Tigercats: 3rd at 1B state!

LWK rolls to big win over Pomeroy in trophy game

The LaCrosse-Washtucna/Kahlotus Tigercats basketball season came to a close Saturday afternoon in the Spokane Arena when the team left the court with smiles on their faces, waves of appreciation to their fans and a trophy in hand.

In perhaps the best display of teamwork and sportsmanship seen all season, the Tigercats earned third place in the 1B Hardwood Classic State Tournament with a 67-36 landslide win over Pomeroy.

The two league rivals found themselves battling on the court for the fourth time this season, giving Pomeroy an opportunity for redemption after the Tigercats took the Southeast District 9 championship title a few weeks ago. Both teams suffered a loss in the semifinal round of the tournament, but the Tigercats did not let the previous day’s loss affect their game against Pomeroy.

The game looked like it would go in Pomeroy’s favor when Pirate Riley Bolt drained a three only 15 seconds into the game. The three-point shot gave Pomeroy the only point advantage they would have for the remainder off the game.

Jed Zimmer put up the first points for the Tigercats, and midway through the first quarter, Alec Fleming hit a three to give the Tigercats the lead they would maintain for the remainder of the game.

The Tigercats went on a scoring run, hitting six of the first eight shots taken. When the first quarter ended, the Tigercats had a dominating 21-7 advantage over Pomeroy. Pomeroy outscored the Tigercats in the second quarter, 12-8, and brought the halftime score within 10 points.

“The biggest concern I had was letting Pomeroy back into the game. We’ve jumped out to big leads and then let them back in the game,” head coach Mike Jones said about the team going into halftime. “We wanted to talk about not letting them back in the game and continuing to be aggressive.”

The Tigercats took their coach’s concern to heart and outscored the Pirates 38-17 in the second half, never giving Pomeroy an opportunity to get back in the game.

With a high point advantage, the Tigercats played relaxed basketball and remained patient on offense by not forcing shots.

“The kids did well: they accepted the challenge and played well,” Jones said about the final game. “The mindset before the game, there was disappointment, but at the same time there was a familiarity with Pomeroy. They weren’t as concerned going into that game, they could just go out and play.”

In the final minutes of the game, Jones turned to his bench and let his starters enjoy a chance to relax and support their teammates who have cheered them on all season.

When senior athlete Jared Stark was fouled on a jump shot and sank two free throws, the bench came alive and the athletes got out of their seats to celebrate their teammate.

The enthusiasm continued when Graham BeDell was fouled and went to the line, hitting one of his two free throw attempts. In the final game of his basketball career, Sam Harder sank a shot from the paint to add two points for the Tigercats in the final minute of the game.

The game ended with a display of teamwork and selflessness by junior athlete Bo Rice, who drove baseline and beat his defender, but passed the ball to Stark to hit the final shot of the game.

“It was a really good way to end the state tournament; all of our players were able to contribute in some way,” Jones said. “The kids really get along well, and they’re really happy when their teammates do well. I think that’s a sign of what we’ve done all year: that a different kid steps up in every game.”

The trophy game ended with two seniors leading the Tigercats scoring drive: Zimmer had 19 points and Austin Summers put up 15. Darcy Stamper had nine points, Fleming contributed eight and Justin Wargo had seven. Stark ended the night with four points, Harder and Joey Guske had two apiece, and BeDell added one point.

The Tigercats ended with a 70 percent shooting average from the foul line and 45.3 percent shooting from the field. The team also outrebounded Pomeroy 40-27 in the final game.

The previous night’s game had been a hard-fought battle for the Tigercats when Neah Bay took their championship hopes with a 77-60 win over the Tigercats. Neah Bay outpaced the Tigercats from the beginning of the game and the advantage was secured by Neah Bay shooting nearly 53 percent as a team during the game.

