The Times - Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley

WAITSBURG - The Waitsburg-Prescott girls bas- ketball team closed their sea- son after a tough loss against St. George's Dragons, 52-21 in Colfax Thursday, Feb. 7.

The relatively young team took third in the league and is proud to have claimed that title, head coach Jerry Baker said.

The lady Cardinals played hard in the first period pull- ing ahead and leading for part of the first period. The Cardinals brought the heat and defended their trip to playoffs, matching the Drag- ons' score when the period ended, 11-11.

But the Cardinals couldn't keep up the momentum, slowly falling behind in the second period.

The Dragons pulled ahead, leading 21-15 at the half, and when the teams returned from the locker rooms, the Dragons surged ahead.

The Cardinals struggled to hit the net in the third period, bringing in only two points while the Dragons took every opportunity to move ahead.

The third period ended with a score of 39-17, Dragons.

In the fourth period the Cardinals continued to struggle to hit the net while the Dragons pulled farther ahead, ending the game with a final score of 52-21, Dragons.

But the loss hasn't damp- ened the Cardinals' spirits too much. Baker said the team played well this season and that he is happy to have advanced to the playoffs.

"(The team) would have liked to make it further," Baker said. "(But) they tried hard."

Baker said the team had only one returning starter this year and the program will be good to build on next year.

Baker called attention to seniors and team captains Krystal Harris and Katy Hofer who had a lot of play- ing time in the final game and noted that a lot of the younger girls had to step up to keep up with the varsity pace.

Hofer said making it to playoffs this year was excit- ing.

"I was glad our team made it that far," Hofer said.

Hofer said some of the players the team lost after last year held a lot of the team's height, which posed a challenge by making it a shorter team.

But that makes advanc- ing all that much sweeter to Hofer and her teammates.

"Making it to districts without all of the height was a big accomplishment," Hofer said.

Hofer said communication and leadership were important aspects for the team this year. She said she and co-captain Harris worked well together and had a strong friendship, which helped them lead the team.

"There were other leaders on our team too," Hofer said. "They just weren't labeled as captains."

Hofer said those leaders worked together to help teach the younger girls the skills and teamwork neces- sary to advance to district playoffs.

"The younger girls, especially the freshmen and sophomores, looked up to us," Hofer said. "And we had the experience to help them obtain more skills in basketball."

While her time in competitive basketball has drawn to a close, Hofer said she hopes to play pickup basketball or some kind of rec- reational league to keep her skills up.

The team's banquet will be held on Feb. 19.