YAKIMA – An achievement above any in the past.
A new standard for the future.
The Hudson’s Bay girls basketball team wrapped up its most successful season yet on Saturday, earning the first state tournament trophy in program history.
Though Saturday’s 66-59 loss to Archbishop Murphy in the fourth-place game dampened the joy, Hudson’s Bay held the Class 2A sixth-place trophy with pride.
“It was a really good year for us,” junior Mahaila Harrison said. “We had a lot of fun playing together. We became really close.”
Harrison led all scorers Saturday with 26 points. The junior hopes this year’s state tournament is a launching pad to greater heights for Hudson’s Bay, which made its fourth state tournament appearance and second since 2019.
“We had an amazing opportunity this year,” Harrison said. “It’s going to suck that we won’t have our seniors, but we’re going to be more prepared and have the outcome we want next year.”
Chief among those seniors is Aniyah Hampton. One day after surpassing 1,000 points, she concluded her career with 12 points on 5 for 8 shooting.
Hampton can now reflect on a legacy she – and fellow seniors Paytin Ballard and Mae Carse – have left at Hudson’s Bay.
“Play hard. Be selfless. That’s what we did all four years at Bay,” Hampton said. “It’s not just representing our team, but our school, our community and everyone who has cheered us on the last four years.”
The future is bright at Bay. Six juniors and sophomores played regular minutes in the state tournament.
“We didn’t get the outcome we wanted but the experience was definitely amazing, especially for the younger ones who are going to be back next year,” Hampton said.
With an 8 a.m. tipoff one day after a dramatic win over West Valley of Spokane, the Eagles showed no sluggishness. Harrison and Hampton combined for 22 first-half points as Bay took a 28-24 halftime lead.
After shooting 8 for 30 in the first half, the Wildcats of Everett heated up in the second half thanks to Ava Marr. The freshman guard scored 20 of her 22 points after halftime, including a basket that put Archbishop Murphy up 50-43 early in the fourth quarter.
Bay pulled within 62-59 on a Zoraya Jones jumper with 24 seconds left. But the Wildcats made their next four three throws to ice the game.
ARCHBISHOP MURPHY 66, HUDSON’S BAY 59
ARCHBISHOP MURPHY (16-7) – Taylor Campbell 15, Sydney Kuhnle 0, Jojo Chiangpradit 12, Caroline Burns 4, Hannah Humphrey 10, Kennedy Reed 0, Taylor Reed 3, Claire Espring 0, Ava Marr 22, Tatum Russell 0. Totals 22-56 (7-21) 15-21 66.
HUDSON’S BAY (19-5) – Mae Carse 0, Promise Bond 0, Miranda Gonzalez 5, Alana Stephens 0, Devon Johnson-Brown 2, Paytin Ballard 10, Mahaila Harrison 26, Aniyah Hampton 12, Zoraya Jones 4. Totals 22-53 (3-14) 12-18 59.
Arch.Murphy 15 9 22 20—66
Hudson’s Bay 20 8 15 16—59
