Hulls and Central Valley girls finish historic run with win in GEICO Nationals championship game

Dave Nichols, spokesman.com, March 31, 2018

This season was about unfinished business for the Central Valley girls basketball team.

Third consecutive undefeated regular season? Check.

Breeze through regionals? Check.

Second state title in three seasons, winning the championship game by 31 points? Check.

The final test for a generational team in its historic season? How about a national championship?

Check.

Following a rough third quarter which saw a 10-point halftime lead evaporate, Lexie Hull scored 13 of her 26 points in the fourth and Central Valley beat Hamilton Heights of Tennessee 66-61 to win the GEICO Nationals title game at Christ the King HS in New York on Saturday.

This is the second consecutive season Hamilton Heights has lost in the title game.

“This was a reward for all the time and hard work the girls have put in this season,” Central Valley coach Freddie Rehkow said via telephone from the airport Saturday afternoon as the Bears were about to board their flight back to Spokane.

“It was a big win against a big team.”

Hull, the two-time Gatorade girls state player of the year and 2017-18 Associated Press state POY, added 10 rebounds and was 11 off 11 from the line, including 6 of 6 in her final high school basketball quarter.

The Bears (29-0) made 21 of 22 free-throw attempts in a physical game, with one player fouling out and five others accumulating four fouls apiece.

Lacie Hull, the Seattle Times co-POY with her sister, contributed nine points with eight rebounds.

The Hull twins, who are headed to Stanford, finished their four years of high school basketball with one loss in their final three seasons and a 102-6 overall record.

The championship game was the Bears’ closest contest of the season, topping an 11-point win over Idaho 5A State champ Post Falls in December.

Central Valley had a rough trip just getting to New York for the tournament with scheduling and travel delays. Once at the hotel, they heard some comments in the lobby about the little team from the West Coast.

“It lit a fire under our girls to pull it together and bring it home,” Rehkow said. “Winning was validation against such strong national competition.”

Central Valley led 36-26 at intermission, but Hamilton Heights didn’t go down easy.

Staging a furious comeback with stifling defense, Hamilton Heights (25-3) tied it at 41 on a layup with 1 minute, 19 seconds left in the third. A pair of free throws a moment later gave the Hawks their first lead since 3-2.

Central Valley turned it over 10 times in the third quarter and Hamilton Heights outscored the Bears 17-5 in the frame.

Suffering perhaps their toughest quarter of the season, the undefeated Washington state champions responded.

After the quarter break, Lexie Hull popped a short jumper off an assist from Lacie Hull for a six-point run.

Lacie Hull made a pair of free throws to put the Bears up 50-45 with 5:11 left. She then drilled a 3-pointer next trip down and CV made a 12-2 run at the start of the fourth.

Hamilton Heights recovered from the spurt and CV started to scramble a little bit.

Rehkow called timeout with 1:52, up 57-52.

“I wanted to remind them to trust the process, do what we do, and finish strong,” Rehkow said.

“I told them that we worked too hard to let it slip away.”

On the inbound play back from the timeout, CV appeared trapped in the backcourt, but after a loose-ball scramble Lexie Hull broke deep for a layup and a 59-53 lead with 1:20 left.

HH buried a long 3, though, to make it a two-point game with 69 seconds left.

Lexie Hull went hard to the hoop and drew a foul and Hull drilled both free throws to make it 61-57 with 51 seconds to go. Lacie Hull grabbed the defensive rebound on the responding possession by HH.

Lexie Hull went back to the line and made both to put the Bears up 63-57 with 27.7 to go.

Hamilton Heights got a pair of free throws, then a layup on a steal, and CV led 63-61 with 15.3 seconds left with possession.

But CV broke the press and found Lexie Hull underneath for an easy layup. Hull’s three-point play was icing on the cake and sealed a national championship.

Central Valley's Lexie Hull named Ms. Basketball

Jayda Evans, seattletimes.com, March 28, 2018

The Washington State Girls Basketball Coaches Association (WSGBCA) named its “Ms. Basketball” and state players and coaches of the year for each classification.

