La Conner Girl Hoopsters play in Phoenix – La Conner Weekly News

An unusually dry summer here did not stop the Pacific northwest rains from falling on the Valley of the Sun.

The Rain, a travel team for girls from the region, won top honors in their high school age group at the recent Summer Sizzle basketball tournament in Phoenix in 2021.

Five La Conner High players – Juna Swanson, Rachel Cram, Sarah Cook, Ellie Marble, and Josie Harper – were members of the tournament winners, coached by former standout Mount Vernon High Tyler Amaya, who played collegiate at Gonzaga and Western Washington University before his game abroad professionally.

The Rain went undefeated in four tournament matches, said parent Dustin Swanson, who was part of a sizable La Conner entourage that made July 30th through August. 1 ride.

The Skagit Valley-based team, part of a group of 16 who represent much of the western United States, included players from the region’s major high school schools.

“All of them come from really good basketball programs,” said Swanson, who helped develop the team’s roster, “and the beauty of it is that they say they love playing with the La Conner girls.”

Although several team members played against each other during the high school season, the Rain players benefited from the great camaraderie of the tournament, Swanson said.

“The great thing about this group,” he said, “is their selflessness. “They have great chemistry and really enjoyed their pool time and playing together.

“It seemed like in every game,” added Swanson, “that someone else would step in and make a big contribution.”

La Conner High Girls’ basketball coach Scott Novak wasn’t surprised that his team’s players represented the rain well.

“I’m very proud of her,” Novak told the Weekly News. “You need a lot of determination to go as far as you have. They are good for a reason. You invested the time. ”

The La Conner High girls’ team finished second in the state’s 2020 2B Hardwood Classic. They also finished second in the Mount Vernon 2B summer tournament in June.

The Phoenix tournament can’t help but pay off for La Conner players going forward, said mother Lynette Cram.

“It was great to have all five La Conner players on the ground at the same time,” she said. “All parents have fun there.

“When that happened,” said Cram, “they were able to play games from our (La Conner) offensive sets. At the AAU-Ball (Amateur Athletic Union) they are not used to a lot of structure because players from different schools play on the same team we were able to get hold of some simple baskets. ”

Swanson said the Rain players are proud to represent “our northwest corner of Washington state.” Their visit was made possible in large part by the local sponsors Balance Point Physical Therapy and Christianson’s Nursery.

“They took a lot of pride in our area,” he said, “and they all played fantastic basketball.”

And in the end it rained in the southwest of the desert.

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