YAKIMA – The Kingston Buccaneers held a nine-point advantage over Elma at halftime Friday, but watched that lead fizzle to a 52-49 defeat by the game’s close, ending Kingston’s state tournament ride.
Kingston’s sophomore prodigy Sophia Baetz once again led her team, and tied Elma’s Brandi Thomas and Katie Colard for a game-high 18 points. Arissan Ugles finished with nine rebounds and 11 buckets. Kingston led by as much as 13 in the first half, but poor second-half free throw shooting by the Bucs, combined with a rejuvenated Eagle offense, brought Elma to within one by the start of the fourth quarter.
“We didn’t lose that game because the other team beat us,” said Kingston head coach Kevin Strozier. “We lost that game because we didn’t make free throws. And that’s just something that we, as a young team, have to learn.”
Both squads played a physical game Friday, and two players from each team fouled out as a result. Kingston lost both Elle Sander and Laura Wicklein in the fourth quarter due to fouls, and struggled to keep up with the Eagles. The Bucs managed to edge ahead, 40-33 midway through the fourth, but Elma powered back on a 10-1 run in two and a half minutes to take a 43-41 lead with just over two minutes left. From there, scoring went back and forth, but the Bucs could never again equalize.
Despite the loss, Strozier noted the improvements his team made this year, compared to last season’s tournament.
“A lot of people here came to us and said, ‘Where is Kingston?’” said Strozier. “Well, now they know where Kingston’s at. So that’s a plus for us. We want people to know where Kingston’s at, who we are. And we did that.”
The Bucs only lose two seniors – Ugles and Megan Ramey – after this season, and are confident they can continue to grow as a young team.
“I know I have two more years of this,” Baetz said after the game. “Our goal is to get there these next two years at least.”
Strozier echoed his player’s sentiment, looking forward to next season.
“We’ll be back,” said Strozier. “I know we’ll be back.”
