It’s a flashback for Bellarmine Prep, as Lions upend Central Valley once again in 4A state tournament

This Bellarmine Prep girls basketball team has whole lot of crazy-fun ideas, on and off the court.

Take an incident Tuesday, for example. During a walk-through in the Tacoma Dome, all the players who got a hold of a 19-year-old photo of coach Kim West in a team pose with her former Lions’ teammates decided to perfectly re-enact the frame — and present it to West later.

It still gets West a little choked up.

“We love each other,” she said.

And on Thursday, the team decided hit the replay button on one of the program’s most memorable Class 4A state tournament victories in school history.

In 2017, the Lions ended Central Valley’s long 52-game winning streak.

They did the same thing again by shocking the Bears, 46-44, in the 4A state quarterfinals.

Callie Stevens’ two free throws with one minute, 48 seconds remaining turned out to be the decisive points. But, by everyone’s admission, from coach to player, what closed this victory out was disciplined man-to-man defense.

“It was really tough,” said Lions senior Reyelle Frazier, one of the few Bellarmine Prep players who started in the 56-55 quarterfinal victory two years ago. “They do set a lot of picks. We had to stay on our toes the whole time.”

The Bears did not score in the final 2:15. They were forced into three turnovers, including Camryn Skaife’s traveling violation with 7.5 seconds to go, with the Lions clinging to two-point lead.

But, Bellarmine Prep was whistled for a five-second in-bounds violation, and Central Valley had one final chance.

Skaife charged into the lane and got up a runner that was too strong off. She grabbed the rebound, but her bank-shot field goal attempt to send the game into overtime slipped off the front rim at the buzzer.

“Our defense was consistent, and it put us in position to win in the end,” Bears first-year coach Ryan Bragdon said. “We had great looks. They just didn’t fall.”

The unsung hero for the Lions was post player Ciara Gatpatan, who had a career-high 19 points and eight rebounds. She made a pair of 3-pointers, and converted a three-point play at a time when the Bears threatened to break out to a big lead.

Neither team had more than a five-point advantage, and in the end, it was the Lions who prevailed. Central Valley had won 52 of its past 55 games coming into the game.

“We are so happy,” Frazier said. “We wanted this so badly.”

And so did their coach, who was a Lions assistant under former coach Kevin Meines back in 2017.

“Equally amazing,” West said.

TEAM STATISTICS

BP – Shooting: 15 of 37 (40.5 percent). Free throws: 10 of 14 (71.4). Turnovers: 19.

CV – Shooting 18 of 56 (32.1 percent). Free throws 5 of 10 (50). Turnovers: 11.

INDIVIDUAL SCORING

BP – Makiah Reed 7, Callie Stevens 8, Reyelle Frazier 10, Julia Bordeaux 2, Ciara Gatpatan 19.

CV – Mady Simmerlink 9, Kate Sams 5, Camryn Skaife 7, Tomekia Whitman 17, M.J. Bruno 6.

This story was originally published February 28, 2019 at 6:48 PM.