Mules place 3rd in State 2B tourney

The Wahkiakum Mules girls basketball team returned from the State 2B Tournament in Spokane with a third place trophy this weekend.

It was a roller coaster ride of emotions for the teams, coaches and fans.

The Lady Mules, who had a bye on the first day of the tournament, kicked off the second round of the tournament on Thursday night by taking down the number one ranked Dayton Bulldogs 71-51. Neck and neck after the first quarter, Wahkiakum outscored Dayton by 17 points in the second and never looked back.

"I thought the girls played awesome," Coach Rob Garrett said. "I was really happy with them tonight. If basketball is not going to be fun then why play the game? And that's exactly what we did tonight, have an absolute blast! They shared the ball well and sacrificed their bodies for the team. It was a great way to get things started."

Peyton Souvenir scored 29 points, hitting six treys. Savannah Burdick was 3-9 from three point range and finished the game with 11 points. Macie Elliott added 10 points. Ellie Leitz had eight points. Sydney Hansen and Charlie Ashe added five points each. Paige Mace scored two and Mckensi Fluckiger added one more.

The team shot 35.8 percent from the field and 55 percent from the line.

Dayton 13 10 16 12 51

Wahkiakum 15 27 14 15 71

The team celebrated the win but the real test was coming.

The Lady Mules had humiliated Kalama in their first meeting, 74-49, and beat them a second time, 56-53, during the regular season.

On Friday in the semifinals, Kalama proved that their win against the Lady Mules in the district championship game had not done enough to soothe their rage. They beat the Lady Mules, 61-48.

Kalama is a big, physical team, and in Spokane, they were brutal. They were called for 19 fouls, six of which were committed on offense. One Chinook fouled out but not before inflicting pain on three Lady Mules, including Macie Elliott, who had to step out of the game to recover. Luckily, no one was seriously injured.

And while the Lady Mules struggled to start a fire on offense, the Chinooks were hot. They shot 50 percent from the field in the first half and 44.6 percent overall.

The Lady Mules finished the game at 31.3 percent, but they never, ever let up.

Souvenir scored 17 points. Maddy Mace had 14 points. Macie Elliott had 10 points. Hansen and Charlie Ashe added three points apiece. Leitz had one point.

"Unfortunately, it was just not our night," Garrett said. "It was the best shooting night Kalama has ever had. It was not the best shooting night we've ever had. I thought our girls worked hard all the way till the end. I absolutely love this team and couldn't be more proud."

Kalama 17 21 9 14 61

Wahkiakum 12 7 14 15 48

The loss sent the Lady Mules to a consolation game with Ilwaco for third and fifth place on Saturday.

The game was a pleasure to watch for Mule fans. While Kalama's physicality took the Lady Mules out of their game, Ilwaco's style and finesse brought them back. Wahkiakum proved on Saturday that in any other tournament, they would have belonged in a championship game. They made it look easy and they made it look fun.

The Lady Mules won 78-57 to take third place in the 2017 State 2B Tournament. They also set a new state record for the most three pointers scored in a single game with 12.

"It was an amazing season," Garrett said. "These girls are the best group ever to work with. They dug deep today even when they were extremely tired. I'm super proud of them! This group of seniors has done so much for me and this program. I can never thank them enough. It's going to be hard to let them go."

Souvenir had a double double with 26 points and 20 rebounds. She hit six from outside the arc. Elliott scored 16 points, hitting two treys. Burdick had 15 points, including three three's. Leitz added 10. Maddy Mace scored five points, hitting one from behind the three point line. Ashe had three, Paige Mace had two, and Hansen scored one.

Ilwaco 16 21 12 8 57

Wahkiakum 20 16 17 25 78

It was the final season for seniors Peyton Souvenir, Sydney Hansen, and Savannah Burdick.

The Lady Mules may have beaten Davenport in regionals, but Davenport turned it all around to beat Kalama on Saturday for first place in the State 2B tournament.