CV senior Lexie Hull was named Ms. Basketball by the WSGBCA. The Stanford commit helped the Bears finish an undefeated season as Class 4A state tournament champions.

WSGBCA ALL-STATE BASKETBALL SELECTIONS
Ms. Basketball: Lexie Hull, Central Valley, sr.
4A player of the year: Lacie Hull, Central Valley, sr.

Jenna at McDonald's American Game

Ken Sugiura, myajc.com, March 28, 2018

Guard Jenna Brown, from the Lovett School, had three deft assists, two on consecutive possessions in the second quarter that was part of a 6-0 run for the East team. Brown, a Stanford signee, was cheered on by Lovett teammates decked out in Stanford t-shirts.

“It was a really cool atmosphere,” Brown said. “I had a lot of friends and family in the stands. It was really great playing with these players. Obviously, wanted to get the win but it didn’t work out that way.”

Central Valley’s Lexie Hull, honored by AP

Dave Nichols, spokesman.com, March 27, 2018

Central Valley star Lexie Hull has been voted the Associated Press Washington state high school basketball all-classification girls player of the year for 2018.


She was honored after voting by sports writers and editors from around the state. The results of the voting were announced on Tuesday.


Hull, a senior who was named Gatorade state player of the year named Gatorade state player for the second consecutive season earlier, averaged 20.4 points and 8.4 rebounds and led Central Valley to the Class 4A state title. Hull was the Greater Spokane League MVP and is headed to Stanford with her sister Lacie Hull, who was voted to the girls 4A first-team. The Twins shared co-players of the year honors by the Seattle Times and Lexie was the Tacoma News Tribune’s POY.

Central Valley’s Lexie Hull to compete in skills contest to air on CBS

Jayda Evans, seattletimes.com, March 22, 2018

She’s taking her skills to Texas to compete in the 2018 American Family Insurance High School Slam Dunk and 3-Point Championships on Tuesday. The contest will air April 1 on CBS at 12:30 p.m. PST.

Central Valley senior Lexie Hull, who’s participating in the three-point contest.

The eighth annual event will showcase the dunking and long-range shooting talents of 24 of the country’s top high school seniors. This year’s contest will be taped in front of an audience at Wagner High School in San Antonio.

Hull is a Stanford commit who helped CV win the Class 4A girls state championship earlier this month. She averaged 20.4 points and 8.4 rebounds per game this season and was named The Seattle Times’ co-state player of the year with her twin, Lacie.

“We’re thrilled to support the talented student-athletes selected to compete at this years’ championships,” Dan Guzman, specialty marketing director for American Family Insurance, said in a released statement. “Pursuing dreams is hard work and we applaud their dedication to get to where they are today. We wish them luck and cheer them on towards achieving their dreams both on and off the court.”

GATORADE STATE POYS

gostanford.com, March 19, 2018

Jenna Brown and Lexie Hull were named Gatorade State High School Players of the Year for Georgia and Washington on Monday.
 
The Gatorade State Player of the Year award was established in 1985 to recognize the nation's most outstanding high school student-athletes for their athletic excellence, academic achievement and exemplary character. The selection process is administered by the Gatorade Player of the Year Selection Committee, which work with top sport-specific experts and a media advisory board of accomplished, veteran prep sports journalists to determine the state winners in each sport.

Brown and Hull, who were both named WBCA High School Coaches' All-America honorable mention earlier this month, are now finalists for the prestigious Gatorade National Girls Basketball Player of the Year award announced later in March.

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No losses, a state championship and Stanford scholarship — why this Spokane phenom was one of the state’s best ever

Josh Horton, thenewstribune.com, March 16, 2018

In his 38 years of coaching the Spokane Stars girls AAU team, Ron Adams has seen some of Spokane’s best and brightest basketball players.

He specifically thought of former University of Tennessee star Angie Bjorkland of University High and a couple Lewis and Clark grads — WNBA point guard Briann January and former Gonzaga star Heather Bowman.

