Girls' youth basketball places second in league tournament

They took silver, but La Conner Middle School players in the Skagit-Whatcom-Island-Snohomish-Hoops league girls' basketball tournament here Saturday were good as gold in the eyes of coaches Robert Hancock and Jamie Lam.

The local team, comprised of seventh graders, advanced through a double-elimination bracket before falling to an eighth-grade entry in the finals of the SWISH championship tourney.

La Conner got off to a strong start with a convincing 42-20 win over Sedro-Woolley.

"I think this group has a pretty good story," Hancock told the Weekly News. "We started as third graders in a fourth-grade league and lost all our games. We even had a game we didn't score a point.

Through it all, the fun has never been separated from the game's fundamentals.

"We've had over 20 girls play on our teams and allowed any girl who wanted to play," said Hancock.

Saturday's roster featured Maicy Bowles, Annika Keith, Olive Klinger, Finley Hancock, Reese Bird, Nora McCormick, Abi Poulton, Kiona Jenkins, Jacqui Lam and Aisley Zimmerman.

"They run an offense and play hard," Hancock said. "Skills instruction is really important, but the big thing is to just let them play."

Players rotated in and out of the lineup as they tired while playing a fast-paced tempo marked by defensive pressure, steals and transition baskets.

The strategy worked up until the championship round.

"We ended up playing a team with eighth graders that was just better than us," Hancock allowed.

Still, good news abounded.

"Our 5th/6th and 4th grade teams won their league tournaments," Hancock said. "This is the first year we've had three teams competing at these levels."