By Tom Rohrer
Inside the Hoquiam High School gymnasium, amongst the plaques representing the various successful teams in the history of Grizzlies athletics, is one of the last District Championship in girls basketball.
The year on the plaque reads 1987, almost three full decades ago.
This season, the Grizzlies will have the opportunity to win their first district title in 26 years, as they finished second in the 1A Evergreen League, thanks to an 8-4 league campaign and a 13-7 record overall.
On Friday, Feb. 8, the Grizzlies took a giant first step towards the district title by defeating La Center High School 51-48 in their opening game within the District 4 1A Girls Basketball Tournament at Centralia High School.
With the victory, the Grizzlies advance to the semi-finals of the district tournament, where they will play Castle Rock High School on Tuesday, Feb. 12, at Kelso High School beginning at 8 p.m.
Last year, Hoquiam finished 8-13, and before that, 7-16. The program as a whole has undergone a change in culture thanks in large part to fourth year head coach Chad Allan, who has instilled confidence in his players by allowing them to play a high energy, free flowing style of basketball.
“It’s awesome to be able to see the girls grow and mature as people and not only as players. That’s part of the mind frame we’ve had to change,” Allan said. “We’ve made that change to be more competitive and to make that change we had to push them in a lot of ways.”
That change was evident in the Grizzlies match-up against league champion Elma on Thursday, Jan. 31, when Hoquiam won a 54-50 nail-biter to hand the EHS their only league loss of the season. By winning that game, Hoquiam assured themselves a high seed in the district playoffs, a welcome change for the HHS players.
“We worked our butts off to beat Elma and get a better seed and I think after we beat Elma, people thought, ‘woah, this is a tough team,’” said sophomore point guard Ellie Quercia.
By playing a tough league schedule (four other teams from the 1A Evergreen conference are in the district tournament), the Grizzlies felt battle tested heading into the double elimination tournament. Not having the pressure of a one-and-done game appeared to help the team’s confidence en route to the first district tournament victory.
“It let us know what we should expect later on,” said senior Chelsy Stewart of the stout league competition. “As the season went on and we played harder teams, we learned what it took to compete at that level,”
“It’s great not having to play in the pig tail game like past years,” said junior Brandi Creviston. “It takes a lot pressure off, and we know we can just go out and play.”
Allan’s free-flowing style offense and full court press defense allows his players to play their natural style and react as the game goes along.
“We would rather get them to learn to play the game of basketball rather than run plays,” Allan said. “We emphasize reading situations as they happen on the court. And it makes it harder for other teams to scout.”
The team’s improved conditioning allows them to run a high pressure defense that can tire opponents out as the game goes along.
“We are in way better condition than last year, and that really helps us put a lot of pressure on teams and be mentally tougher when the games get tighter,” Quercia said.
“We like to speed the game up because we don’t have much size and we make sure we use the three point line-to-three point line area and try to make sure our defense gets that 10-to-15 points off turnovers,” Allan said.
Playing this style requires the team to trust their teammates, and thanks to a high level of camaraderie on the roster, that hasn’t been a problem for the Grizzlies.
“We know where someone will be and we just play together better this year, and that comes from the trust we have,” Stewart said.
“I noticed this year that everyone put their heart in to get better, and that has helped us come together,” Creviston said.
The team used that trust to get a victory in a high pressure environment, and both the players and coach were confident in their ability to handle a setting like the district tournament.
“We think of it as another game, not a district game,” Stewart said. “I know we can step up and play to our full potential.”
“I think I’m loud and boisterous enough to where we keep an even keel,” Allan said. “We like to think of it as a business trip and that we’ve got a job to do.”
Before the madness of the district playoffs began, the Grizzlies were happy to be a part of a successful process that still has potential for excellence.
“I’m very excited. We’ve been working really hard, and this is the farthest we’ve gotten that I know of. We deserve it completely,” Stewart said.
“My job here is to structure the girls into a position to win, and what they’re doing is giving the effort and desire that shows they want to win,” Allan said. “It’s been a heck of a lot fun spending time with them as people and players.”
For more information on the District 4 IA Girls District Tournament, visit http://www.wiaadistrict4.com.
