PORT ANGELES — Whatever happens now is thick, creamy chocolate frosting on the Port Angeles girls basketball team’s cake.
The Roughriders have already exceeded most people’s expectations.
But it’s not over yet as they square up against the state’s elite teams at the Class 2A state championships starting Thursday at the Yakima Valley SunDome.
The tournament goes through Saturday.
Unranked and unappreciated most of the season, Port Angeles can finish no worse than the top eight in state because there are only eight teams at state.
Six of those teams, though, bring home trophies and that’s what the Riders have their sights on.
“It will be a tough environment for us,” Port Angeles coach Michael Poindexter said.
“It is a tough, select group of schools.
“Our goal really is just to get to Saturday.”
All six teams still playing Saturday earn trophies.
“We want to get a trophy and really celebrate what we have accomplished this year.”
And there’s looking forward to next year.
Port Angeles returns eight of its 12 varsity players next year.
“We will lose four very good seniors but this [tournament] is a stepping stone for next year,” Poindexter said.
The state experience will be invaluable for the younger players and will feed their hunger to keep coming back, according to Poindexter.
The Riders, 18-8 with an eight-game winning streak during the year, open state play against super-sized Lynden, 17-6, at 10:30 a.m.
The Lions are loaded with state experience. They have been to state six years in a row, capturing sixth place last year.
The Lions, unranked going into state, claimed first place in 2009 and were eighth in 2007 when the tourney had the full 16 teams.
The Riders, meanwhile, haven’t been to state since 2004, and they haven’t placed since 2001 when they took fifth place.
“I don’t know a lot about Lynden but I know they have quite a bit more size than we do,” Poindexter said.
The Lions start at 5-foot-9 and 5-10 and go up to 6-2.
“Half our team is smaller than that,” Poindexter said.
“They are disciplined and physically strong.”
Kortney Grattiz, 5-11, is the team’s leading scorer but the Riders can’t just target her, Poindexter said.
“Certainly, they have more [good] scorers than just her. They are a fairly balanced team.”
Poindexter has been getting a total team effort from his players both offensively and defensively, and the Riders have been growing in confidence the further they go in the postseason.
Port Angeles is 4-2 in the postseason, losing only to White River twice in the playoffs.
The Riders have lost 19 and nine to the Hornets, including 41-32 in the district championship game two weeks ago.
For the Riders, though, the second day will be the key for a chance to play for a trophy.
In the second round, the semifinals Friday, the Riders take on the winner or the loser of the Clarkston vs. Burlington-Edison first-round game.
Clarkston is ranked No. 1 in state while last year’s state runner-up Burlington-Edison is rated No. 2.
Win on Thursday and the Riders get the No. 1 or No. 2 team in the championship semifinals at 3:45 p.m. Friday.
Lose on Thursday, though, and the Riders get an angry No. 1 or No. 2 loser Friday in the loser-out consolation semifinals at 9 a.m.
Every winning team Thursday and Friday is assured of a trophy.
Fourth-ranked W.F. West is another team to be wary of in the tourney, according to Poindexter.
But other elite teams are third-ranked East Valley of Yakima, fifth-ranked White River and eighth-ranked Blaine.
Students and teachers gave an impromptu state send-off celebration, parade and rally for the Riders on Tuesday morning.
Led by the cheer squad and band, students looped through the campus grounds Tuesday morning, picking up students along the way and ending up outside the gym, where they were joined by teachers and staff, members of the girls basketball team and other state qualifiers from boys swimming and diving, wrestling and gymnastics.