One of the best seasons of girls basketball came to an end on Feb. 28 when the Ballard Beavers were eliminated from the Central/Southwest 4A Bi-District Tournament by the Roosevelt Roughriders 54-47.

The playoff format requires teams to win two games to advance or lose two games to be eliminated. Ballard had survived three games into the tournament after losing to Woodinville, then mounting a come back with a big win over Redmond. Roosevelt beat Inglemoor and then lost to Garfield to set up the loser out game with the Beavers.

Roosevelt opened the game with a 13-4 run and cruised to the win. Ballard came within nine points at one point, but could not close the gap.

The Roughriders harassed the Beaver guards into turnovers, leading to fast breaks in the second half to seal the victory. This was Ballard's third loss to their cross-town rivals this season.

After the final buzzer sounded, Ballard players hugged each other as their season came to an end. For the seniors, this would be their last high school game.

The Beavers finish their season with a 12-11 overall and a 6-8 league record under new Head Coach Karen Blair. Roosevelt is now 18-5 overall and 11-3 in league play.

"It was a great season. We felt we achieved so much and beating Redmond, after not beating them before," said Blair.

Seniors Gillian Huggins and Charlotte Shannon who were instrumental in the team's success will graduate. Kalie Sandstrom and Molly Horak are the other two seniors.

Blair was brought in to take over the basketball program after leading Meadowdale to two state championships and an impressive 11 league titles.

Most of Ballard's wins this season have come against non-league teams and some of the weaker KingCo opponents. KingCo teams Eastlake, Skyline, Bothell, Lake Washington, Juanita and Franklin all found the much-improved Beavers too much to handle.

The top teams like Woodinville, Garfield and Inglemoor were a bigger challenge. "KingCo 4A is a strong, dominant league. It's tough," said Blair.

Ballard opened their year with three straight wins over non-league schools Ingraham, Eastside Catholic and Sammamish.

During the holiday season, they were treated to a trip to the Cactus Jam Tournament in Phoenix, AZ where they had impressive wins over California schools Cerritos and Warren.

Several promising players will be back. Sophomore Kayla Williams at point guard and freshman guard Brianna Green provide the Beavers with a solid backcourt. Junior Leslie Ellingsen returns with her game, fueled by hustle and intensity.

The other returners are junior Chelseigh Barks, freshman Amanda Bryan, sophomores Magee, Yordanos Kasahun and Evangeline Spracklin.