Class 2B State Girls Basketball: Adna reaches first state title in school history, upends rival Napavine

SPOKANE — Two years ago, they were heartbroken in the quarterfinals. Last winter, they were boatraced off the court in the semifinals.

For the Adna High School girls basketball team, the thorn in their side has been the school just 13 miles away. Regular season wins never translated to victories at the Class 2B state tournament.

A senior class that has been through the trials and tribulations had the opportunity at the ultimate dish of revenge.

“We’re getting them this time,” senior Kendall Humphrey said.

Consider it served on a blue and gold platter.

Behind another stout performance from C2BL MVP Karsyn Freeman with 29 points and stingy defense late, the second-seeded Pirates triumphed over fifth-seeded Napavine 44-33 in the semifinals on Friday night inside Spokane Arena.

“Speechless, honestly,” Freeman said. “It is just different. The hype, the connection with everything. It is a different energy.”

The starters came out with 62 seconds remaining. Once the final buzzer sounded, head coach Chris Bannish, his assistants and the players let the emotions run wild.

As Adna (24-2) waited to move its school to the championship game against eighth-seeded Northwest Christian Saturday night at 7 p.m., Bannish’s name was being yelled for down the hallway.

He was the one that slapped the velcro sticker and joined the Pirates in a screaming fest.

As a player at Willapa Valley, he was a four-time state participant. He’ll get the chance to claim his first title as a coach.

“Three-hundered and 65 days ago, we walked out not winning that game,” Bannish said. “We’ve grown up, we’ve matured. The next thing you know, we respond and last year, we didn’t. I’m very proud of all of them.”

From playing in the Curtis Summer League to facing non-league foes such as 3A state qualifiers White River and Auburn Mountainview, 1A state qualifiers Annie Wright and Seton Catholic to grinding through the C2BL and District 4, the Pirates went through the gauntlet.

Last year’s team may have blinked or panicked. Not this group.

“To not give up at the end,” Freeman stated. “We calmed down and that really helped us. Fourth quarter, we were relaxed.”

When Adna lost to White River in December and Rainier in the district title game, lessons were learned. Going through adversity, in Freeman and Bannish’s eyes, was the best thing to happen.

“In this sport, one screw up can cost you,” Bannish said. “The expectation has been there. This is hard; these guys carry the Goliath. They wear it in softball, they wore it in volleyball and now they’re wearing it here. This is the hardest, this is a grind.”

From the end of the first quarter to the middle of the second, the Pirates went on an 8-0 run to take the lead for good. Freeman pulled up from deep and swished in a triple to cap the outburst.

At one point, she had as many points as the Tigers. She scored 11 of her 27 in the second stanza and the first eight points for Adna in the third.

“Freeman, the best player on the court, took over. You got to respect that,” Napavine head coach Shane Schutz said. “The better team won. Adna got tired of losing to us and that’s their motivation.”

Gaby Guard buried a 3-pointer to put the Pirates up 10 in the third, then another in the fourth as the final dagger for a 12-point cushion. All of her nine points came from beyond the arc and she grabbed a team-best nine rebounds.

“I knew it from there,” Freeman said. “She is someone we need to score.”

Napavine (21-8) got off to a fast start, similar to the quarterfinal against Brewster. Taylen Evander and Hayden Kaut knocked down trifectas to put it up 8-0. Hannah Fay and Evander cut off Freeman’s lanes and it went to a full-court press early.

The Tigers led by as much as six in the opening quarter.

“We executed really well for the first quarter and a half, then we fell apart,” Schutz said. “Didn't execute down the stretch. (It) wasn't an effort thing; we battled and grinded. That inexperience, Adna exposed.”

Several times in the fourth, they cut the margin to single digits. Every time, Adna had an answer. Napavine went 0-for-6 from downtown in the second half, 2-of-18 for the night. It made just 10 field goals.

Kaut notched her third double-double of the tournament with 18 points and 15 boards plus three steals.

“Is it a perfect rotation? No,” Schutz said. “For right now, to get our kids to shoot the basketball, was a step forward in the right direction.”

Napavine will leave Spokane with a trophy, either third or fifth, after it takes on Reardan at 1 p.m., a rematch from the opening round a week ago. The Screamin Eagles posted a 53-36 verdict.

It will be the finality of a week-long stay on the east side for the Tigers.

“We’re going to come out and compete. That's just how we’re made,” Schutz said.

Northwest Christian will attempt to topple the top-two seeds from District 4. The Crusaders have gone on to upset the No. 1 and No. 4 teams plus beat the No. 10 team en route to the title.

They have Adna’s full attention.

“It is going to take a full gameplan,” Bannish said. “They’ve done a great job in this tournament. They’re sleeping in their own beds, we’re sleeping in hotels. Their norm is norm, ours isn’t. If you can’t get ready for tomorrow, something’s wrong.”