Prairie girls ready for state challenge

BATTLE GROUND – The Prairie Falcons are returning to the Tacoma Dome for the Class 3A girls state basketball tournament with a much different mindset than they had one year ago.

“I really feel good this year,’’ said Prairie coach Brett Johnson. “I feel like we can do some damage. Last year, we basically were happy to just get there. Last year, I think the girls overachieved. I told them even before we started (this season), I felt something special this year.’’

Prairie’s performance in the regional round of the state playoffs was indeed special, as the Falcons held Mercer Island without a made field goal in the first 13 minutes of the second half en route to a 57-41 win Saturday at Battle Ground High School.

Johnson’s intuition will have to be correct if his Falcons are going to have a successful effort at the state tournament, which begins Thursday with a 5:30 p.m. matchup against No. 1-ranked Lynnwood, the defending state champs and owners of a 24-0 record this season.

“There should be no reason for us to be scared of Lynnwood,’’ Johnson said.

Prairie, which enters the state tournament with a 21-4 overall record, has a previous experience to fall back on heading into the matchup with Lynnwood.

“We played them in the summer,’’ said Johnson, referring to a tournament last summer. “They have two big girls who can really play. They had all of their players and we had all of ours. They beat us by eight (points) so we know we can compete with them.’’

When asked about the challenge of facing Lynnwood in the first round, Prairie senior guard Cherita Daugherty first took a moment reflect on the task at hand before commenting on her team’s challenge.

“They’re a really good team,’’ said Daugherty, the Greater St. Helens League’s Class 3A Player of the Year. “We kind of expected it. We knew the bracket was going to be separated so all the No. 1 seeds don’t play each other. We knew we were going to play a good team. We just have to go in there and play like it’s just another good team.’’

Daugherty agrees with her coach that the Falcons just might be on the verge of something special.

“He says that a lot to us,’’ Daugherty said of Johnson’s vision about how this year could be special. “He expects us to do better than we did last year. I think that’s the goal for us. We want to do better than last year. That’s what we’re striving for.’’

Prairie lost both of its games at state last season and the problem in each game was the Falcons’ inability to put the ball in the basket. In the two games, Prairie made just 27.4 percent of its 2-point attempts (17-for-62) and only 20.3 percent (14-for-69) of its 3-pointers. The Falcons set a record for the girls 3A state tournament with 45 attempted 3-pointers in a 54-45 loss to West Seattle. They tied the tournament record with 11 made 3-pointers in that same game.

“The good thing about it is these girls have been there so they know all about it now,’’ said Johnson, whose offensive focus is on the penetrating, play-making ability of Daugherty and the capable outside shooting of Jozie Tangeman, Grace Prom and Macey Hsu. “Grace and Jozie have come full circle now. They’re playing like we know they should.’’

Daugherty said she is confident in her teammates’ ability to knock down their share of outside shots.

“I’m confident that if I drive and kick the ball out the shooters are going to hit their shots,’’ Daugherty said. “We are an outside shooting team. It’s a whole different environment at state, completely different than any other court or gym you play in and the nerves are going to kick in. But, our goal is to go into these games just like we’ve been playing in the postseason.’’

Despite the focus on Prairie’s ability to make outside shots, Johnson reiterated that the Falcons’ path to success always starts at the defensive end of the court.

“The key is our pressure defense,’’ Johnson said. “We’ve got to try to get them to turn the ball over before they get it up court and get it to their big girls.’’

Prairie was without senior post Kris Rocci for the win over Mercer Island due to injury but Johnson said the Falcons would have Rocci back for the state tournament.

“We get Kris Rocci back so we will have our full arsenal,’’ he said.

If Prairie is able to defeat Lynnwood on Thursday, the Falcons will meet the winner of No. 2-ranked Bellevue and Mt. Spokane on Friday. Prairie lost to Bellevue in the opener of the state tournament last year.