back together with the girls, mostly the seniors because we had played together (since fifth grade). I really wanted this to be a really memorable season.”

Which former local coach could derail’s Jackson’s title hopes?

If Jackson passes its first-round test against Moses Lake (21-5) and gets through a quarterfinal clash against either Skyview (22-3) or Kentwood (21-4), it could play Ballard (21-2) Friday in the semifinals.

Ballard is coached by Karen Blair, the former Meadowdale coach whose Mavericks teams never lost a Western Conference South Division game against Jackson.

This is Blair’s third season at Ballard, which is making its first state-tourney appearance. Blair resigned at Meadowdale after the 2004-2005 season, citing her frustration with some players’ parents. She guided Meadowdale to 3A state titles in 2000 and 2004 and a record of 255-39 in 11 seasons.

Writer Mike Cane: mcane@heraldnet.com. Check out the prep sports blog Double Team at cmg-northwest2.go-vip.net/heraldnet/doubleteam.