LAKEWOOD – The Prairie boys basketball team didn’t complain about its third 250-mile round-trip bus ride in six days.
Prairie didn’t worry that a loss would end its season.
And Prairie didn’t dwell on the fact that no Falcons team had reached the state tournament in a decade.
Prairie put all that aside to play one of its best games of the season Thursday. The Falcons dominated Capital 64-40 in the District 3-4 tournament at Clover Park High School.
Since a quarterfinal loss to Timberline on Feb. 10, Prairie has won two consecutive loser-out games. Thursday’s win clinched a berth to the Class 3A state tournament, the Falcons’ first since 2008.
“We just keep playing and don’t give up,” junior guard Kam Osborn said. “When we get down, we don’t drop our heads and stay down there. When we lost to Timberline, we all came together and said we’ve got to do something this team hasn’t done in a while.”
Osborn scored a game-high 23 points, including five of his team’s nine 3-pointers. But it was hardly a one-man show.
Led by sophomore twins A.J. and Zeke Dixson, Prairie’s defense swarmed to the ball. The Falcons held their opponents from Olympia to a season-low in points.
“When I step onto the floor I say defense first,” A.J. Dixson said. “Shots will come later. Defense creates shots.”
“That’s our job,” Zeke Dixson added. “That’s what we do.”
Prairie (18-6) has one more trip to the Tacoma area ahead of it. The Falcons face Wilson of Tacoma on Saturday to decide the bi-district tournament’s No. 5 and 6 seeds to the state tournament.
It’s a trip Prairie will take in stride. After winning a close loser-out game against Peninsula on Tuesday, the Falcons fancy themselves as battle-tested road warriors.
“I thought our guys persevered through our last game,” head coach Kyle Brooks said. “In doing that, I thought it gave us confidence tonight to play the way we did. It was probably our best game of the year for four quarters.”
“We’re going to rely on experience from those types of games,” said senior Dante Heitschmidt, who had 13 points and three 3-pointers.
Osborn hit two 3-pointers as Prairie made seven of its first 10 shots from the field. That helped the Falcons take a 22-16 lead after one quarter.
Then Prairie’s defense kicked in. Capital (17-7) scored just five points in the second quarter as Prairie took a 36-21 halftime lead.
The Falcons stretched the lead. It eventually reached 51-30 when Osborn hit his final 3-pointer on Prairie’s first possession of the fourth quarter.
A team that had grown used to playing high-tension close games now found itself on the right side of a blowout. It wasn’t long before the starters were resting on the bench, sharing high-fives.
It was a celebration sure to continue through the bus ride home. After all, travel isn’t something these Falcons let ruin their roost.
“We could worry about it and make excuses, but we have to play a game,” Brooks said. “We told our guys to get on the bus and go win anyways.”
PRAIRIE 64, CAPITAL 40
PRAIRIE – Dante Heitschmidt 13, Kameron Osborn 23, Braiden Broadbent 2, Zeke Dixson 9, Thomas Hapgood 1, Nate Millspaugh 0, Kaleb Locke 3, A.J. Dixson 0, Logan Reed 10, Bronson King 0, Everett Buck 1. Totals 24 (9) 7-10 64.
CAPITAL – Gabe Landers 6, Luke Layton 8, Dawson Landers 6, Brett Stock 1, Isaiah Walker 7, Isaac Yescas 0, Jack Collard 2, Barndin Riedel 2, Grant Erickson 8. Totals 16 (4) 4-6 40.
