The Woodland Beavers earned their first trip to the Yakima Valley SunDome since 2006 while the rest of the north Clark County basketball teams saw their seasons come to a close.
The Beavers faced Sultan High School at regional site Mark Morris High School, resulting in a 59-28 win on Saturday, March 1. The Beavers find themselves across the Cascade Mountains in the Yakima Valley in March for the first time in 19 years. They’re set to play Bainbridge High School in the SunDome on Wednesday, March 5, at 9 p.m. in a loser-out match in the Hardwood Classic.
The Beavers were led by sophomore forward Kennedy Bockert with 25 points and 10 rebounds in the 31-point win.
“We took care of business,” Woodland head coach Glen Flanagan said. “It’s nice that we’re moving on. It’s been a while.”
After a 10-day break for the Beavers, Flanagan said the win wasn’t pretty, but their three-point shooting was more successful than prior games and Bockert played her usual output, in this case a 20-point double-double.
“I am so happy for the girls. I mean, now we get another few more days together,” Flanagan said. “It’s pretty cool because they’ve been there since they were little at all the camps and everything, so yeah, it’s fun because they’re Woodland kids. We do it the right way.”
Woodland started off slow against the Sultan Turks, but the Beaver defense stayed strong with a 17-4 first quarter and headed into the locker room up 33-12. After three quarters with a lead of 53-23, the Beavers were able to look to their bench to close out the afternoon.
How other teams fared in the state tournament
A last second three-pointer off the back iron concluded this chapter of the 3A Prairie boys basketball story in a 52-50 loss to Eastside Catholic on Saturday, March 1. With a young squad, the Falcons concluded the season 17-9.
The 2A Ridgefield boys team ended their campaign after giving up 22 straight points in their March 1 loss to Prosser High School, 83-57. The Spudder boys ended their season 15-9.
The 1A La Center Wildcat boys saw their season come to a close after a 58-47 loss to Cashmere High School on March 1. They finish the season 16-9.
The 2A Spudder girls, after starting the season with 10 straight losses, found themselves in the state tournament but lost to Eatonville, 55-51, on Friday, Feb. 28. The Ridgefield girls ended their season 11-12.
