Prairie’s Cassidy Gardner, left, and Dayna Vera celebrate their victory over Lincoln following a game.
Inside the Prairie girls basketball team’s practice in preparation for another postseason run, the structured and theme-based workouts always serve a purpose for game-day preparation.
But so is a daily routine shared by assistant coach Ashley Corral — a quote relevant to the task at hand — to get players’ thinking and talking.
“We can apply them to ourselves,” said senior Brooke Walling, “and the goals and standards we hold ourselves to.”
For two weeks, it’s all coincided with the program renewing its acquaintance of the postseason. At 19-1, the top-ranked Falcons have held the WIAA’s 3A No. 1 RPI ranking for most of the season and open the bi-district tournament Wednesday hosting Lincoln of Tacoma at 5 p.m.
Because of weather-related postponements, their first-round game is the Falcons’ first contest since their regular-season finale Jan. 30, but players say they’ve never felt more prepared entering the postseason than they do now.
Much of it points to a deep, balanced team that’s endured a toughened scheduled to prepare them for what’s ahead — what they call Season 3, the postseason.
And it has the team’s trio of seniors, Cassidy Gardner, Mallory Williams and Walling, feeling the best they’ve felt for achieving their top goals. Without hesitation the Falcons are aiming high.
“Out of any other year,” Walling said, “this is our year.”
Gardner and Walling lead the Falcons in scoring and shared the 3A GSHL’s MVP honor, and Williams earned first-team. But it’s the depth that’s an X-factor, the trio said, highlighted by Meri Dunford and Haley Reed as defensive gurus. Newcomer Kendyl Carson, a junior, leads Prairie in rebounds per game.
Class 3A might be the state’s deepest classification for talent in girls basketball. Prairie, Mt. Spokane, Kamiakin are a combined 57-3 as the top 3 RPI teams for much of the season.
And stiffened competition is what head coach Hala Corral sought after this season.
The coach beefed up her team’s schedule to include challenging opponents and out-of-area travel. Prairie had three out-of-region trips, including two overnight trips to the Seattle area twice.
Recently, players and coaches treated its 58-50 win over West Seattle, a team featuring four potential Division I players in the starting lineup, Corral said, as a state tournament-type game. Even the game-day experience had the feel of state, players said.
That’s what the Falcons hope helps their state tournament hopes after consecutive earlier-than-anticipated postseason exits.
“We weren’t ready for what hit us in the face,” Corral said. “… now, we’re ready.”
Prairie’s only loss this season was in December to nationally-ranked Archbishop Mitty (Calif.), 65-51. On the flip side, players agree their best win is an 81-26 win over Class 4A Rogers of Puyallup that’s 15-6, a win that even surprised the Falcons for how well they played, and potentially what’s still ahead.
By far their best game of the year, the seniors said, but they hope it’s far from the last.
“We’re all motivated to play like that,” Gardner said, “and better.”
Motivated, indeed. After all, this is Prairie girls basketball, winners of 22 consecutive league titles to go along with six state championships in program history.
So it’s easy to see why they believe this is their year, feeling and believing their more prepared than ever.
Not just satisfied by reaching the Tacoma Dome for the Class 3A state tournament, but achieving the ultimate goal of winning its first state title since the 2011-12 season.
Said Williams: “And playing every game like we want to win state. Taking the small steps to get to the end goal.”
And that road to the end goal starts Wednesday.
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