The Prairie girls basketball team celebrated its 20th consecutive league title with another victory to open another postseason.
And if things go well for the Falcons again on Saturday, they will be celebrating another trip to state.
Four Falcons scored in double figures Thursday night as Prairie opened the Class 3A bi-district tournament with a 65-33 victory over North Thurston of Lacey.
Brooke Walling had 20 points, Cassidy Gardner and Jozie Tangeman each connected for 13, and Mallory Williams had 11 as Prairie (18-3) led from start to finish.
“It was intense. Obviously a lot different than league,” Walling said. “We just came out ready to go. We wanted to do well and it really showed.”
Prairie will face Timberline of Lacey in the bi-district quarterfinals in Olympia Saturday. A win in that game will qualify the Falcons to state for the 20th consecutive season.
“It’s good to come out here with a big win,” Gardner said. “Now we can feed off this energy.”
Tangeman had six assists, Allie Corral had four assists and 14 rebounds, and the Falcons got a little bit of something from all their regulars.
One could say these Falcons got Thursday’s win in the same fashion the previous 19 teams got all those wins: Defense and passing. The past was featured at halftime, with former coaches joining today’s players to honor the accomplishment.
Then today’s team really got it going in the second half.
“We made some adjustments, and the kids really responded,” first-year Prairie coach Hala Corral said. “The kids took the challenge.”
Prairie changed its press defense, and also switched it up on offense. That led to a 30-10 advantage in the second half — with so many contributing.
“Whether you shoot it or you get an assist on it, it feels good no matter what,” said Walling, who was 8 for 10 from the floor, including three 3-pointers.
“We don’t really care if it’s our shot,” Gardner added. “It’s more we want to get our teammate open for a great shot instead of taking a good shot.”
Hala Corral said after the Falcons missed their first few outside shots of the game, they went inside to “get some confidence.”
That worked. The Falcons would end up with 22 first-quarter points.
Brooklyn Harn led North Thurston with 15 points. She made three first-half 3-pointers to keep the Rams within 12 of the Falcons.
Williams got Prairie headed into the direction of a rout with back-to-back 3-pointers in the third quarter. Walling followed with a three-point play, and the game had gone from 39-27 to 48-27 in a matter of seconds. Tangeman would swish a 3-pointer to make it a 12-0 run.
By the end of the game, no one really recalled those first few long misses for the Falcons. They ended up making 10 3-pointers.
Prairie, with its long history, lives for the playoffs. Walling and Gardner say at this school, the goal is always to win a state title.
Yet Gardner also said they have been told by their coaches to not to worry about March just yet.
“We’re just thinking of each game, going 1-0,” Gardner said. “Think about this game until the next one.”
If these Falcons keep that approach, they will get to celebrate another milestone for the program.
PRAIRIE 65, NORTH THURSTON 33
NORTH THURSTON — Brooklyn Harn 15, Rokki Brown 7, Anna Hartley 2, Kylee Freese 0, Janae Kalama 1, Aurora Goodwin 0, Quinlan Christian 8, Lauren Bailey 0, Kortney Kerbaugh 0. Totals 11 (4) 7-15 33.
PRAIRIE — Sarina Martinez 0, Allie Corral 5, Kazz Parks 2, Jozie Tangeman 13, Mallory Williams 11, Grace Prom 1, Sydney Weber 0, Malaika Quigley 0, Haley Reed 0, Lauren Vreeken 0, Cassidy Gardner 13, Brooke Walling 20. Totals 26 (10) 3-4 65.
N. Thurston 14 9 6 4–33
Prairie 22 13 16 14–65
