TACOMA — The Eagles fought, but fell short of taking the state title from Bellevue.
“Whether we win or lose, these girls are dynamite on the floor,” Arlington coach Joe Marsh said. “They’re scrapping, they’re battling. They hold their heads up high. They do it the right way. I could not ask any more from these kids.”
Arlington lost 69-40 in the 3A state girls basketball championship game March 5, placing second in state.
“Things kind of went off the rails,” Marsh said. “We turned it over too many times to a team that good, and they [Bellevue] are well-deserving champions.”
Marsh is quite pleased with the season and his seniors. Especially that his seniors brought home two second-place titles in their foury-ear careers.
“It’s a magical season actually,” Marsh said. “These girls for four years have got here (to state). It’s hard to do.”
Arlington did well at the start of the championship game, with senior Gracie Castenada starting things off with a layup. Castenada led the Eagles with 12 points.
Arlington’s defense did great in the first quarter. The Eagles caused turnovers and were able to get to the free throw line to score. Senior Serafina Balderas landed a three, but the offensive powerhouse of Bellevue got away with 14-8 lead to end the quarter.
“You have to score against a team that’s good,” Marsh said. “And we need to make shots to set up our pressure.”
Bellevue started the second quarter with a run to a 23-10 lead. The Eagles found a way to catch up, turning up their defense and then scoring, including another three-point goal by Balderas to make the score 24-19. Arlington senior Sevi Biesler hit another three-pointer to make things interesting again. But Arlington’s potential rally was stifled again by Bellevue, with the score 35-24 at halftime.
In the second half, Arlington wasn’t able to keep up with the size of Bellevue. The Eagles quickness was impressive, but Bellevue was just as quick and about five inches taller at every position.
Shelby Cansler, a 6-1 senior guard, led the winners with 21 points and eight rebounds. Quinessa Caylao-Do, a 5-10 senior guard, added 20 points. Anna Wilson, sister of Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson, was held to five points, but had six assists. She’s a 5-8 senior guard who will play at Stanford next year.
Even though Arlington had 22 turnovers, compared with 20 for Bellevue, the winners were able to turn the miscues into points, outscoring the Eagles 20-8 in that category. The Eagles also were outscored in the paint 32-18.
Arlington shot just 25 percent from the field, compared with 44 percent for Bellevue. The Eagles made only 2 of 24 three-point tries.
Castenada led the way for Arlington with 12 points and nine rebounds. Balderas tallied 11 points.
