Mike Cranston’s got his point across: we’ve done this so many times, we can do this blindfolded.
Sure enough, blind-folding senior co-captain Rebekah Barney before one of the Union girls basketball team’s eventual six playoff trips north (1,784 miles worth), indeed took some of the edge off and gave players a laugh.
And then to pass the Tacoma Dome on the bus ride home defeating a team at regionals it lost to the previous week by 24 points?
Yeah, reaching the Dome for the first time in program history makes everything the Titans’ endured the past two weeks all worth it, senior Courtney Cranston said.
“Just seeing it, and realizing it was our end goal,” she said, “and now, we’ve gotten to it.
“At the time, we were sick of traveling and having to leave school every day.”
That won’t be the case Wednesday when Union (19-7) heads north again, but this time to a facility it’s never played in. But the opponent they face at 2 p.m. Wednesday in a loser-out game in the Class 4A state tournament is a familiar one: 4A GSHL rival Camas (16-8), which gave the Titans their only league losses.
Courtney Cranston views playing a team they know so well as an advantage, but now, it’s about turning the tides in their favor after dropping both games to Camas, 46-44 and 53-33.
Officially, Union’s reached state once in 2013 when its regional-round loss to Gonzaga Prep retroactively counted as a state appearance.
But this is a Dome experience, which Courtney Cranston knows all too well as a daughter of a coach and watching older brother, Cameron lead Union’s boys team to the 4A state title game in 2017.
“I’ve waited for my turn,” she said.
Union is one of two No. 16 seeds statewide to reach the final 12 of the state tournament. But Union (19-7) did, defeating Todd Beamer of Federal Way in last Friday’s 4A regional game in Puyallup.
And how they got there is the work of a young team finding its rhythm at the right time, Mike Cranston said.
“When they’re clicking,” he said, “there’s as good as anyone out there.”
And roles have become more defined. It showed Friday when sophomore Mackenzie Lewis, whose game-high 20 points, including four 3-pointers was a difference in the regional victory. She also had 13 points in the loser-out bi-district win over Olympia.
Coach Cranston knows the Dome, too. As Mountain View’s boys coach for 18 years, the Thunder reached the 4A state tournament in 1996 and 2008.
Most importantly, he knows more what not to do, he said, and preparing his Titans for the bright lights, big court and different stage is all part of the routine in addition to gameplanning for Round 3 with Camas.
Union joins Prairie as Clark County’s schools that advances both its boys and girls teams to Tacoma. And while the Titans’ girls team doesn’t have the recent state traditions as their boys counterparts, this year’s team wants to be the team that begins the legacy.
Courtney Cranston joins Barney as the team’s lone seniors, and is excited to begin a tradition of one they hope begins with their first Dome victory Wednesday.
And after that, a continuing tradition thereafter.
“I’m proud of the uprising,” she said. “We worked really hard for where we are; we’re a way different team … it’s cool to see how far we’ve come and how much we’ve improved.”
Other county teams
Union boys: The Titans (20-6) were the 4A Greater St. Helens League co-champions who placed third in the bi-district tournament before falling in overtime to Federal Way in last week’s regional round. Union will face Kamiak of Mukilteo (16-8) at 3:45 p.m. Wednesday.
Skyview boys: The Storm (23-4) were the 4A GSHL co-champions who won four games in a row to place fifth in the bi-district tournament. Skyview lost to red-hot Enumclaw in the regional round and will face Glacier Peak of Snohomish (21-3) at 5:30 p.m.
Camas girls: The Papermakers (16-8) were the 4A GSHL champions and placed third in the bi-district tournament. Camas fell to unbeaten Central Valley in the regional to get another matchup with rival Union.
Prairie boys: The Falcons (20-6) make their first trip to the Dome in a decade. The 3A GSHL co-champions beat Arlington last week in the regional round and will face Wilson of Tacoma (20-6) at 2 p.m. Wednesday in a rematch of the fifth-place game at bi-districts, which Prairie won.
Prairie girls: The Falcons (21-4) are back at the Dome again after winning the 3A GSHL title and placing third a bi-district. Prairie lost to Gig Harbor at regional in a match of the third-place game at bi-district. The Falcons take on Stanwood (17-6) at 5:30 p.m.
