TACOMA — Make no mistake, Prairie is back.
The swagger, the confidence, the ceaseless effort — all the hallmarks of vintage Prairie basketball have returned.
Sure, the Falcons lost 57-48 Saturday to Holy Names Academy of Seattle. Yes, Holy Names walked off with the Class 3A state girls basketball title. Of course, Prairie (27-1) fell just short of perfection.
But as the curtain fell on a nearly unblemished season, the Falcons were worthy successors to the players who have led the school to five state titles in girls basketball.
“Last year there was so much drama, so much tension,” said coach Al Aldridge, the architect of those five championships as well as six title-game defeats. “The past three or four years it’s been that way.
“This was fun. I love these kids.”
A year ago, there was doubt about whether Prairie could regain its status among basketball royalty. The Falcons had lost to a Clark County team for the first time in a decade; they had failed to win a trophy at the state tournament for the first time in 13 years.
There were chinks in the armor and tarnish on the silver. But a funny thing happened on the way to Prairie’s demise.
“Last year we thought we wanted it really bad,” senior Angela Gelhar said. “This year we brought it to a whole new level. And we knew that everybody wanted it just as bad.”
That, the players and coaches hinted, is the key. Aldridge talks about players buying into the system and parents being supportive and everybody being on the same page — the kind of coachspeak you hear all the time. But the reason coaches talk about it is that selfishness is like The Plague to a basketball team.
“At the beginning of the year, we used the metaphor of the Energy Bus,” Aldridge said. “I’m the bus driver. If there are bumps and chuck holes along the way, we have to get out and push. If the bus is low on energy, you have to bring some energy.”
It helps to have talented players and skilled coaches. But the fickleness of group dynamics and the importance of managing those dynamics cannot be overstated.
“Last year, the atmosphere was kind of off,” Gelhar said.
Which brings us to Saturday. Which brings us to the Falcons falling one game short of a state title. Which brings us to the outrageous performance of Holy Names’ Claire Conricode, who was 6 of 14 from 3-point range — and 0 for 2 from 2-point range.
You know how some athletes are called a “silent assassin?” Claire Conricode is a spree killer, delivering five of her 3-pointers in the first 11 minutes of the game.
It was enough to lift a superb Holy Names team to a state title, but it might have only delayed Prairie’s return to the top. Jackie Lanz was a first-team all-tournament selection, Cori Woodward had a sterling tournament off the bench, and Megan Lindsley played a key role as a starter — and they’re all sophomores.
Throw in Heather Corral, who missed the tournament with a knee injury and underwent surgery Friday, and it’s clear that the Falcons’ demise was greatly exaggerated.
“We should be better next year,” Aldridge said.
The reason for that? He smiled.
“Year older.”
Greg Jayne is Sports editor of The Columbian. He can be reached at 360-735-4531, or by e-mail at greg.jayne@columbian.com. To read his blog, go to columbian.com/weblogs/GregJayne
