Hope Hassmann explodes in first half, Tahoma girls rout Davis in 4A state regional
With the clock winding down at the end of the first half, Hope Hassmann dribbled the ball at the top of the key, stared down her defender, effortlessly spun past her and made a layup, the final pair of her 23-first half points in Tahoma’s 86-59 win over visiting Davis (Yakima) in a 4A state tournament regional round game at Auburn on Saturday night.
Blink, and fans might have missed one of Hassmann’s buckets, a brilliant first-half effort of layups, midrange shots, spin moves, crossovers, steals and transition shots. By half, the game was over. Tahoma held a 45-27 lead. The Bears never slowed down, earning a first-round bye into the quarterfinals at next week’s 4A state tournament at the Tacoma Dome. Hassmann finished with a game-high 29 points.
“I kind of went once and was like, they can’t guard me, and then just kept it going,” Hassmann said. “I take what I get. I feel like it was going in, I had good looks, so I’m like, ‘I’m not gonna stop.’”
Tahoma coach Peter Smith has grown accustomed to seeing these types of performances from his senior, the 4A North Puget Sound League MVP. All week in practices leading up to the game, Hassmann was dialed in.
“Kind of like she’s been waiting four of five years to play in this stage, right?” Smith said. “At shootaround today, she just kind of had that look. They all had it. It didn’t seem like they were nervous. They were just antsy, they just wanted to get on the court.”
Angelina Cavanaugh added 19 points for the Bears and Lily Cavanaugh chipped in 13. Davis was paced by junior guard Esmeralda Galindo, who scored a team-high 25 points.
Tahoma hasn’t played in the state tournament since 1999. Now, the Bears will find themselves in the state tournament quarterfinals, under the bright lights of the Tacoma Dome, three wins away from hoisting a state championship trophy.
“In the locker room, we were like guys, this isn’t over,” Hassmann said. “Second half, let’s put it on them and let’s take care of it in the Dome. This is only the beginning.”
A new experience, but one Smith feels his team is prepared for. If Saturday’s result was any indication, the Bears are going to be a problem at the Dome.
“I’m excited for the Dome, we know that’s gonna present its own challenges,” Smith said. “The kids haven’t experienced that, but they’ve also played a lot of basketball.”
This story was originally published February 25, 2023 at 7:52 PM.
