TACOMA — The Prairie Falcons played in the Class 3A girls basketball tournament’s final game Saturday, and as it turned out, made quite a finale out of it.
No. 1 Prairie completed its quest to be the best at the Tacoma Dome, outlasting Mt. Spokane, 37-35, to capture the state title at the Tacoma Dome.
Averi Adams’ 3-point heave at the buzzer was long, sending the Falcons into a celebration frenzy. It’s the program’s seventh state championship and first since 2012.
The senior, bound for Fresno State, called Saturday the best day ever.
“I’ve never had a feeling like this before,” she said. “I’ll remember this forever.”
And how the Falcons did it, too, will stay in people’s minds for a while, too.
Walling had 17 points Saturday, including 11 in the first half aided by 3 of 3 shooting from 3-point range. But it was Prairie’s inside game the second half — including six points by Walling — that helped the Falcons overcome a seven-point halftime deficit. Mt. Spokane dominated the glass all game, but particularly in the first half behind 11 offensive rebounds and the play of Washington commit Jayda Noble (12 points, tournament-high 20 rebounds).
Walling’s field goal with 4 minutes, 55 seconds remaining in the fourth gave Prairie a 36-35 lead. The team’s combined for nine fourth-quarter points, but Prairie’s defense proved to be a difference maker. Mt. Spokane finished the game shooting 25 percent (13 of 52) and held the Wildcats scoreless the final 6:02 of the game.
As tradition-rich as Prairie’s girls basketball program is, these current Falcons hadn’t won a game in the Tacoma Dome until Thursday’s quarterfinal win over Edmonds-Woodway.
Then came its back-and-forth semifinal overtime thriller over Kamiakin, which, like Prairie, entered the tournament was a state title hopeful.
That set up a frantic finish for Saturday’s championship.
The fourth quarter featured three lead changes and neither team led by more than one point until the final score. Walling’s field goal proved to be the final field goal of the game.
For Prairie, the game plan became elementary, junior Allison Corral said: one stop, one score. Ten of Prairie’s 13 third-quarter points came in the paint by Walling, Kendyl Carson, Mallory Williams and Meri Dunford.
Noble, Mt. Spokane’s junior, didn’t score in the second half, and two of its top guards, Averi and Aspyn Adams, went a combined 2 for 17 shooting.
“Getting those stops got us motivated on offense and even though we weren’t hitting for a bit, we were stopping them,” Corral said. “It all came together at the end and hit clutch free throws.”
The big one came via Cassidy Gardner. Mt. Spokane fouled the Portland State-bound senior twice the final 30 seconds, and she drilled 1 of 2 at the line in a 1-and-1 situation with 27.4 seconds left that put Prairie up 37-35.
But again, Prairie’s defense made a stop on the other end and the rebound off a Aspyn Adams 3-point attempt was long. The rebound corralled by Corral, the smallest player on the floor, led by Gardner being fouled again with 4.2 remaining.
Averi Adams’ 3-point attempt as the buzzer sounded was long.
Hoisting the gold ball in front of their crowd at the Tacoma Dome is a common site for this tradition-rich program that made its 13 state championship game appearance. Saturday, Prairie won its seventh title in program history, but a first for these Falcons.
And that brought out all kinds of emotions.
Especially for players like Gardner, who joins Walling and Mallory Williams (seven points Saturday) as departing seniors. She admitted the emotions came pregame, reminiscing the final game so many of her teammates: Teammates for years, and friends even longer.
The emotions came postgame, too, from cutting their portions of the net to exiting the locker room to a proud Prairie fanbase.
“It got to us, definitely,” Gardner said. “It’s the last time we’ll be on the court. To be able to go out like this is awesome.”
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PRAIRIE 37, MT. SPOKANE 35
PRAIRIE — Allison Corral 3, Kendyl Carson 4, Brooke Walling 17, Mallory Williams 7, Cassidy Gardner 4, Meri Dunford 2, Haley Reed 0. Totals 15 (6) 1-3 37.
MT. SPOKANE — Aspyn Adams 5, Niveya Henley 4, Jayda Noble 12, Averi Adams 0, Emily Nelson 7, Emma Main 7. Totals 13 (4) 5-7 35.
Prairie 11 8 13 5 – 37
Mt. Spokane 13 13 5 4 – 35
