It took about 16 minutes of basketball for the Prairie girls basketball team to make believers out of everyone again.
Sure, the Falcons lost a game to a Clark County opponent last year, but make no mistake: They remain the team to beat, the top program in the county.
Just ask the Skyview Storm, the defending Class 4A Greater St. Helens League champions. Prairie opened its season by dismantling the Storm 84-50 on Monday night.
“We disappointed ourselves last year,” senior Lauren Goecke said. “We could have worked a lot harder than we did. This year, we’ve brought it together and made it a team focus.”
These Falcons have their goals.
To win another league championship. To regain the district title. To make it to the state tournament for the 14th consecutive season.
“Team, team, team,” added senior Angela Gelhar. “This year, we’re on fire. We want this so bad. We really want to win state, and we all think we can.”
The Streak — a winning streak among league and district opponents — ended at 136 games last year, a 10-year reign that fell in the district championship game to Camas.
The Falcons also missed out on a trophy at state last season — the first time that had happened since they missed going to tournament in 1997.
But Prairie basketball remains Prairie basketball.
“The pressure helps us,” Gelhar said. “You can’t just take a day off. Every practice, every game, is important.”
The Falcons also are healthy. Heather Corral missed most of last season with a knee injury. She connected on five 3-pointers in Monday’s opener over Skyview.
Lanae Adams, who has suffered several knee injuries in her career, is expected to be cleared to play soon, possibly this week.
“Now that we’ve got our full team together, we’re going to be that much better,” Corral said. “There’s no reason we won’t be the best.”
That might come across to some as cocky, but really, it is what is expected at Prairie.
“I like the fact that they’re focused and they’re playing hard, and they’re buying into our system,” Prairie coach Al Aldridge said. “We have a lot of depth and team speed, so we can share the ball a lot.”
In fact, four players scored in double figures in that first game against the Storm.
The Falcons aren’t the only ones who think they are good.
Camas senior Melissa Williams, one of the top players in the state and one of the keys to her team’s victory over Prairie last year, understands the Falcons want revenge.
“It’s obvious that they’re out for blood,” Williams said. “They just want to destroy us this year. That’s awesome. Rivalries make the game fun, exciting. It’s just an all-out battle. I love that.”
The Falcons love being back on the court, fighting to get back to the Prairie way.