But how do they compare to Lexie Hull, this standout player for Central Valley High School?

“I’ve never coached anyone better than her,” Adams said. “And her sister (Lacie) is right there with her.”

A little much to put on high school seniors?

Let him explain.

“People will ask me, well why would you say that they’re better than these players?” Adams said. “Well, there’s a couple reasons for it. One: They play both ends. Two: They’re the most coachable kids I’ve ever had.”

And now Lexie Hull is The News Tribune’s all-state girls basketball player of the year after guiding Central Valley to an undefeated 4A state championship and leading the Bears in scoring (20.4 points per game) and rebounding (8.4 per game)

The Hull twins — who both signed their letters of intent to play at Stanford next season — were the engine of one of the most prolific girls basketball teams in the state history. Lexie and Lacie propelled Central Valley to two 4A girls state championships and a 100-6 record over their four year — five of those six losses came when they were freshmen.

It was the most recent loss that fueled their ultimate run, a shocking defeat to Bellarmine Prep in the quarterfinals, which also snapped a 52-game winning streak.

“I think the biggest thing that motived us for this year was our loss last year,” Lexie said. “I think one of our biggest takeaways is that we can learn things from our losses and that loss really helped us with our successful year this year.”

And in the middle of this season the Hull twins and Central Valley came to Kent to play last year’s state champion, Kentridge, in the ShoWare Center and won 57-39, with Lexie Hull finishing with 23 points and 10 rebounds against the really tall Chargers.

Kentridge coach Bob Sandall could only think of one previous player to really dominate the paint like Hull did against his team.

“Probably not since Brittany McPhee,” Sandall said with a chuckle. McPhee graduated from Mount Rainier as a three-time TNT All-Area player of theyear and is now Stanford’s leading scorer. This year she was selected to the USA Today All-American team, was the Pac-12 scholar-athlete of the year and will lead the fourth-seeded Cardinal in the NCAA Tournament when it opens with Gonzaga at 6 p.m. Saturday on ESPN2.

So, yeah, that’s a lofty comparision to be next to McPhee, who scored 2,815 career points — second-most in state history behind Davenport’s Jennifer Stinson (2,881).

But what Hull accomplished with the Bears was equally impressive.

Central Valley embarked on a preeminent 2017-18 campaign, winning all 27 of their games by an average of 38.4 points. The Bears were even better against the stiffest competition, winning their seven postseason games by an average of 39.4 points, including a 61-16 win over Kentlake in the state quaretrfinals, in which the Falcons didn’t score in the second half.

And in the state championship? Central Valley beat Woodinville, 70-39.

That’s dominance.

But why stop there? The Bears will see how they stack up against the nation’s best when they compete in the GEICO High School Basketball Nationals on March 30-31 in Middle Village, New York. The Bears play Westlake of Georgia in the first round.

Lexie will also compete in the national high school girls 3-point competition at Wagner High School in San Antonio, Texas, on March 27. The event will be broadcasted in between NCAA Final Four games on April 1 on CBS.

The nation will get its first peak at CV’s in-your-face press and suffocating half-court defense. CV limited opponents to just 28.4 points per game this season.

As you’d expect, Hull is at the center of it.

“She’s a killer on defense,” Adams said. “She anticipates better than any player that I’ve ever coached. You think somebody is open, and they’re not.”

Of course, she’s a more than capable scorer. She surpassed Madison Hovren for the school’s all-time scoring record with 1,827 career points.

CV head coach Freddie Rehkow will be the first to inform you that she could have more if she wanted to — and not just because she sat on the bench in several fourth-quarter blowouts.

“I think the biggest thing with Lexie is probably understanding how selfless and how team-first of a player she is, even with her numbers,” Rehkow said. “She is a super fun kid to watch. Just super smooth and super talented.”

Rehkow first saw the Hull twins play when they were in fourth grade, and could tell they had a very good chance to be special, not just because of their basketball prowess, but their love for the sport.

