MaxPreps is pleased to announce that the
Central Valley (Spokane Valley, Wash.) Bears have officially been named to the 13th Annual MaxPreps Basketball Tour of Champions presented by the Army National Guard, which is in its 12th year honoring girls basketball.
This is one of the most prestigious team awards in all of high school sports and it is an exclusive honor reserved for 100 of the top teams nationwide. In order to be eligible, a team must win a state championship and be highly ranked in the MaxPreps National Rankings. For basketball, only 20 of the country's best are invited and with nearly 40,000 competing varsity teams, this puts the Bears ahead of 99.9 percent of their opponents!
In order to be eligible, the team not only had to be nationally ranked, but also had to win a state championship. Beating Woodinville 70-39 on Saturday, Mar. 3 in the
WIAA Class 4A state championship contest marked the completion of an incredible 29-0 season — and earned Central Valley an invitation to the Tour of Champions.
Lacie and Lexie Hull both had hot hands early in the title game, scoring 10 points between them as the Bears bullied their way to a 15-3 first quarter advantage and eventually their second state title in three years. Central Valley, who now owns five girls state basketball championships, led 16-6 after a quarter of play and 42-11 at intermission before heading into the final period up 58-25. Central Valley pushed its advantage to a game-high 36 points midway through the fourth quarter.
Freddie Rehkow's club dominated the runners-up in every phase of the game on the scoreboard, outscoring Woodinville 34-10 in the paint, 27-8 in points off of turnovers, 14-4 in second chance points and 10-0 on fast break points. The Bear bench poured in 18 points to just five for Woodinville's bench. Central Valley forced 27 turnovers, while recording 19 steals and made 18 of 24 free throws in the title game.
Lacie Hull led the Bears with a game-high 19 points, 10 rebounds, five assists, two blocked shots and six steals, while Lexie Hull poured in 13 points, pulled down five boards, dished out three assists, blocked a pair of shots and swiped three enemy balls. Hailey Christopher recorded 12 points, a rebound, a pair of assists, three blocked shots and five steals, while Tomekia Whitman and Mady Simmelink scored nine and six points respectively for the champions. Central Valley, 102-6 over the last four seasons, opened state tournament play with a 61-16 win over Kentlake to kick in the door to the Final Four. Then the Bears bumped Moses Lake from state championship contention with a 51-33 semifinal win to set up the championship bout with Woodinville.
Rehkow's Bears then invaded New York City and took home the top prize at the GEICO High School Nationals basketball tournament. After knocking off Georgia Class 7A state champion Westlake (Atlanta, GA) 70-57 in the semifinals, Central Valley tackled Hamilton Heights Christian Academy (Chattanooga, TN) 66-61 to claim the National Champion's hardware at Christ the King High School. Lexie Hull, who scored 56 points in the two day tournament, led the way for Central Valley with 26 points, 10 rebounds and four assists in the national championship game. Camryn Skaife and Lacie Hull added 14 and nine points respectively for Central Valley.
The Bears, who have won 83 of their last 84 contests, opened the season with a 63-18 triumph over Mead. Then, following a 55-28 victory over University, Central Valley upended Lewis and Clark 55-25 to start the season 3-0. The Bears did not lose all season and outscored its competition 66.9-30.5 per outing for the year. The Bears held 22 opponents under 40 points, while scoring 70 points or more 12 times themselves. Central Valley scored a season-high 88 points in a win over Rogers. Having won 31 straight games dating back to last season's Class 4A Girls Hardwood Classic, Central Valley set itself up for some rather high rankings come season's end. Not only are the Bears ranked No. 1 in
MaxPreps' Washington Class 4A Rankings, Central Valley is the top squad in all of
Washington. The Bears are ranked No. 4 in
MaxPreps' National Rankings and played their way into the top spot of
MaxPreps' Xcellent 25 Writers' Poll!
These incredible season achievements have earned the Central Valley Bears an invitation to the 13th Annual Tour of Champions. Please join us in the gymnasium for a school assembly as we celebrate with the girls basketball team, coaching staff, students and fans on Monday, May 21 at 1:45 p.m.
For more information about the Tour of Champions, please visit the
MaxPreps Tour of Champions site.
