TACOMA — For the first time since 1997, a Prairie girls basketball team will not be playing on a Saturday at a state basketball tournament.
Seattle Prep’s Kari Luttinen scored 26 points Friday, leading the Panthers to a 44-35 victory over Prairie in the fourth-place semifinals at the Class 3A state tournament in the Tacoma Dome.
The loss ended Prairie’s season, as well as a 12-year streak of bringing home a trophy.
While the Falcons (19-8) know they could have played better this week, they also know that it was an accomplishment just to get to the dome, to win a game at state this season. This was, after all, Prairie’s youngest team during this trophy era, and it was a team that suffered through a couple major injuries.
“It was amazing,” junior Angela Gelhar said of the season. “One word, amazing. This was our goal from the start. No one thought we could make it, but we made it.”
Prairie expects to return nine athletes who played in the dome, plus Heather Corral and Lanae Davis should return from knee injuries.
“I’ve been thinking about next year since this year,” Gelhar said. “We’re going to have some strong players. We’re going have Heather back. We’re going to have Lanae. Our freshmen (from this season) will be experienced. We’re going to have a really good year. I can just feel it.”
Prairie coach Al Aldridge said this year’s team never talked about the 12-year trophy run. This was a new season, a new team.
“Our first goal was to get here, and that was a huge accomplishment,” he said. “We beat some good teams to get here.”
There were some learning moments, as well.
“We got spanked really hard by some really good teams,” Aldridge said. “Losses we’ve never experienced before.”
He wants his players to remember those losses, too.
He also expects the Falcons to improve offensively during the offseason. The Falcons struggled this week with scoring, winning their first-round game with 47 points, then scoring 36 and 35 in their two losses.
Prairie scored 10 points in the first half against Seattle Prep.
“They need to keep their heads up,” Aldridge said. “We battled well in the second half. We just dug ourselves a hole and couldn’t get out. Our offense was a little anemic all week.”
Prairie’s defense kept the team within striking distance of Seattle Prep. The Falcons trailed by 16 late in the third quarter but cut the lead to seven points twice in the fourth quarter. They had the ball, as well, trying to get it to five, but were unable to convert.
Prairie freshman Emily Rowe had her best game of the tournament, scoring 14 points on 6-of-9 shooting. She also had six rebounds.
“I was really proud of the team for trying the whole game to come back,” Rowe said. “We started off really slow, but it really was a team effort at the end.”
Rowe is one of those younger players who gained invaluable experience.
“Just getting here was just awesome,” Rowe said. “You can’t get ready for this. You have to actually come here to get what state’s all about. No other games I’ve played in have been like this.”
Sounds like the Prairie Falcons expect to start another trophy streak in the future.