“You could just tell they were going to be gym rats. You could tell that they love the game,” Rehkow said. “When you see kids at that age with that fire and not the parent going, ‘you have to do this and this,’ you could tell that they were going to have a chance to be really, really good.”

What Lexie and Lacie turned into were two of the top players in the state that became talented and academically gifted — Lexie and Lacie are 4.0 students — enough to play for Hall of Fame head coach Tara Vanderver at Stanford.

“When we were younger, Stanford was a dream school,” Lexie said. “But not something that we really thought could happen.”

Lexie and Lacie committed to the Cardinal before their senior season.

The twins are self-described best friends.

That bond has allowed the two to thrive at CV. Lexie knows that having Lacie by her side will be comforting as she moves forward in her career.

“Being able to play with your best friend and doing anything with your best friend is always great. It’s nice because we’ve always had each other, from freshman year playing on varsity together against older players,” Lexie said. “To be able to have someone there with you is something we’re lucky to have. Especially going to next year, we have each other.”

And Rehkow and Adams both agree they will have an immediate impact in the Pac-12.

“Man, I’m telling you, sometimes they do it a little too much,” Adams said. “They’re Energizer Bunnies. I’ve never seen them take a play off in all the years I’ve coached them.

“And they haven’t even grown into their bodies yet. Wait until they get them in a weight and conditioning plan at Stanford,” he said. “They’re still just babies. Imagine what they’re going to be like when they are 20 or 21? That’s a little scary, isn’t it?”

TNT ALL-STATE GIRLS BASKETBALL

FIRST TEAM/PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Lexie Hull

Central Valley Guard, senior, 6-foot-1

Finished stellar four-year career with 1,827 points and averaged 20.4 points, 8.4 rebounds her final season. But Stanford signee’s most impressive stat? 100-6 career win-loss record (five of those came her freshman season.

SECOND TEAM

G Lacie Hull, Central Valley, sr.

10 points, 5.9 rebounds, 4.7 assists, 3.4 steals

HULLS AND CENTRAL VALLEY GIRLS BASKETBALL TAKES UNDEFEATED ACT TO BIG STAGE IN NEW YORK

Dave Nichols, bonnercountydailybee.com, March 12, 2018

The accolades keep piling up for the Central Valley girls basketball team.

The Bears won their second state 4A title in three years on March 3 in dominating fashion, setting tournament defensive records along the way. CV went undefeated this season (27-0) and has lost one game in the past three seasons.

On Sunday, Stanford-bound twins Lexie and Lacie Hull were named co-state players of the year by the Seattle Times and the pair were among several area players invited to participated in the senior all-state games on Saturday at King’s High School in Seattle.

On Tuesday it was announced the Bears will be among four girls teams participating in the GEICO High School Basketball Nationals on March 30-31 at Christ the King High School in Middle Village, New York.

“It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity,” said coach Freddie Rehkow.

Rehkow said he had an idea that if CV won at state, an invitation might be afforded to the Bears to play in the national competition. When that invite came and he presented the idea to his team last week, they were “all in,” according to Rehkow.

The prospect of putting an undefeated record up against teams just as highly decorated as themselves must have been daunting, but Rehkow said it was a team decision to make the trip.

“We wanted to make sure that regardless of what happened (in the tournament) it wouldn’t take away from what they did this season,” Rehkow said.

Rehkow added this opportunity was a fitting end for his seniors, ... along with the Hull twins,  who have amassed a 100-6 record over the past four seasons.

Central Valley, ranked No. 9 in the nation according to USA Today, will face No. 21 Westlake (Atlanta) (30-1), the Georgia 7A champion, on March 30 at 8 a.m. Pacific. The game will be televised on ESPNU.

The other semifinal pits No. 5 Hamilton Heights Christian (Chattanooga, Tennessee) (24-2) against No. 13 Winter Haven (32-1), the Florida 8A champ.

The girls championship game is on March 31 at 7 a.m. on ESPN2.

INCOMING FRESHMEN RECOGNIZED

gostanford.com, March 12, 2018

Incoming freshmen Jenna Brown and Lexie Hull have been named WBCA High School Coaches' All-America honorable mention.

