Prairie girls basketball coach Brett Johnson said Wednesday’s game against Mark Morris would be the fifth top-quality, non-league basketball opponent his Falcons have faced this season.
The Falcons were 2-2 in those games going into Wednesday. Johnson called that “mediocre.”
Well, the Falcons are now 2-3 in those contests.
Mark Morris, the top-ranked Class 2A team in the state, never trailed after the first quarter and beat Prairie 57-48. Kourtney Eaton scored 18 points, leading four Monarchs in double figures.
While the Falcons would have preferred a different result, it was not all bad, according to sophomore Cherita Daugherty, who scored all 14 of her points in the second half.
“The coaches thought we did good. They didn’t have many negative things to say,” Daugherty said of the post-game talk. “We played close throughout the whole game. We just didn’t do as good toward the end.”
The Falcons just could not get the ball in the basket. Prairie, a small team built on defense and outside shooting, was 5 of 36 from 3-point range.
Still, there was a chance.
Jamie Phares’ steal and lay-up midway through the fourth quarter made it a two-point game at 49-47.
Mark Morris, though, would close the game on an 8-1 run.
Breanna DuBois had a double-double for the Monarchs with 15 points and 10 rebounds. Ashley Coons added 11 points and Karley Eaton had 10 points and seven rebounds.
Prairie and Mark Morris are both undefeated in their respective leagues. Both expect to stay that way, too. So non-league games against quality opponents are scheduled in order to prepare each other for the postseason.
The Monarchs expect to compete for 2A state title. The Falcons are trying to get to the Tacoma Dome for the 3A state tournament.
Mark Morris has played both Prairie and Class 4A Skyview this season, going 1-1 against those strong programs.
“It’s a win-win for us,” Mark Morris coach Steve Rooklidge said. “We’re getting better regardless of the outcome. We see things from Prairie and Skyview … that really make us better.”
Prairie has lost to Skyview, W.F. West of Chehalis (another 2A power) and now Mark Morris.
“I’m trying to see where we stand. We want to have some tough teams going down the stretch,” Johnson said.
Daugherty agreed. Even though Prairie lost this one, she said she prefers games like this rather than the blowouts that come regularly in league play.
The Falcons, she said, will learn from these defeats.
“We have to do everything, maybe not perfect, but everything has to be put together,” Daugherty said. “We can’t get away with some stuff like we can in our league games.”
MARK MORRIS 57, PRAIRIE 48
Mark Morris — Ashley Coons 11, Kourtney Eaton 18, Karley Eaton 10, Breanna DuBois 15, Renee Pond 1, Emily Holt-Giles 2, Tayler Teeters 0. Totals 21-46 (2-11) 13-18 57.
Prairie — Lindsay Asplund 0, Jozie Tangemann 0, Grace Prom 3, Jamie Phares 6, Nicole Goecke 17, Emily Peters 0, Cherita Daugherty 14, Natalie Whitesel 4, Malia Teriipaia 4. Totals 19-70 (5-36) 5-7 48.
Mark Morris 12 10 21 14–57
Prairie 11 8 20 9–48
JV — Prairie won.