The Tigercats ran into trouble against two Neah Bay athletes, Abraham Venske and Tyler McCaulley, who sank a combined 50 points for the Red Devils. McCaulley began the game with a long-range 3-pointer and would remain deadly from the perimeter throughout the night, sinking eight of 12 three-point shots.

Despite a strong offensive effort by Stamper and Zimmer, the Tigercats were unable to put up the points to compete with Neah Bay. The Red Devils had a 21-10 advantage at the end of the first quarter, and the Tigercats slowly chipped away at the lead by outscoring Neah Bay 18-14 in the second.

“Neah Bay took us out of everything we wanted to do. They beat us and did a better job executing,” Jones said. “We had a rebounding advantage on them when shots were missed, they just didn’t miss very many shots. We shot almost 40 percent on the game, and usually if we shot 40 percent from the field, we’re doing pretty well. That was the difference in the ball game.”

The Tigercats would end the night shooting 75 percent from the free throw line and outrebounding Neah Bay, 34-25. Stamper went eight of eight from the foul line and had 16 points for the Tigercats, while Zimmer put up 20 points. Wargo added 10 points, Fleming had eight and Summers contributed six.

The Tigercats earned the match up against Neah Bay when they defeated Soap Lake 56-40 in the state tournament opener on Thursday. Summers had his best game of the season, scoring 13 points and hitting three of five three-point shots.

“Austin (Summers) overall had a really good tournament,” Jones said about the senior athlete. “He got us going against Soap Lake, and I’m really pleased and happy for him. He’s capable of putting up those numbers, and he just kept plugging away and persevered. I’m glad he made the most of the opportunity given to him.”

Summers ended his high school basketball career with a perfect record from the foul line during the three-day tournament, sinking all eight of his shots from the charity stripe.

The game against Soap Lake displayed the strength and experience of four senior athletes, including Summers, who led the team on both ends of the court. Fleming and Zimmer had 10 points apiece, and Wargo put up six points for the team.

The four athletes played aggressive and active defense, forcing 12 Soap Lake turnovers and contesting every shot the Eagles put up. Soap Lake only had three athletes score during the game, while the Tigercats used their balanced scoring drive to secure the early tournament win.

Contributing key points to the Tigercats first game win were Guske with eight points, Stamper with seven and Riley Roberts with two points.

The Tigercats maintained a consistent lead against Soap Lake, earning an early 11-8 advantage at the end of the first quarter. The second quarter remained balanced, and the Tigercats went into the locker room with a three-point lead, 22-19.

The Tigercats came out shooting strong in the third quarter and dominated the scoring drive over Soap Lake. Summers continued to be a threat from the perimeter that the Eagles were unable to contain.

With the Tigercats having the ability to look to any athlete on the court to put up points, the Eagles could not prevent the continuous shooting success of the Tigercats. The Tigercats used their height advantage in the third quarter, looking to Zimmer to put up points and snagging offensive rebounds for put-back points.

The second half remained heavily in favor of the Tigercats who outscored Soap Lake 35-21 in a last chance effort. The win over the Eagles gave the Tigercats a guarantee of a trophy on Saturday.

Even though the loss to Neah Bay knocked the Tigercats out of the championship game, Jones said the team is happy with the third place finish.

Only three 1B teams left the state tournament with a win, and the team is grateful to be one of them.

The last moment the Tigercats spent on the court was waving good-bye and thanking their fans for the constant support they have shown this season.

The Tigercats have seven senior athletes who will not be returning to the courts next year: Matt Stubbs, Zimmer, Fleming, Summers, Wargo, Stark and Harder. The group of seniors have been consistent leaders for the team and played some of their best career basketball at the Hardwood Classic.

“The kids are happy today, a little sad that the season is over, but to go clear to March is a long season,” Jones said Monday when the athletes returned to class.

“It was a good experience and the kids had a lot of fun,” Jones added. “We had good fan support in Spokane, Walla Walla and through the entire district tournament … The communities were excited and we were excited to finish third.”