4A Girls Championship: Snohomish comes up short to top-ranked Central Valley, 57-48

TACOMA —The pride was clear on their faces.

But so was the pain.

The Snohomish Panthers didn’t come this far to lose the championship game of the Class 4A state girls basketball tournament, even if it was to nationally ranked Central Valley of Spokane Valley.

Despite a Herculean effort by 6-foot-1 senior Madison Smith, who scored 28 points — including 21 straight during one stretch, the Panthers came up short Saturday night at the Tacoma Dome, 57-48.

And it hurt, as the Panthers (22-3) had their 22-game win streak end.

“Once we got here, we wanted to win it,” Smith said with tears in her eyes. “But it doesn’t always go your way….I’d rather lose with this team than win with someone else.”

Smith, who has signed with Montana State, was named to the all-tournament first team along with Madison Pollock, who got off to another slow start but finished with 12 points and nine rebounds.

MVP honors belonged to CV sophomore Lexie Hull, who finished with 16 points and eight rebounds for the 28-0 Bears, ranked as high as No. 11 nationally. Twin Lacie Hull was also a first-team choice and it was her three-pointer with 5:24 left in the game that helped fuel a 12-2 run after a Smith basket had tied the game at 35.

The Hulls came in with a lot of hype and already have multiple Division I offers.

Snohomish coach Ken Roberts was impressed.

“They’re the real deal, they’re good,” he said, adding that he still thinks Lynnwood standout Mikayla Pivec is far and away the best high-school female player he’s seen in 10 years.

Tthe best player on the floor most of Saturday was Smith.

“That was a state-championship performance if I’ve ever seen one,” CV coach Freddie Rehkow said. “She pretty much took them and put them on her back and their team did a great job getting her the ball. And once she got it, she’s a big strong girl, She knows what to do with it.”

And Roberts knew she’d be a handful.

“Our game plan was feed her, and make them guard her,” he said.

Roberts also wanted to force someone not named Hull be the difference if CV was going to win. Sophomore Hailey Christopher and freshman Mady Simmelink were up to the task with 16 and 12 points, respectively.

“I knew I had to step up,” Christopher said.

It was a three-ball by Simmelink that stretched CV’s lead to 47-37 with 2:42 to play — the final field goal for the Bears, who then sank 10 of 12 free throws the rest of the way.

Afterward, Shaylee Harwood — the Panthers’ third senior starter and top defender — talked about the journey it took just to get to the championship game.

“I’m insanely proud of the team and how far we’ve come,” she said. “Coming in here we were labeled the darkhorse….and I don’t think anyone expected us to get as far as we did.”

This was Snohomish’s fourth appearance in the title game, third under Roberts, but first since 2009. The Panthers, who lost to CV in 1993, are still looking for their first championship.