Kate Kraft just kept shooting.
She was taking quality shots. She wasn’t forcing the issue. So she just kept shooting.
Still, for a lot of this girls basketball season, her shot was off.
Kate Kraft would eventually find her shot, though. At the perfect time.
The Columbia River girls have reached the Class 3A state tournament for the first time since 1998. Kraft, who was averaging just 6.5 points per game, has scored at a clip of 13.5 per game since the postseason started.
“I just had to bring it,” said Kraft, a junior guard. “I was pretty much making up for my season. It’s all mental, really.”
She scored 18 and then 17 points in back-to-back elimination games in the bi-district tournament, helping the Chieftains advance.
“Why those (shots) weren’t going down earlier is a mystery to everybody,” Columbia River coach Carl Click said.
But even during the struggle, Kraft continued to play rock-solid defense. She continued getting rebounds. She continued being a quality basketball player.
“The fact she kept doing those things is the reason we are as successful as we are,” Click said.
The Chieftains will travel to face Kamiakin of Kennewick on Saturday at Richland High School, with the winner advancing to the Tacoma Dome.
Win or lose, this has been some stretch for River. Click, in his fourth season, took over a team that went 0-20.
“My freshman year, I would have never imagined this happening,” Kraft said. “It’s definitely an honor to be part of this team, to experience this with these players.”
She specifically wanted to give a shout-out to seniors Teaghan Cowles and Yaiydenn Lopez-Perez.
All of this is special for the Chieftains.
“The goal was to just have fun and do what we can with who we have,” Kraft said. “We’ve done a great job with what we have. Who knew? It’s incredible.”
The Chieftains will always remember that feeling of clinching the trip to state last week in a win over Hazen.
“Oh man, that was a crazy locker room right there,” Kraft said. “We were having a good time. Everyone was smiling, laughing, cheering.”
Kate Kraft found her shot, and the Chieftains found a spot in the state tournament.
