Tahoma’s Girls Basketball squad finished their season at the Tacoma Dome with a thrilling win over Kamiakin to secure third place in state. Making it to the state tournament in the first place was a tremendous success, seeing as the program hadn’t achieved the feat for over twenty years. They didn’t only make an appearance, though, yet cemented their legacy firmly in the history of Tahoma Basketball.

“The games were a lot of fun this year”, says avid fan Tanner Crawford. And he’s right. The team prided themselves in their fast pace of play, regularly tiring out their opponents, while exercising their ability to continue to push down the court and remain conditioned. Every game was equally or more entertaining than the last, seeing the squad put up an impressive amount of points consistently. 

Tahoma found themselves in the state tournament after a convincing victory over Olympia at home in the first round. From there, they followed that with a thrilling victory over Emerald Ridge at Curtis High School, and, after regrouping from a loss against eventual second place finishers, Camas, dismantled Davis in their final game before heading to the Dome.

Playing in the dome is an infamous experience among Washington State athletes, symbolic of a season’s grind en route to a glorifying conclusion. Senior shooting guard Angelina Cavanuagh says, “It was very rewarding. We’ve been dreaming of playing there since we were kids”. 

The magnitude of the games were evident there – each team featuring large crowds among the cavernous stadium setting, all roaring in support of the respective clubs. The intensity was noticeably higher than any regular season game or preceding playoff games. Unlike previous contests, there was no margin of error, no opportunity to earn your way back into the bracket following a loss. Single elimination loomed on the minds of players and coaches alike, and was mirrored in the fans themselves.

Tahoma kickstarted the weekend triumphing over Gonzaga Prep, opening the game with a big lead that was maintained until halftime. The Bullpups were eventually able to pull the game within striking distance, only to be put away towards the end of the game by a superior Tahoma Team.

Next up was Camas, the Papermakers who had already proven to present a challenge the Bears hadn’t yet been able to solve, evidenced by the two previous losses to them, both in the regular and postseason. Tahoma put up a valiant effort, only to fall short by 10 points. Only a measly six points separated the two with a little over three minutes to go.

The Bears ended the weekend and their season with a bittersweet victory of Kamiakin, securing third place in the tournament. Although it wasn’t the finish they envisioned, nor wanted, the accomplishment was celebrated nonetheless. Plenty of tears were shed, especially by the seniors, who have spent their basketball years together since they were children. Watching on, it was difficult to not experience some of the emotions that were being felt – years of practices, games, flights, and kindled friendship that accumulated for one final game.