Prosser battles, but can't take down No. 1 Lynden

YAKIMA — Prosser gave top-seeded Lynden all it could handle in Saturday’s Class 2A state championship game, pushing the undefeated Lions to the brink late in the fourth quarter.

After trailing by as many as 16 points in the first half, the No. 3 seed Mustangs gradually chipped away, cutting the Lions’ lead to three with 3:20 remaining.

But Lynden’s experience won out in the end, helping the Lions pull away late and claim a 59-49 victory at the Yakima Valley SunDome — their third consecutive state title and 75th win in a row overall.

“The first quarter was hard, but we didn’t back down,” said senior Deidra Phillips, who scored 13 points and added four rebounds and four assists. “We just kept going and kept a belief mindset, and that’s something I will always remember about this team.”

Junior Herbie Wright led the Mustangs with 14 points and pulled down six rebounds, while Amelia Chapman scored 10 points, including five straight during a key fourth-quarter run by the Mustangs, who were playing in their first state championship game since winning in 2011.

“I’m just so proud of our team,” said Chapman, a sophomore. “We played hard to the very end and it was a really great end to the season. We wanted to win, but we’re still pretty happy with second place.”

Early on, it looked like the Lions might run away with it, but Prosser held steady by limiting fast break opportunities and taking care of the ball on offense.

Lynden built a 15-point halftime lead and maintained it until the 5:30 mark of the third quarter. That’s when the Lions went ice cold, allowing Prosser to slowly get back into the game over the next six minutes.

A Chapman 3-pointer late in the third capped a 7-0 run that put the Mustangs withing striking distance at 40-32. Lynden finally ended its long scoring drought on a long trey by Payton Mills and extended the lead back to 12 two minutes into the final stanza.

Phillips converted a three-point play before Chapman hit another three and a then a layup with 3:55 remaining to cut the lead to six. That set up Lailah Carter for her only points of the game: a 3-pointer that trimmed the lead to 48-45.

“We fell behind early, but we just kept fighting,” Chapman said. “We had a lot of players step up and we almost caught them.”

Lynden’s pedigree ultimately shined through, with Mills and tournament MVP Finley Parcher helping the Lions rebuild their lead to 12 with 27 seconds left. With the win, the Lions (25-0) became the first 2A team in state history to win three consecutive titles.

Prosser finishes the season at 24-4 and will return everyone but Phillips and Kennedy Bailey.

“I feel like we have left a legacy of leadership and we’ve done a good job of building up the underclassmen,” said Phillips, who was joined on the all-tournament team by Wright. “It’s basically going to be the same team coming back next year, and I’m excited to see them keep it going.”