SPOKANE — The No. 3 Napavine girls basketball team hung around the entire way, despite some doubters in the stands, but ultimately fell in the 2B state third/fifth-place game Saturday afternoon at Spokane Arena, 54-47.
Though not many in Spokane gave the third-seeded Tigers a fighting chance to keep up with No. 2 Okanogan and No. 4 Warden entering the tournament, Napavine gave the Bulldogs a fight Friday and gave the Cougars a stiff test to take fifth when all was said and done.
“I’m so proud of the kids,” Napavine coach Shane Schutz said. “No one wants to lose, we came out here to win today. We earned a ton of people’s respect. We came out here and played two of the best teams in the state and we battled. I think most people thought we’d get blown out. For us to accomplish what we did, I’m so proud of the kids. It was so awesome for the community.”
The Tigers took a 13-12 lead after the first quarter, and was never out of their contest against the defending 2B champs, though at one point they trailed by 14 points in the fourth quarter.
Still, Napavine clawed and scratched, and made it a single-digit game late. It was just too little, too late.
“They probably looked at us as the fourth best team in the state,” Schutz said. “After today, and the two performances we had, I think we earned their respect. We’re going to continue to get better. We really believe we had an incredible year, we beat some good teams.”
Taylen Evander had another strong game after a good scoring outing against Okanogan, scoring seven points and swiping away a steal at the lead guard spot. In her final game as a Tiger, Morgan Hamilton scored a team-high 14 points, and fellow senior Danielle Tupuola continued her strong tourney with eight points and six rebounds off the bench.
Those two will be missed by Schutz, and the Tigers.
“Morgan was a difference maker in our program,” Schutz said. “She was so selfless, she wanted to win. I don’t think she could ask for better teammates and we couldn’t ask for a better kid that put her heart on the line every day. Dani, coming from where she was, to now is leaps and bounds. She was why we were in this position, she was awesome in this tournament.
“They really established a culture. These two, they helped change our mindset. our juniors have fed off that. They’ve set the table for the future of Napavine basketball and what our culture will look like, I’m so grateful.”
Hayden Kaut tied Hamilton for the team lead with 14 points of her own with a team-high seven rebounds, and the Tigers held Warden star Lauryn Madsen to 7-of-28 shooting from the floor, despite a game-high 21 points and 14 rebounds from Madsen.
Napavine will return all but Tupuola and Hamilton next season, fresh off its first trophy since it finished fifth in 2018.
“Now people across the state know what we’re about, we’re bringing a lot back this year,” Schutz said.
