State tournament notebook

Colfax extends streak, breaks King’s streak

By winning the state title game over King’s, the Colfax girls extended their all-time state tournament win streak to 18 games. Colfax ended King’s streak of 13 straight tournament wins in Class 2A and 1A coming into the game.

Colfax broke the previous record of 16 straight held by Lynden Christian, when it beat the Lyncs in the semifinals.

King’s and Colfax also met in the Class 1A volleyball state semifinals in November. King’s was the only team to win a game against the Bulldogs, but Colfax won the match and the title.

Public schools break through at state

Last year, private schools dominated the Class 1A and 2B state tournaments but this year, public schools took three out of four titles.

Brewster, the only public school to win a Class 1A boys title in the last eight years, beat Toledo, another public school. Private Bellevue Christian, which Brewster defeated in the quarterfinals, beat Brewster for the last two titles after Brewster won in 2003 and 2004. All four boys 1A semifinalists were public schools this year, something that had not happened since 1997.

Mossyrock, a public school, beat defending champions LaSalle, a private school near Yakima, for the girls 2B championship. The Colfax girls, the only public school state champion among the smallest classifications last year, repeated with a win over private King’s.

Northwest Christian (Colbert) repeated as the 2B boys champion beating Wahkiakum, a public school.

Trophies bookend Woods’ career

Shoreline Christian’s Colleen Woods finished her high school basketball career with four trips to state and a pair of trophies.

Woods played on Roosevelt’s state 4A championship team her freshman year and scored six points in the title game.

Her sophomore and junior years she played at the state B tournament as a Shoreline Christian Crusader.

Last Saturday, she helped the Crusaders win fifth-place over Toutle Lake.

“I’ve been really blessed these four years,” said Woods, who hopes to play at Northwest University in Kirkland next year. “I played at state all four years. Our team is pleased with what came out of this tournament.”

King’s Strand faces surgery on knees

King’s senior forward Sarah Strand had successful surgery Wednesday, March 7, on both of her knees to repair meniscus tears, her father Roger Strand said.

Strand played with the tears this season and was named to the Class 1A all-tournament first team. Strand, who signed with Montana State, is expected to be ready to play by the time practice starts this fall.

Newcomer Rowland makes a difference

King’s junior post/forward Bianca Rowland, who was granted hardship eligibility by the Washington Activities Association after she transferred from Mountlake Terrace this year, proved to be a key inside presence for the Knights.

The 6-foot Rowland averaged 13.8 points and took some pressure off the Knights two senior standouts Danielle Clauson and Sarah Strand.

In a quarterfinal win over Brewster, King’s got off to a slow start but Rowland kept the Knights in the game by scoring 13 of her game-high 21 points in the first half.

“She’s been a great addition,” Clauson said. “We’re glad she came.”

Morris ponders future

King’s boys coach Marv Morris said he will take a couple months to decide whether he returns to coach the Knights next year.

Last year, Morris took a different tack and told his team in the locker room after they lost the state 2A title game to Lynden Christian that he would return for a seventh season. Morris, 63, said his job status at the school is on a year-to-year basis by choice, but felt last year he wanted to make a commitment right away to the players he had coming back.

Right now, he’ll think things over and consult his family before announcing his plans later in the spring.

Crusaders practice at The Warehouse

While in Spokane, the Shoreline Christian girls basketball team holds its workouts at The Warehouse, a community center that features a basketball floor that was used by the Utah Jazz. Spokane native and Jazz great John Stockton helped finance The Warehouse. The team paid a small fee to practice after arriving in town the night before the tournament, coach Stan De Yager said.

Crusaders set up “war room” at hotel

The Shoreline Christian coaches, players and even some fans become game tape junkies during the state tournament, looking for any advantage they can get in preparation for an opponent.

They get together in a room at the Red Lion they call the “war room” and “view tapes for as long as we can keep our eyes open,” sometimes as late as 2 a.m., coach Stan De Yager said.

King’s, Shoreline Christian pack stands

Snowy weather in Seattle and on Snoqualmie Pass during the week didn’t stop a significant fan base from showing up to support the Shoreline Christian girls in Spokane, and King’s boys and girls in Yakima.

More than 250 fans came for the fifth-place game March 3, Crusaders’ coach Stan De Yager estimated.

“They were loud,” he said. “It felt like a train engine at the start of every game.”

Half of the Yakima SunDome was a sea of red during the title matchup between the King’s girls and Colfax.

King’s cheer squad shines in Yakima

King’s cheer squad proved to be one of the largest at state and its routines included some of the most complicated and well-executed stunts.

The team of Jean Blatchford, Josiah Billings, Nathan Billings, Ali Bundrant, Kaitlin Coats, Megan Crosby, Jerica Engelhart, Megan Hardy, Sarah Jones, Holly Kieling, Rebeka Lampe, Ingrid Peterson, Brianna Stevens, Natalie Thies, Brittany VanderGriend, Jenni Whalen is coached by Laurie Darrow and Lana Johnston.