TACOMA — Two of the toughest and most talented players in this tournament come in the smallest packages — 5-foot-5 Malia O'Neal of Garfield and 5-7 MacKenzie Flynn of Redmond.

Neither point guard could intimidate anyone while standing around with a basketball, but they're downright scary when flashing past an opponent.

"Malia always plays hard," Garfield coach Joyce Walker said. "Sometimes I take it for granted what she brings to this team."

O'Neal rescinded a verbal commitment to Nevada-Las Vegas and is still undecided on her college choice. She's weighing Oklahoma and Arizona.

O'Neal, selected to The Seattle Times all-state team as a junior, averaged 18.0 points, eight assists and eight steals this season and was named KingCo's 4A's Most Valuable Player.

Flynn, who joined O'Neal on the Star Times all-area team as well as the All-KingCo first team, averaged 14 points, six assists and four steals. Flynn has a casual demeanor on the court, often chewing gum as she floats upcourt. But that belies what's underneath.

"She's fierce and fearless," Redmond coach Pat Bangasser said. "She's very competitive, but it doesn't always show. She's one of the best high-school passers I have ever seen."

Flynn, who has signed with Idaho, said fear can't be part of her game.

"A point guard has to be fearless, especially since I'm not very big. You're going against some of the biggest girls. Part of my game is driving, so I'm always going against the big girls."

Riverside's biggest fan

Colby, 4 ½, sits courtside for every Riverside game and also brings the game ball out before every home game. He has been a fixture at the south end of the court here for all three Riverside games. All the girls make sure they know he's here.

"They all really show him a lot of love," said Colby's father, Denn Pretz. "It's one of the main things he really enjoys. He gets a lot of attention from those girls, coach (Adam) Barrett and the Riverside fans."

Colby, who has spinal muscular atrophy, attends all the games in his wheelchair. His father, mother Jodi and little brother Ty, 9 months, are all big Ravens supporters. Denn got involved in the program when Adam Barrett took over as coach two years ago. Denn helps with a development program for Riverside that includes his 12-year-old daughter, Jelissa.

Asked who is favorite player is, Colby responded quickly, "Julie Futch."

"He has been to every single game this season," Futch said. "There is no bigger supporter than he is. He loves all of us. He's just a wonderful kid."

Notes

• One noticeable absence in this year's girls tournament was Central Valley of suburban Spokane. The Bears failed to qualify for the first time since 1996. But former CV coach Dale Poffenroth, who resigned after the 2004 season, was on hand for all six games and cheer on Greater Spokane League schools Lewis and Clark and University.

Poffenroth stepped down after 17 seasons at Central Valley, leaving with a 384-103 record and three state titles. Poffenroth took the head coaching job at Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, and led his new team to a 21-5 season and fourth place in the Class 5A Idaho state tournament. Coeur d'Alene was 2-19 the year before.

• Yesterday's attendance was 6,342, down from 7,825 last year.

• Before yesterday's game against Auburn Riverside, three Prairie juniors continued a decade-old tradition, wearing warm-ups that spelled out a message across their backs: REIGN OF TERROR.

This year's trio is Lindsey Aho (Reign), Amy Donovan (of), and Jamey Gelhar (Terror).

Seattle Times staff reporters Sandy Ringer and Matt Peterson