Wildcats clawing their way back to elite level

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When it comes to the Class 1A boys state basketball tournament, the La Center Wildcats have their own piece of history, winning back-to-back state championships in 1996 and 1997 after placing third in 1995.

Now in his third year as coach of the Wildcats, Jon Schroeder has La Center’s program headed back in the right direction as the Wildcats find themselves in the round of 16 for the second time in three years.

“We’re hoping this will become a regular occurrence,’’ Schroeder said of his team’s postseason success. “It’s something we want to take place on a regular basis from here on out.’’

La Center finished second at the 1A district tournament, losing 45-28 to Castle Rock in the championship game Saturday in Chehalis. The Wildcats will meet Lynden Christian at 4 p.m., Sat., Feb. 28 at Tumwater High School.

Like La Center, Lynden Christian has plenty of its own historical success to fall back on. The Lyncs have five state titles of their own, the most recent coming in 2012.



“They’re battle tested,’’ Schroeder said of Lynden Christian. “They’ve been to the state tournament on a regular basis. It’s going to be a good test for us, no question.’’

Schroeder didn’t spend much time focusing on his team’s loss to Castle Rock in the district championship. The Wildcats made just two of their 22 attempts from 3-point range.

“It was the most uncanny thing I’ve experienced in my 29 years of coaching,’’ said Schroeder, referring to his team’s shooting woes, which included missing their first 16 shots from behind the 3-point arc. “Everyone talks about the shots we missed from 3-point range, sure we missed shots from behind the 3-point arc and we also missed shots from inside the 3-point arc.’’

Schroeder knows his team can score the basketball. Seniors Will Rice and Wyatt Aguirre have been reliable scores all season and Schroeder expects that to continue to be the case. Rice scored 12 points to lead La Center in the district championship game, the Wildcats’ first loss in three games against Castle Rock this season.

La Center heads into the matchup with Lynden Christian with an overall record of 14-8.