Gonzaga Prep battles, falls short against Woodinville in fourth-place game 66-61 | State 4A girls

The Gonzaga Prep girls basketball seniors have seen a lot in their tenure with the program. As freshman they watched the varsity play through Friday of state, and they were part of a magical run to the title game as sophomores – when the team won six consecutive loser-outs just to reach the quarterfinals at the Tacoma Dome.

Then as juniors, an injury riddled-season ended in districts when only two teams were allowed to qualify.

The Bullpups went undefeated through the regular season their senior year, before losses in the District 6 title game and in the quarterfinals at state. But they bounced back to reach a trophy game.

Sometimes the early games on Saturday at state can resemble all-star games, where one or both the teams go through the motions. But that was not the case in this one.

With every possession bitterly contested, it came down the last few seconds. And the Bullpups had the ball in the hands of the player they wanted. Sometimes, though, the ball just doesn’t go in.

Aylah Cornwall’s runner with less than five seconds left was short, and the fifth-seeded Bullpups fell to the fourth-seeded Woodinville Falcons 66-61 in the State 4A fourth-place game at Tacoma Dome on Saturday.

Cornwall, the Greater Spokane League MVP in her junior season, finished with 26 points and 10 rebounds to pace the Pups. Senior Laura Thompson had 19 points, and fellow senior Belle Hernandez added six points with five rebounds.

“We were like a family,” Hernandez said. “Everyone had ‘their night’ at one point, and we just really did this all together. It wasn’t just one person. And I think, yeah, we just were literally a family.”

G-Prep (23-3) trailed by nine at halftime of Friday’s loser-out before coming back to win and reach Saturday’s fourth-place game. 

“Coming back at the halftime of that last game was tough,” Thompson said. “I don’t think a lot of people in the stands had thought that we were going to come back from that. But we’re definitely proud to be here and to have gotten here.”

“I thought our seniors deserved to win that game – but so did theirs,” Gonzaga Prep coach Geoff Arte said. “Our kids have just battled all year. I’m super proud of how we played, and our seniors, especially (Thompson and Hernandez), they’ve been to the Tacoma Dome three times, ended their season on the last day three times.”

Arte lauded the pair’s dedication to their program.

“So many people want to rush things in today’s world, and they just took their time and kept getting better. And you couldn’t ask for better kids in the program. Just great kids to look up to for the rest of our kids.”

Woodinville (27-5) was led by junior Sienna Bieler with 21 points and senior Jazlyn Wilkerson added 18 points with 13 rebounds. The Falcons went 18 for 25 from the line. G-Prep was 4 for 7. Three Bullpups – Cornwall, Hernandez and junior Charlee Peterson – fouled out.

“I mean, both teams were kind of on fumes, you could tell. And but it was actually kind of a hell of a basketball game for this time of year,” Arte said. “Especially for 8 a.m.”

Hernandez hit a 3 from the corner late in the first and G-Prep led 13-11 after one. Cornwall and Thompson hit back-to-back 3s to put G-Prep up by three briefly in the latter stages of the second quarter, but Woodinville closed on a 4-0 spurt and led 27-26 at the break.

G-Prep started the third with a 7-2 run, with Hernandez hitting a corner 3, and the Bullpups lead reached eight at 44-36 after a Thompson bucket. But Woodinville scored the last five points of the quarter and trailed by three entering the fourth.

Peterson hit a 3 and a long 2 at the start of the period, but the Falcons answered with a 5-0 spurt to tie it at 50 with 4:19 to go. The teams traded baskets down the stretch, and Cornwall’s three-point play with 40 seconds left put G-Prep up by one at 61-60 – but a pair of free throws on Peterson’s fifth foul gave Woodinville the lead.

The Bullpups had an inbounds play in the front court with 14.7 seconds left. Cornwall passed to Thompson, who gave it right back to her point guard. Cornwall drove into contact and her shot hit the front of the rim. It wouldn’t have counted anyway as she was called for a personal foul – her fifth of the game.

“I mean, that happens. She got a great look,” Arte said. “And it happens sometimes. But, boy, she battled today – I mean, she battled these last six quarters. She was really good.”

Wilkerson stuck the free throws and Woodinville escaped with the win.

“I thought our team, the whole game, just stayed locked in and tried to keep fighting,” Arte said. “It’s easy to just kind of go out there and not play (the fourth-place) game hard. And both teams were phenomenal.”