Friends and teammates, Toure and Hazel again leading Kamiakin girls at state

In their first two seasons of high school basketball, Oumou Toure and Alexa Hazel led the Kamiakin Braves to two of their best campaigns in program history, culminating in fifth- and fourth-place finishes at state.

Now Kamiakin’s star duo is in its junior year, and hoping for even bigger things from this Tacoma Dome tournament, which the Braves begin at 3:45 p.m. Thursday against Garfield (a rematch of last year’s glue-crossover).

“We want to win it all,” Toure said. “That’s always the goal for us, and the only way we can do that is if we play the whole game, and we haven’t done that yet.”

As upperclassmen, Toure, Hazel and the rest of Kamiakin’s core group have shown developed skill sets and an increased knowledge of the game this season, helping them to a 21-2 record, their second straight district championship and a split of the league title with Chiawana.

But another year also means more recognition around the state. The Braves certainly won’t sneak up on any one at this year’s tournament, meaning a path to their second state title in school history — first came in 1985 — will feature tough teams giving it their all.

“There’s more of a target on our back now,” Kamiakin coach Lane Schumacher said. “The first year, we had a lot of underclassmen, and we were still pretty successful. Now this year, with a lot of juniors and seniors, we know we’re going to get other team’s best games, so we have to be ready to play.”

Even with increased expectations heading into this tournament, Hazel said it will be critical for the Braves to not change their approach.

“There’s a little bit of a target on your back, but at the same time, you can’t let that affect the way you play,” she said. “You should be giving it your all and have a great effort no matter what.”

Opponents certainly won’t be surprised about the effectiveness of Kamiakin’s star guard tandem, either.

Toure earned her second straight MCC Player of the Year nod this season, and on Feb. 9 became the school’s all-time leading scorer, surpassing ’85 grad Tondi Redden’s career total of 1,569 points in a district semifinal win over North Central.

Hazel, a three-time All-MCC pick (twice on the first team), provides a perfect 1-2 punch with Toure. In addition to averaging nearly 16.5 points per game, she sets the pace for Kamiakin’s up-tempo offense as its point guard, and usually leads the team’s infamous press on defense.

“It’s been a real pleasure to coach both of them,” Schumacher said. “For one thing, as talented as they are, they haven’t let it go to their head; they’re still extremely coach-able. They’re great students, they’re great kids and they’re great leaders. They’re kind of the epitome of what Kamiakin High School basketball wants in a student athlete.”

Toure and Hazel have been frustrating opponents since they started playing together on youth basketball squads in the fourth grade. Friends ever since, their relationship off the court has helped build chemistry on it.

“You see us smiling out on the court because we’re always joking,” Hazel said. “She tells me all the time, if there’s a pass too high, ‘Dude, why can’t you grow an extra foot?’ and I’m like ‘I’m on it.’ We’re always joking, but at the same time, we’re here to get work done.”

Added Toure: “It’s been a really great experience. I probably wouldn’t want to go through this opportunity with anyone else.”

The Braves are hoping that bond can spur them on a run through the weekend.

“The goal is to win state. Cut some nets, that would be awesome,” Hazel said. “The expectation is, well, we have some seniors graduating, and this is the last time we’re all gonna be together. So just go out and make it memorable, play with your God-given talents there.”

This story was originally published February 28, 2018 at 4:59 PM with the headline "Friends and teammates, Toure and Hazel again leading Kamiakin girls at state."