In state tournament play, the haves and the have nots are quickly separated, as Lyle's girls basketball team found out last week.
The Cougars, designated contenders by the Spokane Spokesman-Review in a pre-tournament publication, fell out of contention for the state Class B championship March 5 with a 53-40 loss to Naselle.
Then, on March 6, day two of the Class B classic at the Spokane Arena, Mount Vernon Christian ignomiously eliminated Lyle from the tournament with a 56-35 victory.
The back-to-back losses finished the Cougars, who ended the 2002-03 season with a three-game losing streak and an overall record of 20 wins and 5 losses.
Despite the earlier-than-expected exit, Cougars Coach Verlyn Smith sounded an upbeat note.
"State was a great experience for this team," he said. "I'm so proud of the accomplishments this team made this year. During the season, players really stepped up their game and filled necessary roles to make us successful."
Lyle, champion of the Yakima Valley District 5 tournament and runnerup in the Central Washington Regional playoffs, sought to improve on its third-place finish in 2000 with its second state finals appearance in four years.
But a tough first-round draw versus a once-beaten Naselle squad and a consolation-bracket game against trice-beaten Mount Vernon proved too much for the overmatched Cougars to overcome.
In their two games, the Cougars were outscored 109-75, or by an average of 17 points per game (54.5 ppg to 37.5 ppg).
They lost to Naselle's Comets by 13 points after closing within 43-38 in the fourth quarter, then were blown out by MVC's Hurricanes, in a game which they led briefly, 2-0.
Lyle's one highlight was the play of senior Lindsey Blaine, the team's leading scorer and rebounder during the regular season.
The 5-foot-11 forward -- listed as one of 10 players to watch in the girls tourney by the Spokesman-Review --poured in 53 points and eight 3-point baskets in the two losses, giving her 107 points in two tournament appearances.
In keeping with a season-long theme, her output of 26.5 points per game accounted for nearly 59 percent of the Cougars' total offensive production.
In the final issue, her teammates' inability to step up to the next level of play and help carry the scoring and rebounding load proved to be the key failing in Lyle's tournament downfall.
Blaine scored 30 points in the Cougars' first-round defeat by Naselle, and had 23 in the loss to Mount Vernon Christian.
Lyle's next highest scorer was junior Dawn Ullom, who netted eight points in game one and two in game two.
Missing from the mix was a significant offensive contribution from senior Sarah Billette, who produced just five points in two games after averaging 10.5 per game during the regular season.
Mount Vernon Christian 56, Lyle 35 --
Turnovers and poor rebounding led to the Cougars' demise at the state tournament.
The Hurricanes, wearing the home white, capitalized on the black-clad Cougars' ball-handling and rebounding shortcomings by building an 18-7 lead after one quarter.
They pushed their advantage to 28-9 in the second quarter with a 10-2 run.
A pair of Lindsey Blaine free throws late in the period ended a four-minute scoring drought for Lyle and momentarily held Mount Vernon at bay.
But the Hurricanes -- who were 16 of 34 from the floor in the first half -- got a second wind and finished with a 10-0 surge to take a commanding 38-11 lead into their locker room at halftime.
MVC cooled off in the second half -- partly because of Lyle's switch from a zone to man-to-man defense -- and ended up shooting 36.7 percent for the game.
The Cougars, who outscored the Hurricanes, 24-18, after the intermission, made 36 percent of their shots (9 of 25) in the second half after a 4-for-21 first half (19 percent). Overall, they hit 13 of 46, 28.3 percent, from the field.
Keys to the victory for Mount Vernon were its dominance of the offensive and defensive backboards, and ability to turn turnovers into scoring opportunities.
The Hurricanes, who went on to place fourth in the tournament, out-rebounded the Cougars, 49-25.
They produced 19 second-chance from 24 offensive rebounds and limited the Cougars to one shot more often than not (two second-chance points on nine offensive rebounds).
Moreover, MVC converted 17 Lyle turnovers into 22 points (19 in the first half off 12 TOs). Lyle scored six points off 15 MVC errors.
Naselle 53, Lyle 40 --
After leading 14-12 at the end of the first quarter, the Cougars followed up with a dismal second in their tournament opener against the Comets.
Lyle trailed 28-16 at halftime and 36-25 through three quarters of play.
Naselle, which was 22-0 before losing its district title game, held Lyle off in the second half by hitting 9-of-15 free throws.
Blaine, who had 12 of Lyle's first 14 points, was held to four points in the middle quarters before exploding for 14 in the final period.
She knocked down four 3-pointers to bring the Cougars within 43-38 midway through the fourth quarter. She finished the game 6 of 12 from beyond the arc on her way to a game-high 30 points.
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