Serving Whitman County since 1877
Serving Whitman County since 1877
Like an old Case 1470, the L/W Tigercats ran smooth Friday night in Colfax to take the District 9 title over Pomeroy.
LaCrosse-Washtucna senior Sam Harder gets a victory embrace after his team beat Pomeroy for the District 9 1B championship. The Tigercats enter Regionals Friday night.
It just took an extra turn of the key to get it started.
After a muted first few minutes, L/W engaged and moved the ball efficiently, making key shots and free throws the rest of the game.
“We just played relaxed,” said senior guard Alec Fleming, who led the team with 13 points, along with Darcy Stamper’s 13. “We played like we should have been playing all year.”
Stamper hit 9 of 10 free throws at the end to seal the championship while Justin Wargo added 12 points.
“We struggled to get the ball to Darcy in the first half,” said fourth-year coach Mike Jones. “But a lot of kids stepped up. We’ve been that way all season. A different kid stepping up every night.”
Fleming’s strong game started early with two three-pointers in the first quarter followed by a pass from Stamper to center Jed Zimmer for a 15-footer and 18-13 early in the second. Fleming soon hit again from the top of the key and then Riley Roberts made a three-pointer for 26-18.
Roberts then connected on a putback in the air for a 10-point lead nearing halftime before a three-pointer from Pomeroy’s Riley Bott cut the L/W lead to seven.
In the third quarter, Fleming opened with a drive and floater shot for a score and foul.
L/W continued to hold steady with five and seven-point leads before Pomeroy’s Cody LaMunyan denied a Zimmer shot underneath.
Pomeroy then started to cut into the Tigercats’ lead, before Stamper took a rebound the length of the floor for 36-30. He then went the length of the floor again for 38-30 with 3:31 left in the third.
On L/W’s next possession, Fleming passed to senior forward Wargo, who scored in the lane to put the Tigercats back up by 10.
Wargo then hit a three-pointer to put them up 12.
But then Zimmer took the ball underneath and up for a shot, only to get denied clean again by Pomeroy’s LaMunyan.
Into the fourth quarter, Matt Stubbs hit an eight-foot jump shot to keep L/W 10 points ahead.
“Tigercats! Tigercats! What’s your cry?” called out the cheerleaders in blue at a timeout.
“V-I-C-T-O-R-Y!” yelled back boisterous students.
Back on the floor, Pomeroy’s Bott stripped Zimmer in the key before Wargo grabbed an offensive rebound and took it back up for a four-footer. It dropped and he was fouled.
He hit the free throw for an 11-point lead with 4:13 left.
The next time up the floor, Fleming held the ball at the top of the key, faked, took two dribbles into the key and passed to Zimmer for a one-footer, 51-39.
Wargo then fouled out.
Would that be the last of his high school career?
There was little danger of that, as Stamper hit two free throws for 55-43 at 2:28 left.
Then Fleming overthrew Roberts at the baseline for his sole mistake of the game with 1:18 to go.
Pomeroy then suddenly rallied to cut the lead to six at 57-51.
Stamper went to the line on a blocking foul and made two more free throws.
Pomeroy fouled Stamper again and Wargo stood up on the bench and cheered, a wide smile on his face.
It was Coach Jones’ first district title and a step farther than he’d gotten as a player for L/W in the early ‘90s. His senior year, his team lost in the No. 2 seed game for as close he would get.
Fleming has gone to school in LaCrosse just two years, where he lives with his grandmother. As a ninth-grader he played on the freshman team at Ferris High School then didn’t play as a sophomore.
District 9 1B championship game: LaCrosse/Washtucna 60-Pomeroy 51: 11/8 19/15 13/10 17/18: Darcy Stamper 2 9-10 13, Matt Stubbs 2 (3pt) 0-0 5, Joey Guske 1 0-0 2, Jed Zimmer 4 1-4 9, Alec Fleming 5 (3-3pt) 0-1 13, Justin Wargo 5 (3pt)-3 12, Sam Harder 0 1-2 1, Riley Roberts 2 (3pt) 0-0 5.Total: 21 12-20 f-23 60. Pomeroy: Tanner Feider 3 7-9 13, Riley Bott 8 (5-3pt) 5-8 26, Cody LaMunyan 2 1-4 5, Tyson Feider 2 (3pt) 0-0 5. Total: 16 13-21 f-17 51.
The L/W Tigercats with the 1B District 9 trophy last Friday night.
Garth Meyer is a former Whitman County Gazette reporter.
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