Bea’s big game in district tourney helped save season
The Columbian
Published: February 23, 2016, 11:13pm
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WASHOUGAL — It is a team game, but at times, a basketball squad needs a player to take over, to win a game.
In Washougal’s case, to save a season.
Beyonce Bea was open. She called for the ball. Catch. Release. Swish.
“It was really stressful. I knew this wasn’t where we were supposed to end. We could go so much further,” Bea said. “I wanted to help.”
The Washougal Panthers, on life support just a minute before trailing by seven points, were breathing on their own again, heading to overtime of an elimination game in the Class 2A District 4 girls basketball tournament.
Bea sent the game to OT with her 3-pointer, then scored seven of her team’s 10 points in overtime in a victory over W.F. West last week. She finished with 33 points that night.
Oh, she’s a freshman. And for the record, the final “e” on Bea’s first name is silent, unlike the singer with a similar name.
There was nothing silent about Bea’s follow-up performance — a 17-point, 11-rebound effort against rival Hockinson in the third-place game, another overtime victory, this one sending Washougal to the state regional round. The Panthers will travel Saturday to face White River at Puyallup High School for a chance to go to the Yakima SunDome for the state quarterfinals.
The Panthers won a share of the 2A Greater St. Helens League title this year, with seniors RaeAnn Allen and Alyssa Blankenship leading the way. But that night against W.F. West, Blankenship fouled out in the fourth quarter, and Allen fouled out in overtime.
It had to be Bea’s time.
“I wanted to play to the best of my ability, to take over for them,” she said.
“She saved our butt,” Washougal coach Brian Oberg said.
In the team huddle before the overtime, Oberg noticed Bea’s face had lit up.
“We told her, ‘Just don’t stop,’ ” he said.
She didn’t.
Bea said she had no idea how many points she had scored. In fact, she said everybody contributed that night, “to make up for the seniors who had fouled out.”
The Panthers needed overtime again to beat Hockinson, with Bea completing a three-point play to secure the victory.
“I’m grateful I got the opportunity to play varsity as a freshman,” Bea said. “That’s what I’ve worked for, what I dreamed of.”
With her help, the Panthers are in the state playoffs for the first time since 1983.
“It feels amazing,” Bea said. “I’m just so happy I could be a part of this.”
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