Ben Bryson kind of saw this coming awhile ago. The life-long Darrington resident, now in his eighth year as the Loggers girls basketball coach, watched as his current group of seniors came together as middle schoolers, and he had a pretty good idea that they could be pretty special.
He was ri
ght.
The group made some noise last year, getting Darrington into the state tournament for the first time in five years, only to go two-and-out. That won’t be good enough this year.
Now, led by a talented group of seniors, including twins Hailey and Randi Wales, Renee Cousins and Caresse Baker, the Loggers are ranked No. 1 in the state by the Associated Press, have lost just one game (to Class 3A No. 4-ranked Kennedy Catholic) and won their first league title since the 2003-04 season.
Just what Bryson thought they might do.
“Living here, you always notice the kids as they’re coming up,” Bryson said. “I saw how they played when they were younger and in middle school. They’ve played together ever since they were in third or fourth grade, and they hardly ever lost a game. So I had an idea they’d be pretty good once they got here.”
Pretty good may be an understatement. Darrington is 18-1, went 12-0 in league play and they’ve led after every quarter in every game except the loss to Kennedy.
“I’ve never heard of a Darrington team doing that,” Bryson said. “We’ve been beating people pretty good, but we’re going to get tested soon and we’ll see how our nerves are then.”
Indeed, Darrington is on a roll. The Loggers have won their last seven games by an average of 32 points and have just three wins that came by fewer than 10 points, none since Jan. 14. Darrington swept defending league champion Friday Harbor, including a 14-point victory three games ago.
“That’s a big thing for us,” Bryson said. “That was a big hurdle because Friday Harbor is a very good team. We’re playing really, really well right now.”
Well enough to win a state title is the big question, though. Darrington has never won a state title in any girls sport, and has only four state titles ever, three in boys basketball (1955, ’57 and 2003) and one in baseball (1981). The Loggers girls basketball team has been to 14 state tournaments but has gone 5-28, finishing seventh in 2001 and eighth in 1985. Darrington has been eliminated after two games at state 11 times, including last year, and is on a seven-game losing streak at the state tourney.
“They got their first taste of state last year,” Bryson said of his current group. “Anytime you go there, it’s an eye opener. This year, they’re much more confident and prepared.”
Darrington spent the offseason challenging itself in some tough summer leagues, beating some of the top small schools in the state. That built confidence that this could be the year that the Loggers would break through.
Of course, while confidence is nice, it helps to have talent, and the Loggers have plenty of that. Hailey Wales is one of the top girls basketball players in Snohomish County at any classification and, like Hailey Wales, Randi Wales and Cousins are both averaging double figures in points. Baker is one of the top point guards in the area, and a major addition has been the play of 6-foot-1 junior Jessica Brooks, who had her first double-double a week ago and gives Darrington four outstanding scorers.
“Last year, we had three who could score but with Jessica, we’re now so much harder to defend,” Bryson said. “She didn’t even start last year but she’s worked so hard to get better. Now you can’t take away any of our players because we have so many we can go to.”
The addition of Brooks also gives Darrington something not a lot of small schools have: size. The Wales sisters are both 5-10 and Sophie Jones, a 5-11 junior, comes off the bench. The development of that size has allowed Hailey Wales to take on more of a playmaker role and not be confined to playing inside.
“She’s a different player this year,” Bryson said. “Last year she was depended on to be a scorer, but this year she has more assists, more rebounds, she’s more of a role player and that’s changed the whole team. We’re much more dangerous now because you can’t just key on her. And she’s so good, she gets everyone involved.”
So size. Talent. Experience. Chemistry. Sounds like a state championship contender. Bryson says this is the best hope the program has had to bring home a first-place trophy since he can remember.
“This is the first time we’ve had this kind of balance,” he said. “We know there’s a lot of competition out there and it’s going to be a battle for us. No one has talked about our ranking or winning state. We focused on the league championship, and now the district championship and then, hopefully, we’ll focus on getting a state trophy. These are smart kids and they know what they’re capable of. They’ve been waiting for this so I’m excited to see what they can do.”
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