Swinomish basketball alumni recognized at halftime ceremony of Jan. 3 game

The ending of La Conner High School's home girls' basketball game with Neah Bay last Tuesday is one fans would just as soon forget.

But what happened at halftime will remain a fond memory for years to come.

Several decades of Swinomish Indian Tribal Community members who played basketball at La Conner were honored during intermission of the much-anticipated non-league matchup, which the Lady Reds won on Amber Swan's no-look, over-the-head shot in the paint off an inbounds pass as the final buzzer sounded.

Swan led the victors, who trailed much of the game, with 19 points.

La Conner's Ellie Marble paced all scorers with 21 points and the Lady Braves' Josie Harper added 14 – all but two on perimeter treys – but it wasn't enough to stop a 51-49 setback to last year's state 1B runners-up.

With the narrow last second loss, the Lady Braves fell to 7-3 going into Friday's NW1B/2B action at Concrete.

The mood had been much more upbeat at the break. Swinomish alumni players, including the father-son duo of Loran and Landy James – the latter of whom is the namesake of the legendary player and coach for whom the high school gym is named – received applause from the matinee crowd.

The Swinomish contingent was led by Marvin Wilbur, Sr., a key member of La Conner High's storied 1956 state tournament entry, a team that finished in the hardware as Braves' star Gail Thulen set single game tourney records for scoring and free throws made.

Lona Wilbur spoke for Swinomish alums who had played for the Lady Braves, recalling when the program was launched in the 1970s, shortly after passage of federal Title IX legislation that paved the way for greater opportunities in sports for female athletes.

"Many of the girls playing JV and varsity had never played basketball," she recalled.

Wilbur's father, the late Claude Wilbur, Sr. – a 1945 grad – had played varsity basketball here from the seventh grade on. She, too, was introduced to the game as a youth courtesy the Swinomish Maidens, a tribal team comprised of fifth through 12th graders.

"As a sixth grader," Wilbur said, "I sat on the bench but got to turn out with all the older girls who played inter-tribal basketball. So, a few of us in 1972 had some basketball skills when La Conner Schools formed organized JV and varsity teams."

Fifty years later, the Lady Braves are perennial state title contenders and last spring graduated three players – Sarah Cook, Aubrie Sloniker and Juna Swanson – to the college hoops ranks.

Neah Bay also enjoys a strong girls' basketball tradition, which made last week's non-conference pairing a compelling matchup.

La Conner led 46-41 three minutes into the final stanza on a run-out by Marble. But the visitors came back with an 8-0 run to take a 49-46 lead via a jumper and inside hoop by Swan and two free throws each from Ryana Moss and Angel Hultunen.

Marble responded with a clutch outside three-pointer that knotted the score at 49-49 with 21 seconds to play. That set the stage for Swan's late heroics after Neah Bay inbounded the ball under the basket with two seconds remaining.

Few who saw the game doubt that both La Conner and the Lady Reds will close out the season in Spokane come the first week of March.