The Vashon Pirates boys’ basketball team will not claim a second consecutive state title, after the team fell to Cascade Christian on Friday, 57-48, in a state semifinal game.

Vashon beat Kings 65-46, on Saturday to secure third place.

The Pirate girls’ team lost a loser-out game on Friday against Seattle Christian, 44-28, and are out of the state tournament.

See below for a summary of the boys’ team’s trip to state, including all four games they played last week.

By Jay Williamson

The Vashon Pirates won three of four tournament games at the state tournament in Yakima last week to claim the title of third best 1A team in the state. Vashon’s only loss was to eventual champion and co-Nisqually League winner Cascade Christian in the semifinals.

Vashon’s opening game in the tournament was the talk of the town with number-one ranked Chelan versus fourth-ranked Vashon. Two of the top high school players in the state were facing off: John Gage of Vashon and Joe Harris of Chelan. The Sundome in Yakima was packed for the 9 p.m. Wednesday game.

Vashon dominated the first quarter, led by Alex Wegner as he scored 13 points, had several steals and grabbed key rebounds. He also drew primary defensive responsibility for guarding Harris.

But perhaps the key event was when Chelan star Harris picked up his third foul with a little more than a minute left in the quarter. When Matt Amick hit a three-pointer at the buzzer, the Pirates led 27-10. In the second quarter Harris demonstrated what a great player he is, leading his team back into the game with his scoring, his defense and his passing, despite playing with three fouls. When the half ended, Chelan had clawed back to within striking distance, 34-23.

Chelan and Harris kept the pressure up in the third quarter, pulling to within four points. But Matt Kerns answered with a big three-point basket; Gage made several nice shots, and then Harris picked up his fourth foul with just over a minute left.

The quarter ended with Vashon expanding its lead to 45-36. Vashon started the final period quickly with a Quinn Holert three and a Gage basket. Then, with four minutes of play in the game, Harris fouled Gage under the basket and he was out of the game.

Chelan played hard and fought gamely, but as a team they committed too many fouls and Vashon shot well from the free throw line, making 19 of 25 for the evening. The Pirates moved on in the tournament with a 66-52 victory.

Vashon points for the game were Wegner 20, Gage 19, Kerns 8, Weston 8, Amick 6, Holert 5, Amick, Stoffer, Williamson.

Vashon next faced Bellevue Christian in an evenly matched quarterfinal in which Vashon prevailed 54-48, pulling away at the end. Holert got Vashon on the scoreboard with a three-point shot, and Kerns soon followed with his own three.

But tight defense by both teams held down the scoring, and the quarter ended with Vashon leading 8-6. The scoring pace picked up in the second quarter. A steal by Amick led to a three-point basket from big man Gage, and Elias Weston hit a big three-point shot. But Bellevue Christian answered every basket with one of their own, and the Vikings led at halftime, 22-20.

Holert started the Pirate scoring in the second half with a quick bucket, and both Holert and Alex Wegner had steals in the quarter leading to Pirate points. Wegner grabbed an offensive rebound for a basket and a foul for a three-point play the old-fashioned way.

But the Vikings also made their shots, and a three-point basket at the third period buzzer gave them the lead, 35-34.

Early in the fourth quarter Bellevue Christian made a three-point basket to grab a four-point lead, one of their largest of the game. But a 7-0 run keyed by a Gage jumper and another three-point basket by Holert gave the Pirates a 43-40 lead.

The Pirate defense shut down the Vikings for the most part the rest of the way, and both Weston and Gage made key free throws down the stretch to seal the win.

Vashon scoring for the game were Gage 19, Holert 14, Weston 10, Wegner 5, Kerns 4, Amick 2, Stoffer, Williamson.

The Pirates faced a familiar foe in their semifinal match Friday night — Cascade Christian.

It was the fourth time the two teams faced off against each other this season, and for the third time the Cougars prevailed. The final score was 57-48.

Wegner scored the Pirates’ first five points, including a three-pointer, and John Gage contributed four points in the quarter. A nice pullup jumper from Elias Weston gave Vashon the lead at the end of the quarter, 11-10.

The lead did not last long, as Cascade Christian hit several three-pointers to quickly forge ahead 19-13. Holert hit a three-pointer and another basket, but the Cougars always had an answer with baskets of their own. Weston hit a nice shot after driving into the lane to cut the Cascade Christian lead to 24-21 at the half.

Cascade Christian started the third period by stealing an inbounds pass for a layup and hitting another three-pointer. The quarter was nearly half over before Vashon scored its first points on a Gage putback on an offensive rebound, and by then the Cougars had built a nine-point lead.

As the quarter ended, Gage put in his own miss and was fouled, getting Vashon back to within five, 36-31.

In the fourth quarter an Amick basket off a nice assist from Wegner and a baseline jumper by Gage pulled the Pirates to within three. Even though both Gage and Wegner picked up their fourth foul in the quarter, the Pirates kept coming, and a Holert drive into the lane and basket pulled Vashon to within one, 40-39. But the Cougars hit another three-pointer and several other baskets, while Vashon could not find the mark. Time ran out on the Pirates and their quest to repeat as state champions was ended.

Vashon points for the game were Gage 21, Weston 8, Wegner 7, Holert 7, Amick 3, Kerns 2. Also playing in the game were Tyler Stoffer, Dan Lofland and Corey Williamson.

Saturday afternoon found Vashon facing King’s in a game to determine third and sixth place. King’s is a team the Pirates had already beat twice this season in close contests,.

Vashon thoroughly controlled the contest after a close first quarter to convincingly beat King’s 65-46. The key to the first quarter was back-to-back three point baskets by Matt Kerns. Vashon entered the second quarter leading 13-10, but soon Gage picked up his second foul and ended up sitting the quarter on the bench.

The rest of the Pirates picked up the slack and rather than faltering extended their lead to 24-18 at halftime. Highlights included Holert hitting a jumper and then making a sweet touch pass from the three-point line to Matt Amick under the basket for an easy two. Wegner ended the half with two baskets, one coming as the 35-second clock was expiring.

Vashon dominated the third quarter. Weston hit a shot off of a Wegner assist; Kerns made a three-pointer off a Gage assist, and Gage made up for lost time, blocking several shots and scoring seven points in the quarter, including a three-point basket. When Weston stole an inbounds pass from King’s and took it the length of the court for a layup, the Pirates were up by 10 and never looked back. Vashon scored 20 points in the quarter and led 44-29. The fourth quarter started where the third left off, with Weston stealing another inbounds pass for a lay-up by Kerns. Halfway through the quarter, Vashon led 61-41 and it was time for the bench to come in. Hamzah Griffin, Christian Hasson, Lofland, Jesse Hazzard, Stoffer and Williamson finished the season playing well. The game ended, and the Pirates went to midcourt to claim their third-place trophy. It was a fitting end and just reward to a team that played its heart out every game of the year and showed what can be achieved by hard work and commitment as a team to a common goal.

Vashon scoring for the game was Kerns 16, Wegner 15, Gage 14, Weston 8, Holert 7, Amick 3, Lofland 2, Griffin, Hasson, Hazzard, Stoffer and Williamson.