TOPPENISH — The Lady Tigers girls basketball team closed its season with a 70-18 loss at Toppenish on Friday night, finishing 0-21 for the second straight year.

Asked to describe the season in a word, head Coach Alain Black didn't hesitate.

"Rebuilding," she said. "This group made coming to practice everyday fun. They brought a lot of energy every day and knew how to make me laugh and how to keep things positive when things were tough."

This season’s box score mirrors last year’s struggles. Ephrata averaged 24.4 points per game and allowed 61.1, went 0-16 in CWAC play and lost every game by double digits. The closest loss, by a 34-23 score, came early in the season at Chelan. The Lady Tigers' season-high 43 points against Quincy on Dec. 19 still wasn't enough to break through.

But the record only tells part of the story.

It's a very young team. Ephrata didn't have a single senior on its roster. The Lady Tiger lineup held three juniors, six sophomores and three freshmen.

Freshman Maycee Black led the team in scoring (7.0 points per game), rebounding (6.2), blocks (10 total) and free throw shooting (74.3%). She drew the opponent's toughest defender most nights after shifting from a post role into a guard position.

"As coaches, we know that a lot of work needs to be done in the off season and when you see a kid putting in the time and effort you hope it pays off," Coach Black said. "I was glad that she was able to see some of the results of her efforts this season."

Black said ball handling and strength are the offseason priorities, especially with opposing defenses focusing on her.

"She is going to have to become stronger to match that next year," Black said.

Sophomore Jill Linehan gave the Lady Tigers a valued asset — an outside shooting threat. She hit 16 3-pointers, more than double any teammate, and averaged 6.7 points in 15 games. Her shooting opened up the floor for everyone else.

"Having an outside shooting threat also opens up the inside offensive game, so not only does she score but it also gives her teammates a more open look to score from the inside," Black said. "Her shot has developed a lot this year especially in quickness."

Linehan's confidence boosted the rest of the roster. Black said her willingness to shoot encouraged teammates to be more aggressive from the perimeter.

"Being confident in her shot allowed her to encourage her teammates to shoot, so we saw direct results in that leadership from her," Black said. "Jill is only going to keep getting better and better as she puts in the work during the off season."

Freshman guard Sophie Molitor stepped into one of the toughest roles on the team, running the point against varsity pressure every night. She led Ephrata with 34 assists while averaging 26 minutes and nearly 5 points per game, and contributed 67 rebounds and 19 steals on the season.

"Sophie's position is a hard one for anyone, let alone a freshman," Black said. "She is required to command the floor while handling most of the ball pressure. I felt like she handled the position very well over the season."

Molitor's adjustment to varsity tempo became most visible in the second half of the season. As she learned the team's flow, her decision-making was honed and turnovers declined.

"Throughout the season she has learned what her teammates are looking for in passes and how to get them the ball when and where they want it," Black said. "The second half of the season, we saw her making better choices with the ball, too, which resulted in less turnovers. So that was good to see."

Another freshman, Brooklynne Addink, averaged 3.9 rebounds per game and led the team with seven blocks in just 11 games.

Among the team's sophomores, Cassidy Cox scored 43 points and grabbed 42 rebounds over 20 games, Alexis St. Mary led the Tigers with 22 steals, and Becca Wiser pulled down 49 rebounds in 13 games.

Juniors Bailey Falconer, Hannah Malone and Evangeline Springs have held the team together through two difficult seasons – the kind of commitment Black doesn't take for granted.

"Playing through two tough seasons is hard for anyone, but something it says about these girls (and) their effort and dedication to the sport," Black observed. "They continued to show up every day giving their best effort and being a huge support for each of their teammates. Even though the scoreboard didn't always reflect success, they were able to see successes within the game that I hope keeps them excited about the sport."

A roster that potentially brings back every player – a rarity – has Black looking forward to the future.

"Having everyone return is what excites me most about this off season and next year," she said. "I hope that we can keep the momentum of improvement headed in the right direction as we saw happening this season."

The Ephrata program will use summer hoops to keep building, said Black, noting her players will have opportunities for both fundamental work and games in the coming months.

"Summer basketball brings about a different fun vibe that I think will be very beneficial for improvement and growth in the girls," said the Tiger coach. "We plan to give the girls plenty of opportunities to improve and get into a gym for both fundamental improvement and live play during the off season/summer."