W.F. West's Jamika Parker puts up a shot over Mark Morris'Kourtney Eaton during the third quarter of the District IV 2A Girls Basketball Tournament championship game at St. Martin's University in Lacey on Friday night. Parker finished 20 points and 13 rebounds, but her Bearcats lost to Mark Morris, 49-43.
W.F. West's Jamika Parker gets tied up by Mark Morris' Breanna DuBois during the fourth quarter of the District IV 2A Girls Basketball Tournament championship game on Friday at St. Martin's University in Lacey.
W.F. West's Jamika Parker pulls down a rebound over Mark Morris' Breanna DuBois as Karley Eaton looks on during the fourth quarter of the District IV 2A Girls Basketball Tournament championship game at St. Martin's University on Friday in Lacey.
Mark Morris' Raimee Sluder fights for a loose ball with W.F. West's Jamika Parker and Julie Spencer (23) as Breanna DuBois during the third quarter of the District IV 2A Girls Basketball Tournament championship game at the Hal and Inge Marcus Pavillion on St. Martin's University campus in Lacey on Friday night. Mark Morris defeated W.F. West, 49-43.
W.F. West's Tori Weeks, left-center, and Raegan Nelson (5), collide as they chase down a loose ball during the second quarter of the District IV 2A Girls Basketball Tournament championhip game at the Hal and Inge Marcus Pavillion in Lacey on Friday.
Mark Morris celebrates after beating W.F. West, 49-43, to win the District IV 2A Girls Basketball Tournament championship on Friday night at St. Martin's University in Lacey.
W.F. West's Tori Weeks looks to dribble past Mark Morris' Majerle Reeves during the third quarter of a the District IV 2A Girls Basketball Tournament Championship Game at St. Martin's University on Friday night in Lacey.
LACEY — On a tangible level, the only difference between a win and a loss Friday night was a few pounds worth of trophy to carry out to the bus.
The Bearcats will still play a regional match next Friday in Tumwater. The season will continue, and the sun, visible or not, will still rise over Chehalis Saturday morning.
Still, W.F. West would have much rather been climbing ladders than watching Mark Morris work the scissors — again — after a 49-43 loss in District 4 2A championship game here at Saint Martin's University.
"All this stuff here, it doesn't matter. Cutting the net down, it doesn't matter," Bearcat coach Henri Weeks said. "I'd rather cut the net down over there (in Yakima). That's what it's all about."
The season, as far as W.F. West's team goals are concerned, is just getting started, but that didn't make walking to the Marcus Pavilion locker rooms any easier.
"It doesn't matter," Bearcat center Jamika Parker rationalized afterwards. "But I wanted the district title. I wanted the district title so bad … It sucked."
Parker scored 20 points and grabbed 13 rebounds — both of which were game-highs — but the Monarchs, ranked No. 1 in the state, were too fast, too physical inside, and too hot from the outside for No. 2-ranked W.F. West.
Mark Morris' play was no surprise to the Bearcats, who lost 61-45 to Mark Morris in a nonleague game during the regular season.
"They've been that same team all year long," W.F. West coach Henri Weeks said. "They're a great guard-oriented team that shoots real well, and they take advantage of your breakdowns."
The breakdowns, for W.F. West, were mainly in working the ball into the post against a gritty Monarch zone defense, and staying in front of twin guards Kourtney and Karley Eaton — sophomores who shared the Greater St. Helens 2A League's MVP award.
The Monarchs' first two shots were 3-pointers from Majerle Reeves and Karley Eaton for a 6-0 lead, and maintained that advantage at halftime, 26-20. Despite shooting just 2 of 11 from the field in the third quarter, the Bearcats were still within 8 points heading into the final frame.
Mark Morris stretched the lead out to 9 on a bucket from Raimee Sluder with 1 minute, 14 seconds left to play, but Parker was fouled inside — and, in the aftermath, Sluder was assessed a technical — and hit 3 of 4 ensuing free throws.
W.F. West got the ball back, Julie Spencer put back a missed lay-up to cut the lead to 44-40 with just under a minute to play. The Monarchs turned the ball over on their next possession, but Bearcat point guard Tori Weeks was whistled for a charge while driving to the hoop. Mark Morris hit 5 of 6 foul shots over the next 30 seconds to put the game away, and Olivia Erskine tossed in a 3-pointer for W.F. West in the waning seconds for the final margin.
W.F. West outscored the Monarchs 16-14 in the fourth quarter, which Weeks credited to consistently working the ball into the post.
"Mark Morris plays scrappy in there. They were battling," Weeks said of the key. "But if we would have figured out earlier what they figured out in the fourth quarter … (The guards) were worried about balls getting deflected, and they didn't want to get turnovers."
The Bearcats hammered the glass for a 37-16 rebounding advantage, but couldn't keep pace with the Monarchs' 7 of 18 outside shooting. W.F. West turned the ball over nine times in the first half and, prior to Erskine's last-second shot, was successful on just 1 of 16 attempts from outside.
"We've just got to, next time, come out stronger, maybe. Play better defense. Get our hands up. Not foul them," Parker said. "Make some easy lay-ins, maybe?"
The Bearcats lost last year's district title game, 45-42, to the same team, on the same court. This year, however, they expect another shot at the Monarchs, in the State 2A tournament in Yakima.
The road to that next game will start on Friday night, when W.F. West faces the No. 3 seed from District 1/2 — either Archbishop Murphy or Sehome, who play tonight — at 6 p.m. in Tumwater. The winner of that regional contest will advance to the three-day State 2A tournament at the Yakima SunDome.
"The bottom line is, nothing matters, except for getting to the last game," Weeks said. "If you can get to that last game on Saturday, March 2, then what else matters?"
Notes: W.F. West finished sixth at the State 2A tournament last season. Mark Morris lost, 39-36, to Lynden in regionals last season. … Reeves led the Monarchs with 12 points, while Karley Eaton scored 11 and Kourtney Eaton added 9. … Spencer scored 14 points with eight rebounds for W.F. West, and Erskine finished with eight rebounds.
At Lacey
MONARCHS 49, BEARCATS 43
Mark Morris 15 11 9 14 —49
W.F. West 12 8 7 16 —43
Mark Morris (49) — Reeves 12, Coons 8, Pond 1, Sluder 6, Karley Eaton 11, Kourtney Eaton 9, DuBois 2
FG: 17 of 44 —.386 FT: 8 of 15 —.533 Reb. 16 (DuBois 6)
W.F. West (43) — Parker 20, Spencer 14, Weeks 4, Erskine 5
FG: 13 of 45 —.289 FT: 17 of 22 —.773 Reb. 37 (Parker 13)
