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Feb. 14—DAYTON, Wash. — At this time last year, Garfield-Palouse's Elena Flansburg thought she had the flu.
It was actually pneumonia.
Before she realized how sick she was, Flansburg — whose Vikings were riding a 20-game win streak — played through it, but Garfield-Palouse came up three points shy of Yakama Nation Tribal School of Toppenish, Wash., in the district tournament final on Feb. 15, 2025.
"I learned that I have a terrible immune system," Flansburg joked. "But in all reality, it made me better. It made me (want) to do better in these types of games."
This year, Flansburg hardly left the court in a back-and-forth affair with those same Eagles. And her performance could certainly be classified as "better."
Flansburg's 24 points, six rebounds, four steals and two assists boosted the Gar-Pal Vikings to a 58-53 victory over Yakama Tribal in the Southeast 1B League district tournament championship game Friday at Dayton High School.
Next, Gar-Pal (20-2) will play a district crossover game as the No. 1 seed.
A back-and-forth battle
A pair of Molly Huffman layups and an Ellie Collier second-chance 3 comprised a 7-2 start for Gar-Pal before the first timeout.
Collier, who finished with 10 points and five assists, flashed both skills in quick succession with an excellent pass to Flansburg for two as part of a run that pushed the Vikings' advantage to 12-5.
Then, Yakama Tribal (22-2) began to close the gap.
A physical brand of defense from the Eagles ensured that the Vikings' planned plays simply remained concepts, as a string of turnovers and fouls from both sides ensued.
However, the Vikings began to hit their groove and capitalize at the foul line.
Late in the first quarter, Flansburg cut through a convocation of Eagles, drew a foul and watched the ball sink through the net to set up a traditional three-point play and a 15-6 lead.
With a pair of free throws from Taia Gehring, who also grabbed a team-leading seven rebounds, it appeared that the Vikings may have been poised to sail away with the 19-10 first quarter lead, until ...
Bang! Bang!
A pair of back-to-back 3-pointers from Yakama Tribal made it a three-point game and Gar-Pal's lead was not much bigger for the remainder of regulation.
Midway through the third quarter, it appeared as if neither team could miss.
For every Vikings 3, the Eagles made a 3.
For every Flansburg coast-to-coast layup, the Eagles had an answer.
Finally, Gar-Pal coach Garrett Parrish called a timeout.
"I thought we were kind of getting away from our rules," Parrish said. "We sat down and said, 'What are they beating us on? And let's take that away.' And it worked for a little bit, and then it quit working again."
With her coach's message ringing in her ears, Flansburg made a play that clearly resonated.
Flansburg snatched an Eagle pass out of the air at midcourt and whipped it to Collier, who sank the layup to extend Gar-Pal's lead to six midway through the fourth quarter.
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"Sometimes I'll end up fumbling those passes," Flansburg said. "I was like, 'I gotta get this one,' so I went up for it like a rebound and I got two hands on it and I hit the open man and that's just like our team dynamic."
Playing for each other
That team dynamic?
"If it's not someone else's night, it's somebody else," Flansburg said. "If it's not Ellie's night for shooting, it's Taia's or it's (Morgan Lentz's) or it's mine, or (whoever) it is. But that's a special thing about this team."
So, it was only right for Flansburg to feed the ball to Lentz, who this time last year was also under the weather during the Vikings' postseason run, to put the game on ice.
Lentz's layup put Gar-Pal up 58-53 with 1:12 left and the Vikings held the line.
Parrish said many of the Vikings grew up being the first option at whichever level they played.
"They all sacrifice a little offense to make us a little more effective," Parrish said. "That's not an easy change, but I think we're buying into it."
The Vikings had three players score in double figures on Friday, including Kyra Brantner with 10 points.
"We're not selfish," Flansburg said. "We love each other. We've grown up together. It's really special."
On to State (eventually)
The Vikings' spot in the Washington 1B state tournament was cemented after Gar-Pal secured a top-two regular-season finish, Parrish said.
Now, it's all about seeding.
The Vikings' league tournament championship means they will play a crossover game with the winner of today's Almira-Coulee-Hartline/Valley Christian game. The outcome of that crossover game will influence each school's state tournament seeding.
