1987:Cardinal girls first trip to state

Current Medical Lake girls' head basketball coach Kyle Lundberg was in seventh grade in his hometown of Yakima when the Cardinals made their first state tournament appearance in March 1987.

Thirty years ago, a young, and admittedly inexperienced head coach named Val Bunce was feeling her way along leading the Cardinals to a 22-1 record as they landed in the Tacoma Dome for the state 1A tournament. Medical Lake had made a steady climb with Bunce, also a Yakima native, at the helm of the Cards after being hired in 1984 and inheriting a 1-19 team.

Bunce, who later married Rod VonLehe, would have two coaching stints with the Cardinals, stepping down in 1993 to raise a family and then return from 2005-06 to Jan. 2010. She also taught at the high school until retiring in 2014.

She attended the now closed Carroll High School in Yakima, then Yakima Valley Junior College and Eastern Washington University where she earned a teaching degree. Her first job was back in Yakima until Bunce was hired at Medical Lake where she had done student teaching.

VonLehe is quick to point to her lack of experience that led to Medical Lake's quick exit from the 1987 tournament. "I was so young in coaching, and it was their first season there (in the tournament), and I think it was my inexperience in coaching that we didn't do as well." she said.

Winners of 17 consecutive games and their lone previous loss coming to Connell, Medical Lake lost to Nooksack Valley in the tournament opener, 64-58. The game was the tale of two quarters as the Cards missed their first 13 shots in the second quarter, and suffered through an 8-point third quarter, trailing by 23 points.

But they staged a stunning 26-15 fourth quarter rally that fell just short. Junior Tricia Nilles led her team with 24 points while senior Tammy Simmons added 16.

Medical Lake earned a tough 41-40 win over Goldendale in the second round as Nilles scored a game-high 13 points and blocked a shot by the Timberwolves with 2 seconds remaining.

Their tournament run ended with a 58-48 overtime loss to who else but Connell, who earlier in the season scored a 53-47 nonleague win. The Cards were outscored 11-1 in overtime. Simmons connected on 12 of 18 free throws for part of a game-high 18 points, while Nilles added 15.

"Those kids were role players, they knew their roles and they accepted their role," VonLehe said. She still holds true to the belief that coaches coached, players played and parents parented, something where the lines have recently blurred.

VonLehe coached two more state qualifiers, one in 1988-89, which did not place, and the school's most successful girls from 1990-91 that finished fourth. "The 1988-89 team was the Garzas, Sandy and Cindy, and now Trenten Garza (Cindy's son) plays," VonLehe said. Wendy Haugen played on that team and later became Wendy Farmen, mom of current Cardinal girls' player, Jaxyn Farmen.

"The thing about that second team that went to state, it was a miracle that they even made it," VonLehe said. "We were the last place team in districts and ended up beating everybody."

The team peaked at the right time, VonLehe said. "Even though they went 0-2 we really celebrated them; they were so neat." Medical Lake lost its opener to Omak 62-39 and a second-round game to Naches Valley 57-40.

"It's been a long time coming and its great watching the success," VonLehe said of the 2016-17 team that sports a 19-2 record and were a perfect 14-0 in NEA play.

"The one thing I remember was the support we received," VonLehe said of the 1987 trip to state. "There was one booster, Ted McCarson, who bought the teams, both boys and girls, all steak dinners.

Ironically also in 1987, the Medical Lake boys were also in the tournament, as are today's Cardinal boys.

Paul Delaney can be reached at [email protected].