Class 2B State Girls Basketball: Napavine sends senior Jessie McCoy out on top

SPOKANE — As Napavine High School’s Jessie McCoy walked off the court for the final time on Saturday afternoon, she shared a long embrace with Shane Schutz.

When they gathered to take the last team picture with their third-place trophy in hand after a 59-47 triumph over Reardan, McCoy nestled her head into Hayden Kaut’s shoulder with plenty of tears.

It was the culmination of a prep basketball career that ended with three Class 2B state semifinal appearances, a state title, a third and a fifth place finish.

“Who wouldn’t want that type of award and hard work that (she) put in,” Schutz, the Tigers head coach said. “It is incredible. Not every kid gets that. We were glad we got to send her off on a win.

“She should never have any regrets. What a cool way to end the season.”

The  Tigers will also lose the only other senior on the team, Grace Pancake. 

McCoy recorded 10 points – including a couple key 3-pointers in the second half – to help the fifth-seeded Tigers upend the fourth-seeded Screaming Eagles in an Opening Round rematch from seven days ago.

She accepted the third place trophy with those tears still welling up. She’ll end her prep career with track and field this spring, but basketball always held a special place in her heart.

Since third grade, McCoy has shared the hardwood with Kaut and Evander.

“It has been a really good time and I love them all so much,” McCoy said. “I’m so sad to leave, but I am glad we ended on a good note and it was really special to get this far. It was the best way to end it.”

Napavine (22-8) have been out east since that loss to Reardan. They’ve been in hotel beds and around each other day in and day out.

Nothing ever got in the way of the ultimate goal. And while the Tigers fell short of repeating, they still took a trophy back to Lewis County.

Externally, there were questions on how far this younger team would go. Internally, the first meeting against Adna, changed viewpoints.

“We figured out what we could do best, together,” McCoy said. “We’re all really good friends.”

Napavine finished third in the C2BL, third in districts and third in the state. It used defensive prowess to win the first two games inside Spokane Arena and it returned in win No. 3.

Evander held Reardan’s top scorer Tenice Watters to 12 points on just 4-of-14 from the field. The junior point guard also notched a game-high 19 points, including two triples that capped an 8-0 spree late in the second quarter.

Those buckets came when Kaut was on the bench with three fouls.

“I knew someone needed to score and I just shot the ball,” Evander said with a chuckle.

Schutz’s daughter, Alexis, played four minutes and delivered a spark on both sides of the floor. So too did freshman Ava Ondong in that stretch to lead by three entering the locker room.

“We didn’t have that much pressure on us,” Evander said.

A quick 5-0 flurry put the Tigers lead at double figures for the first time in the third and it ballooned to as much as 15 in the fourth. Reardan never got to single digits the entire final eight minutes.

Kaut finished with a 17-point, 10-rebound double-double, her fourth of the tournament, while Hannah Fay dished out five assists. Besides McCoy, everyone else is expected to be back for the 2025-26 season.

Still, Schutz believes a lot of things are unknown about next winter.

“We’re going to enjoy this year and get back to work on Monday, they'll have to do their individual stuff if they want to play on Saturday night,” he said. “You can only be the best version of you.”