Once the state tournament officially begins on Feb. 24, both Gar-Pal and Yakama Tribal will continue a course that may send them crashing into one another again.
Whatever happens, Flansburg just wants her team to stay healthy. She also wants some of her teammates who don't often get the spotlight to excel as the Vikings attempt to get back to the state championship game and win it this time.
"I'd like to see Taia (Gehring) have a huge game. I'd like to see Molly (Huffman) have a huge game," Flansburg said. "It's better that way — everyone's excited for each other and I'd like to see us showcase our defensive mentality and just really outwork everyone."
YAKAMA TRIBAL (22-2)
Ty Kreis-Huereca 4 3-7 12, Mikyssa Wyena 3 1-4 8, Amber Onepennee 0 0-0 0, Priscilla Thomas 2 0-0 4, Ayana Sampson 1 3-5 5, Julia George 2 0-0 5, Riana Stahi 1 0-0 2, Ruby Trujillo-Walsey 4 2-4 14, Tijay Thomas 1 0-0 3, Sionney Starr 0 0-0 0, Nika Lara 0 0-0 0. Totals 18 9-20 53.
GARFIELD-PALOUSE (20-2)
Reisse Johnson 0 0-0 0, Kaydence Kivi 0 0-0 0, Maggie Bakeman 0 0-0 0, Elena Flansburg 9 4-6 24, Kyra Brantner 3 5-7 11, Ellie Collier 3 3-9 10, Morgan Lentz 1 1-2 3, HettyLee Laughary, 0 0-0 0, Taia Gehring 2 2-2 6, Kinsley Kelnhofer 0 0-0 0, Molly Huffman 2 0-0 2. Totals 20 15-26 58.
Yakama Tribal 10 17 17 9—53
Garfield-Palouse 19 14 17 8—58
3-point goals — Trujillo-Walsey 4, T. Thomas, George, Wyena, Kreis-Huereca, Flansburg 2, Collier.
Taylor can be reached at 208-848-2260, [email protected], or on X or Instagram @Sam_C_Taylor.
Continue reading...
It was actually pneumonia.
Before she realized how sick she was, Flansburg — whose Vikings were riding a 20-game win streak — played through it, but Garfield-Palouse came up three points shy of Yakama Nation Tribal School of Toppenish, Wash., in the district tournament final on Feb. 15, 2025.
"I learned that I have a terrible immune system," Flansburg joked. "But in all reality, it made me better. It made me (want) to do better in these types of games."
This year, Flansburg hardly left the court in a back-and-forth affair with those same Eagles. And her performance could certainly be classified as "better."
Flansburg's 24 points, six rebounds, four steals and two assists boosted the Gar-Pal Vikings to a 58-53 victory over Yakama Tribal in the Southeast 1B League district tournament championship game Friday at Dayton High School.
Next, Gar-Pal (20-2) will play a district crossover game as the No. 1 seed.
A back-and-forth battle
A pair of Molly Huffman layups and an Ellie Collier second-chance 3 comprised a 7-2 start for Gar-Pal before the first timeout.
Collier, who finished with 10 points and five assists, flashed both skills in quick succession with an excellent pass to Flansburg for two as part of a run that pushed the Vikings' advantage to 12-5.
Then, Yakama Tribal (22-2) began to close the gap.
A physical brand of defense from the Eagles ensured that the Vikings' planned plays simply remained concepts, as a string of turnovers and fouls from both sides ensued.
However, the Vikings began to hit their groove and capitalize at the foul line.
Late in the first quarter, Flansburg cut through a convocation of Eagles, drew a foul and watched the ball sink through the net to set up a traditional three-point play and a 15-6 lead.
With a pair of free throws from Taia Gehring, who also grabbed a team-leading seven rebounds, it appeared that the Vikings may have been poised to sail away with the 19-10 first quarter lead, until ...
Bang! Bang!
A pair of back-to-back 3-pointers from Yakama Tribal made it a three-point game and Gar-Pal's lead was not much bigger for the remainder of regulation.
Midway through the third quarter, it appeared as if neither team could miss.
For every Vikings 3, the Eagles made a 3.
