SPOKANE — For the second straight day, Napavine was on the wrong end of an offensive outburst.
The Tigers fell behind early and never recovered against Lake Roosevelt in the 3rd/5th game on Saturday, and they eventually fell 86-61 to place fifth at the 2B State Tournament.
It’s the Tigers’ fourth top-5 finish in school history, and their first since 2011, when they finished second.
“What an outstanding season it was,” Stanley said. “You can’t take these last 18 hours as a reflection of what happened over three months.”
The Raiders got it going early, scoring 30 points in the first quarter and adding 20 more in the second. Chase Marchand had the hot hand, as he connected from deep five times in the first half.
Similar to their loss against Colfax on Friday, the Tigers were able to keep pace early, as they scored 22 points in the first, but they faded quicker on Saturday and found themselves down 17 at the break.
Lake Roosevelt ran away with it in the second half, going up by as many as 28 late in the third quarter. Marchand finished with 35 points, hitting 8 of 11 shots from beyond the arc.
“Credit to Lake Roosevelt,” Stanley said. “They suffered the same heartbreak yesterday (in the semifinals), and they came out they shot really well.”
Jarin Prather did all he could to keep Napavine alive, going 5 for 7 from three and leading the team with 21 points. James Grose added 15, and Karsen Denault ended his season with a 12-point, 11-rebound double-double.
“We didn’t come out and put our best foot forward today,” Stanley said. “Guys are hurting and upset, but the message was that this was one hell of a year.”
Napavine finishes the season 24-2 and is set to graduate four seniors — Prather, Grose, Cael Stanley, and Brody Landram.
While they fell short of their ultimate goal, Stanley was nothing but appreciative of that group, saying he was grateful for their consistent effort.
“I could count on one hand, less than a hand, how many bad practices we’ve had over the last four years,” Stanley said. “These guys just bring it every day. The success that they’ve had represents it … They had a tremendous career capped by a great year.”
