YAKIMA – With a basketball net around her neck, Beyonce Bea cradled the state championship trophy in both arms.
After a few photos, she gladly handed it off to teammates.
There was an irony there. Just minutes before and with the game in doubt, Bea was not going to let that championship trophy slip from her grasp.
Bea willed Washougal to its first state basketball championship Saturday at the SunDome.
Playing in her last high school game, the Idaho-bound senior scored 30 points, including 12 of Washougal’s 14 in overtime, as the Panthers beat East Valley of Spokane 49-40 in the 2A state championship game.
No, Bea was not going to let that trophy slip away.
Not when East Valley sent the game to overtime on Faith Adams’ 3-pointer with 3.6 seconds left in regulation.
Not when her team’s shots in overtime were off the mark. Bea set the tone in overtime with two putback baskets off monster offensive rebounds, the last of which gave Washougal a 43-37 lead.
And not when East Valley began to foul in desperation. The three-time Greater St. Helens League MVP iced the game at the foul line, making six free throws in the final two minutes.
“I told myself coming into this game that I was going to do whatever it takes for us to get the win,” Bea said. “I’m just really glad we were able to pull it out.”
You could say Bea was a player possessed.
“I saw it in her eyes,” Washougal senior guard Kiara Cross said. “She wants it. We all want it. When we see that our leader wants it, we were like ‘yep, we’ve got this.’”
Bea was named tournament MVP. She averaged 21.7 points and 12.7 rebounds over three games in Yakima, including 15 boards on Saturday.
No. 7 Washougal opened state tournament play with a 52-45 regional win over No. 2 East Valley in Spokane.
Like that game, little separated the teams throughout Saturday’s game.
Like that game, defense dominated.
Both teams had active hands that deflected passes and forced jump balls. The teams combined for 41 turnovers
That scrappy-type of game suited Cross, who supplied plenty of energy to the Panthers’ defense.
“It felt like home,” she said. “I love games like this. I love the scrappy, the scratchy, the blood, sweat and tears. I love it. This is how we play at practices. We smack on each other.”
Washougal (23-4) hasn’t allowed more than 50 points since Jan. 11 against Hockinson.
And a defensive play, by Bea of course, almost sealed the win regulation. With Washougal ahead 33-32, East Valley had a steal in the backcourt. But Bea blocked 6-foot post Genesis Wilkinson’s shot, leading to a fast-break lay-up by Kiara Cross with 15.6 seconds left.
When East Valley (22-5) tied the game just before the buzzer. Washougal could have blinked.
That didn’t happen.
“Who cares, she hit a shot,” Cross said, shrugging. “We’ve got this. Panther ball. We know what we’re doing.”
Bea and her teammates made sure to show no panic or discouragement.
“We knew we had to keep ourselves calm and do what we knew we could do,” Bea said. “We’ve been playing basketball this whole season together. Defense wins games, so we just prided ourselves on working hard on defense and we knew the offense would come.”
The baskets came, then the crucial defensive stops, then the final buzzer and a championship celebration.
And before stepping off the court one last time in her high school career, Bea felt nothing but gratitude.
“I’m so proud of this team,” she said. “I’m grateful for the opportunity to end my senior season with a state championship.”
WASHOUGAL 49, EAST VALLEY-SPOKANE 40, OT
EAST VALLEY-SPOKANE (22-5) – Genesis Wilkinson 11, Mataya Green 3, Ellie Syverson 0, Emma Glore 0, Holly Flynn 1 Anna Syverson 0, Destiny Hillyard 3, Ellie Stowell 0, Brie Holecek 9, Hannah Rowland 5, Faith Adams 10. Totals 14 (2) 10-23 40.
WASHOUGAL (23-4) – Kiara Cross 2, Jaiden Bea 5, Savea Mansfield 2, Beyonce Bea 30, McKinley Stotts 2, Ashley Gibbons 2, Sammy Mederos 4, Skylar Bea 4. Totals 15 (0) 19-27 49.
East Valley 14 4 6 11 5—40
Washougal 12 9 6 8 14—49
