WHITE SALMON — The Columbia High Bruins girls basketball team capped a memorable Christmas vacation by winning one of their final two games in the Tarkanian Classic Tournament Dec. 19-23 in Las Vegas.
The Bruins, guided by fourth-year Coach Justin Frazier, competed in the 12-team Sapphire Division of the 80-team event that featured teams from throughout the United States. On Dec. 22, the Bruins (3-6 overall) won their first game of the trip, 44-24, over Silverado High School of Las Vegas. Joella Posini (12 points) led the Bruins in scoring. Sara Miller followed with 11 points and McKena Carlock had eight.
Coach Frazier said: “During the week in Las Vegas, we got a lot of playing time for all 11 of our players. All the girls contributed well throughout the entire tournament. We gained as a team a very great experience while being there.”
The Bruins followed in their fourth and final contest with a 69-17 loss to Birmingham Charter School of California on Dec. 23. Miller led the Bruins in scoring with nine points.
Frazier said the overall experience benefited the team. “We were trying to win, but I was focusing on just trying to get playing time for all the girls so that everyone would gain some experience in these nonleague games. It was a good experience for us, too, because it exposed the girls to what high quality teams really look like. Most of the teams we faced would easily win our league title. It was good for the girls to see strong teams, but they also enjoyed having fun there, too.”
The Bruins (1-1 league) will resume their WIAA Class 1A Trico League schedule with their next game Jan. 5 at 7 p.m. versus the La Center High Wildcats (1-1 league, 4-2 overall) at Columbia High School in White Salmon.
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