For every Flansburg coast-to-coast layup, the Eagles had an answer.
Finally, Gar-Pal coach Garrett Parrish called a timeout.
"I thought we were kind of getting away from our rules," Parrish said. "We sat down and said, 'What are they beating us on? And let's take that away.' And it worked for a little bit, and then it quit working again."
With her coach's message ringing in her ears, Flansburg made a play that clearly resonated.
Flansburg snatched an Eagle pass out of the air at midcourt and whipped it to Collier, who sank the layup to extend Gar-Pal's lead to six midway through the fourth quarter.
Daily headlines, straight to your inboxRead it online first and stay up-to-date, delivered daily at 7 AM
"Sometimes I'll end up fumbling those passes," Flansburg said. "I was like, 'I gotta get this one,' so I went up for it like a rebound and I got two hands on it and I hit the open man and that's just like our team dynamic."
Playing for each other
That team dynamic?
"If it's not someone else's night, it's somebody else," Flansburg said. "If it's not Ellie's night for shooting, it's Taia's or it's (Morgan Lentz's) or it's mine, or (whoever) it is. But that's a special thing about this team."
So, it was only right for Flansburg to feed the ball to Lentz, who this time last year was also under the weather during the Vikings' postseason run, to put the game on ice.
Lentz's layup put Gar-Pal up 58-53 with 1:12 left and the Vikings held the line.
Parrish said many of the Vikings grew up being the first option at whichever level they played.
"They all sacrifice a little offense to make us a little more effective," Parrish said. "That's not an easy change, but I think we're buying into it."
The Vikings had three players score in double figures on Friday, including Kyra Brantner with 10 points.
"We're not selfish," Flansburg said. "We love each other. We've grown up together. It's really special."
On to State (eventually)
The Vikings' spot in the Washington 1B state tournament was cemented after Gar-Pal secured a top-two regular-season finish, Parrish said.
Now, it's all about seeding.
The Vikings' league tournament championship means they will play a crossover game with the winner of today's Almira-Coulee-Hartline/Valley Christian game. The outcome of that crossover game will influence each school's state tournament seeding.
Once the state tournament officially begins on Feb. 24, both Gar-Pal and Yakama Tribal will continue a course that may send them crashing into one another again.
Whatever happens, Flansburg just wants her team to stay healthy. She also wants some of her teammates who don't often get the spotlight to excel as the Vikings attempt to get back to the state championship game and win it this time.
"I'd like to see Taia (Gehring) have a huge game. I'd like to see Molly (Huffman) have a huge game," Flansburg said. "It's better that way — everyone's excited for each other and I'd like to see us showcase our defensive mentality and just really outwork everyone."
YAKAMA TRIBAL (22-2)
Ty Kreis-Huereca 4 3-7 12, Mikyssa Wyena 3 1-4 8, Amber Onepennee 0 0-0 0, Priscilla Thomas 2 0-0 4, Ayana Sampson 1 3-5 5, Julia George 2 0-0 5, Riana Stahi 1 0-0 2, Ruby Trujillo-Walsey 4 2-4 14, Tijay Thomas 1 0-0 3, Sionney Starr 0 0-0 0, Nika Lara 0 0-0 0. Totals 18 9-20 53.
GARFIELD-PALOUSE (20-2)
Reisse Johnson 0 0-0 0, Kaydence Kivi 0 0-0 0, Maggie Bakeman 0 0-0 0, Elena Flansburg 9 4-6 24, Kyra Brantner 3 5-7 11, Ellie Collier 3 3-9 10, Morgan Lentz 1 1-2 3, HettyLee Laughary, 0 0-0 0, Taia Gehring 2 2-2 6, Kinsley Kelnhofer 0 0-0 0, Molly Huffman 2 0-0 2. Totals 20 15-26 58.
Yakama Tribal 10 17 17 9—53
Garfield-Palouse 19 14 17 8—58
3-point goals — Trujillo-Walsey 4, T. Thomas, George, Wyena, Kreis-Huereca, Flansburg 2, Collier.
Taylor can be reached at 208-848-2260, [email protected], or on X or Instagram @Sam_C_Taylor.
Continue reading...
