Consolation Games: Riverside falls, finishes 6th

TACOMA — Julie Futch might have had a forgettable Class 4A state girls basketball tournament in some regards.

But she'll never forget the past two seasons with her Auburn Riverside team, including the sixth-place finish that came with Saturday's 53-52 loss to University of Spokane at the Tacoma Dome.

"For the past two years, this team has been my life," Futch said. "They're part of my family. It's hard to have to step aside."

Futch, a senior guard headed to Oregon State, struggled with her shot for most of the tournament, but still helped lead Auburn Riverside (22-7) to its first basketball trophy.

"Our school has never done anything like this," Futch said. "We've established something to be proud of at Auburn Riverside."

Ditto for University, which earned a school-best, third-place finish after taking sixth last year.

"It's exciting to go out with a win this year," said junior guard Angie Bjorklund, who scored 13 of her game-high 19 points in the first half. "We came out and said, 'Let's have fun and get it done.' "

The second-ranked Titans (25-4) got it done in part because Dara Zack grabbed the rebound of a Stephanie Wilber shot that fell just short and was fouled with 5.5 seconds left and the score tied at 52. She then made the second of two free throws to give University what proved to be the winning point.

Wilber topped Riverside's scoring with 14. Futch finished with just five points, but had a big basket on a spin move with 1:01 to play that gave the Ravens a 52-50 lead. Bjorklund, who has committed to Tennessee, made two free throws with 16 seconds left to tie it. Futch then made a great feed to Wilber under the basket, but the shot wouldn't fall. After Zack's free throw, Futch drove the length of the court and had an off-balance shot from the corner blocked at the buzzer with coaches and fans screaming for a foul that wasn't called.

Eisenhower 62, Woodinville 57

Senior Laiken Dollente scored 14 of her 19 points in the second half as the Cadets (29-2) from Yakima beat the Falcons (24-3).

Both teams secured their best finish in school history. Woodinville finished seventh after not placing in its only other trip to state in 1993, and fourth-place Eisenhower eclipsed the school-best, sixth-place finish in 1991.

LeeAnn Palo, a senior guard signed by Utah State, led Woodinville with 19 points. The Falcons, led by eight seniors, set a team record for three-pointers in a tournament with 28.

"Being sad is not from the loss," said senior Amanda Fleischman, who contributed nine points and 11 rebounds. "A lot of us have played together since third grade.

"For the seniors, it was probably the last game for everybody, except for LeeAnn."

Amanda Best added 10 points and 10 rebounds for the Falcons.

Woodinville's seniors were the last to come out of the locker room and most of them were teary-eyed from a talk with coach Steve Segadelli.

"Coach just told us that we were the best basketball team to come through Woodinville, girls or boys," Fleischman said. "He told us we brought a lot of joy to his life. He told us to stay in touch."

Matt Massey

Mount Tahoma 60, Meadowdale 45

(Fifth, eighth places)

The rapid-fire Thunderbirds (22-7) wore down the Mavericks (23-4) and collected the Tacoma school's first trophy with a fifth-place finish.

Shauneice Samms, a 5-foot-9 sophomore, led the T-birds with 16 points, 16 rebounds and a tournament-record-tying eight blocked shots to help coach Calvin McHenry register his 250th career victory.

The Mavericks played without sophomore point guard Eryn Jones, who sprained her left ankle with 2:44 left in Friday's loser-out win over Jackson.

"Not having Eryn Jones hurts us a lot," Meadowdale coach Dan Taylor said. "When you play a team that's that quick and that aggressive, it's tough on the last day of the tournament."

Meadowdale placed eighth despite playing its final nine games without two senior starters — Latrina Woods and Cambria Smith — after they were both removed from the team for a second athletic-code violation.

"I wouldn't trade our team chemistry for anything," Taylor said following a successful state run in his first year as coach. "I don't think anything can pull these girls apart. I had high expectations. We expected to place."

Matt Massey