The Women's Basketball Coaches Association acknowledged the 30 best prep players in the country. Ten were named 2018 WBCA High School Coaches' All-Americans and 20 received honorable mention accolades.

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After dominating the state their entire careers, Central Valley twins Lexie and Lacie Hull lead Seattle Times All-State girls basketball team

Jayda Evans, seattletimes.com, March 11, 2018

Considering what the central Valley girls basketball team did to opponents this season, you wouldn't expect a coach to stew about not playing the Bears. 

A parade and gifts wishing talented twins Lexie and Lacie Hull farewell, maybe. But stepping on the court? They've held multiple teams scoreless in entire halves of basketball games this season. 

“I still so badly wanted a chance to play them,” said Eastlake coach Sara Goldie of the Hulls. A loss in overtime in the Class 4A state semifinals nixed the Wolves’ opportunity to play the eventual state champions.

“Those girls are incredible,” Goldie continued. “On film, they look like tall, kind of athletic girls. But their exterior is (deceiving). Watching them live, I didn’t expect them to be so quick and I definitely didn’t expect them to be so tough. … Defensively they’re money and Lacie is such a versatile player. It was fun to watch.”

The nearly identical twins — Lacie is an inch taller — led CV through an undefeated season as the Bears had a 44-point average margin of victory. Their career high-school record is 100-6 and they’re two-time Class 4A state champions.

Deciphering which twin is more valuable to the program sparks an old basketball debate of whether you build a team around a great guard or post. Equally impressive, Lexie and Lacie are The Seattle Times’ girls co-state players of the year.

“I knew about them when they were fourth-graders,” Central Valley coach Freddie Rehkow said. “They had pretty good (ball) handles and the hardest part was waiting that long for them to get to high school. To be able to see them progress … they’re going to go out as the greatest team ever from (Spokane) and probably in the state — especially defensively.”

Washington has produced some notable basketball players who made a mark in women’s hoops such as Joyce Walker (Garfield), Kate Starbird (Lakes), and WNBA champion Briann January (Lewis & Clark). Lexie and Lacie, who signed to play with Stanford in the fall, are on a similar path.

Lexie was the Bears’ leading scorer at 20.4 points and 8.4 rebounds per game. The forward was named the state tournament MVP. Lacie, a guard, handled everything else in averaging 10.9 points, 5.9 rebounds, 4.7 assists, and 3.4 steals.

During their state run, they helped hold Kentlake scoreless in the second half of a 61-16 quarterfinal win. But there was an underlining motivation to the game.The 100 career wins blur together, but one of the six losses is easy to pinpoint as the most agonizing — the 2017 quarterfinals against Bellarmine Prep. The Lions snapped a 52-game win streak and ignited a fire Kentlake had to endure.

The Bears’ defense was impenetrable in making sure they didn’t get tripped up in the quarterfinals again. Kentlake only attempted 13 field goals in the second half, was outrebounded 40-25 in the game and forced into 20 turnovers.And it, like all of CV’s wins, looked like a breeze for the twins.

“It was hard in the fact that we were expected to win,” Lexie said of the season. “When we played together, the challenge of each game didn’t affect us as much as just the want to win.”

And after all of those wins?

“When we were sophomores, we did win the championship, but it didn’t feel as amazing as it does now,” Lacie said. “We had that idea of winning a lot of games for the next two years as sophomores, but now, after actually doing that, it’s really amazing. It’s a reality, which is cool.”

The Seattle Times All-state team

F Lexie Hull, Central Valley, 6-1, Sr.

Named the Class 4A state tournament MVP, she averaged 20.4 points and 8.4 rebounds per game in an undefeated season. The Stanford commit had a career record of 100-6.

G Lacie Hull, Central Valley, 6-2, Sr.

The Stanford commit averaged 10.9 points, 5.9 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 3.4 steals per game. The Bears won the Class 4A state championship, outscoring its tournament opponents 182-88.