Once upon a time, Sammamish girls basketball was good. Regularly stately; four of six years between 1990 and 1995. Then the coach retired or was otherwise replaced (I really don’t know the circumstances).
I recall a brief conversation with Lorinda Flikkema, the new coach, before a Liberty @ Sammamish game in 2001. Teresa Eliott, a 6-2 pretty good senior center but also national-class rower had been dropped from the roster. I noted the absence and asked Lorinda. “Teresa is not on the team.” I persisted a bit until “TERESA is NOT on the TEAM!!” I understand. It is of what we do not speak.
By 2004, Sammamish was playing with six varsity players. A seventh was on the roster but only as an emergency promoted JV in case of dire need. Although only six players, they easily made the league tournament (not a terribly difficult task). For league, at Bellevue Community College, Lorinda dressed NINE players. ‘Good’, I thought. ‘Build for the future even from the crumbs you have.’ Sammamish held close to Newport through the first half, but in the third quarter the bottom fell out. Soon down by 30 points. A Sammamish senior fouled out. In goes girl #6. Lorinda commiserates with the DQ’d player. No, mostly it looked like a girl chat from across the floor–fhe three varsity wannabees ignored at the end of the bench. Somebody yells across the court, ‘Clear your bench!’ No. Lorinda just kept her back on the others. The next day she quit. Good riddance!
It was a hard row to hoe that she left. An absolutely empty roster. A losing streak that reached 110 league games, But in 2015, Sammamish made state and advanced into the quarter-finals. Now in 2018-2019, on December 3,2018; no Kingco 3A/2A girls team has won a game. No (0) wins. Sixteen (16) losses. It is up to Sammamish on Tuesday. Highline is a low bar, and Sammamish hasn’t carried the Kingco Banner for 30 years. But at this point, Kingco 3A/2A girls need whatever they can get. “Just Win, Baby!”