STORY & PHOTOS BY GLENN NELSON
Katie Madison of Prairie splits University defenders Angie Bjorklund
(left) and Jenna Erickson (45) as teammate Tonya Schnibbe looks on.
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TACOMA, March 10 - Stripped down to its bare essentials, basketball can be a simple game, really. Score effectively and consistently close to the bucket and play great defense and you always have a shot. Everything else is white noise, gimmicks and hoping that you're on and they're off.
There has been no hoping for Lewis and Clark and Prairie this week. Theirs has been a firm and steady march through the Washington State 4A girl's basketball tournament. And throughout, they consistently have shown the best post offense and best overall defense.
Jamey Gelhar of Prairie keeps
tabs on University's Angie Bjorklund |
In short, the best two teams in the tournament have advanced to Saturday's championship game.
As clear as that point may be, calling a winner is as fuzzy as post-bender vision. The two teams have been here before - kinda - with Lewis and Clark taking a 40-37 decision in the quarterfinals, after which there was a bit of back-an- forth squawking about physical play. Maybe that's why Prairie coach Al Aldridge said, "I like these kind of rematches." He said it with a devilish grin, but didn't elaborate.
Well, if Aldridge wants to play up the pay-back angle, he does have his whole team back. Lewis and Clark essentially trades athletic guard Briann January, now playing at Arizona State, for versatile, 6-foot forward Katelan Redmon, a transfer from Mt. Spokane and the niece of head coach Jim Redmon.
And Aldridge does have the more physical team if for no other reason than he also has the tournament's most physical player in 6-1 Katie Madison, who is Idaho-bound next fall. Madison bulled her way for 16 points and 10 rebounds against the University defense to lead the 60-56 Prairie semifinal victory. It was a contrast to the super-smooth 20 and 16 put up by Heather Bowman in leading Lewis and Clark to its 54-37 victory over Auburn Riverside.
Though their formulas are the same - post scoring and defense - their approaches are as contrasting the playing styles of their star posts.
Riverside's Julie Futch is surrounded
by Lewis & Clark |
Lewis and Clark has bigger and more physical guards in Ren Mallory and Brittany Kennedy, who pounded Riverside star guard Julie Futch into submission and a 10-point, four-for-17 performance in her farewell game. The Ravens' rising junior post, Stephanie Wilber, was deflated, held to three of 12 from the field and just seven points. Taking a lead from their two stars, the Ravens shot a frosty 27.8 percent from the field, prompting coach Adam Barrett to say, "If we're not shooting well, we're in trouble."
Theirs would not be an exclusive club. Lincoln, considered the No. 1 team in the state by some, shot just 36.2 percent against Lewis and Clark in the quarterfinals and Gig Harbor only 32.5 percent in the first round. The Tigers have surrended the fewest points, an average of just 45, in the tournament.
Prairie takes an almost opposite approach to its defense. The Falcons employ a couple bolts of lightning, sophomore Ashley Corral and senior Jamey Gelhar, in front of a wall in the paint including Madison, 6-2 Merritt Cameron and 6-0 Amy Donovan. Even Aldridge's top reserve, Chelsey Porter, is a long 5-11. Their defensive scheme against University stayed true to this personnel.
Ashley Corral of Prairie |
While Kentwood nearly stole a victory from University the night before by playing a diamond-and-one against super-nova scorer Angie Bjorklund, Prairie played her straight up with Gelhar, giving up half a foot in the matchup. That conceded Bjorklund the ability to shoot over her defender, but only from the perimeter. All pathes to the basket, remember, were blocked by the great wall of suburban Vancouver. And, make no mistake, there is a huge difference between shooting over a defender on the block or baseline versus doing so 20 feet away from the basket. For Prairie, it was an extremely calculated risk because, with Gelhar's speed in the equation, the Falcons weren't exactly giving Bjorklund her points (she had a hard-earned 19).
Wither the championship game? We'd only be playing a hunch on Prairie. Lewis and Clark lost three straight games to University, all in less than a two-week span and by increasingly large margins, the last, in the Eastern District final, by 16. Redmon called it a "mental block against University," but it also had much to do with the Titans' packed-in 1-3-1 zone defense, which didn't seem to phaze Prairie in the semifinal. The Falcons likely won't emulate, but don't have to as they already make the lane a crowded place as it is.
The game ultimately will come down to which positional group matchup is a bigger factor - the frontlines or backcourt. The frontlines could very well play to a push, which would be considered a positive by either side. In which case, we like Prairie's chances as Ashley Corral's creativity and verve are a splendid x-factor for the Falcons.
Ula Tauala of Lewis & Clark | 
Stephanie Wilber of Riverside |
Our Complete 2006 State 4A Tournament Coverage Menu:
4A Tournament Gallery
Dozens of images from one of the most competitive State 4A tournaments in years, starting from the championship game and moving back to the beginning.
Elite 11: Tigers Roar
Lewis and Clark had the best combination of size, guard play, defense and coaching in the state this season.
A 4A Family Affair
Katelan Redmon's timely but unexpected 22 points help land a state championship for her and her uncle, Lewis and Clark coach Jim Redmon.
4A Tournament Recap
MVP, all-tournament team with profiles and comments, all scores and statistical leaders.
Practice Makes ... Third
Dara Zack practiced for the moment and came through for University, earning the Titans their highest finish at State.
'Desperation Mode' for Ike
After a quarterfinal loss, Eisenhower tossed all inhibitions aside, and plotted a course to fourth place.
Block Party for T-Birds
Mount Tahoma's unorthodox, frantic style, led by Shauniece Samms' shot-blocking, powered the T-Birds through the consolation bracket for a fifth-place finish.
Big and Defensive
Lewis & Clark and Prairie reach the State 4A championship game with great size and defense.
Stock on the Rise
The Kentwood junior has been the talk of the State 4A tournament and a hit with college coaches and scouts.
Pick Your Poison
There is so much to fear from the four 4A semifinalists, it's difficult to choose which to fear most.
Remember the Titans
When considering the candidates for 2006's darlings of destiny, Angie Bjorklund and University stand out from the pack.
Wednesday 4A Photos
Images from furious first-round action at the Tacoma Dome.
The Wolfpack is Back
One amazing youth basketball team helped produce three of the region's top young point guards, plus the core of the Jackson High School team that qualified for the State 4A
tournament for the first time in its history.
4A Bracket Breakdown
How we see the tournament unfolding, round by round and game by game, to a University vs. Auburn Riverside final featuring stars Angie Bjorklund and Julie Futch.
Elite Eleven: You Go, Girls
Three women - Joyce Walker, Penny Gienger and Kathy Gibson - enjoyed outstanding, role-setting seasons in girl's high-school basketball..
State 4A Team Capsules
Essential information on tournament participants, with power rankings by HoopGurlz.com (not predicted finish). Individual team capsules also can be accessed by clicking team
name from front-page list of qualifiers.
Commit List
Know where all the seniors are headed after the tournament. We have the most complete list anywhere of Division I commitments by players from Washington and Oregon.
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Glenn Nelson is the publisher of HoopGurlz.com and the editor-in-chief of Scout Media (www.Scout.com), an online sports network and magazine-publishing company and subsidiary of Fox Interactive Media. Glenn also founded and coached
the Dragons and Northwest HoopGurlz select girls basketball teams. He previously was a longtime, national-award-winning basketball columnist and writer for The Seattle
Times. His work also has appeared in several national magazines and books. He is co-author of "Rising Stars: The Ten Best Players in the NBA" (Rosen Publishing, 2002).
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