Going to state!

It's been awhile for Foster, as this Tukwila school's sixth-year coach, Eric Fletcher, can attest to never having been to the big Tacoma Dome tournament that starts today.

But that's changed now, thanks to a Bulldogs' solid start and finish that took care of a so-so middle to propel these ladies onward in a loser-out game win against Steilacoom, 62-57, at Curtis High School Thursday.

"First time to state as a coach," said Fletcher, smiling after the narrow win and whose girls jumped out to a fast and furious 24-11 lead after the first quarter and even larger second quarter advantage. Steilacoom did get so far back, 39-17, with a minute left in the second quarter, that one would have thought this game was going to be won easily by the Bulldogs for the final West Central 2A Bi-District state tournament berth.

But the Bulldogs would watch a Steilacoom three-fest comeback (three second half three-pointers) with a blast of offense to make it 49-38 with two minutes left in the third quarter.

"The lead went in a hurry," said Fletcher. "But these girls have persevered all season long. They have continued to work hard through everything this season, injuries, and, and tonight they got rewarded."

Maybe a less experienced basketball team would have folded, a team other than experience-laden Foster.

Experience-laden Foster?

This team is "less experienced" than most, as the Bulldogs' top three scorers against Steilacoom were a 5-10 sophomore, Sara Popanjak, who scored a team-high 16 points, and a 5-10 junior, Jasmine Horton, and a 5-9 sophomore, Shantel Carmichael.

"We are really young," said Fletcher. "We only have six players with varsity experience."

And, consequently, that is how many players played all night for the Bulldogs -- whose foe fielded the five starters but brought fresh legs off the bench to the tune of five more.

So what was it then? What staved off a Sentinels team that was beginning to taste the fresh blood of 'state' after biting away some Bulldogs?

The age-old "heart?"

Was that it? Is that what fueled the Bulldogs through to escape that near-collapse after having that huge 22-point lead near the end of the first half?

No, that won't be the deciding answer this time.

What was it then? What helped the Bulldogs weather the comeback storm of the Sentinels that forced the Bulldogs into six turnovers in the third quarter?

Steilacoom suddenly began a completely successful full-court press that the Bulldogs managed to keep a slight lead in spite of it all, 55-47, with four minutes left in the fourth quarter.

Was it something to prove?

Yes.

Their leading scorer, a very good, talented, 5-4 point guard, Valencia Doty, the team's lone senior, went down close to mid-season with a torn ankle tendon. That made this team have to change things around, because Doty ran "the show" and often was 'the show,' so to speak, scoring a lot of points and orchestrating the offense and keeping turnovers from happening much.

"Last year, we focused on one player (Doty)," said Popanjak, a captain on the Bulldogs.

"She was a really good player," said Fletcher. "She ran the point, was the fastest player on the team, and she did a lot of things for us."

The Bulldogs only made it to this Bi-District tourney and lost their first two. So, without their star, they have made the pain completely bearable.

"When she got hurt, it forced the girls to rely on each other. It really made them come together as a team and play to each other's strengths," said Fletcher, adding, "And it really improved the team."

So these Foster girls were close to being in a real dogfight late against Steilacoom but the ending was just like another captain, Carmichael stated.

"We say a little speech together for our games, "Start strong, end strong."

And the Bulldogs did just that, especially Horton, who made a layup, flashing with the ball on the dribble to the lane and making that Sentinels momentum strike a wall at an important time in the game when it upped the score to 57-47, with 3:30 to go in the fourth quarter.

Then, after the Bulldogs were hounded into their 10th turnover of the second half, it was a Horton rebound and free throw after having been fouled that made it 58-50, Bulldogs. And, yes, the Sentinels had swished in a three-pointer seconds before Horton's strong move to the bucket caused a foe foul. So this game was close to the end, as the foe had made it 60-57 with 25 seconds left in the fourth quarter, thanks to another Steilacoom three-ball.

But to close things out completely positiviely, Carmichael could be heard above the crowd din, shouting aloud to her teammates, 'We can do this."

It was not long after Carmichael's exhortation that Horton sealed the deal, getting fouled on another good drive to the bucket. She missed the shot but was able to make 1-of-2 free throws to make it a four-point Bulldogs lead. Horton twice in the last couple minutes went to the free throw line making the first shot but missing the second. However, quick feet and thinking allowed her to get to the ball bouncing off the rim sideways to the endline.