Veronica Sheffey and Tatum Thompson: 4A KingCo champion Woodinville's unflappable tandem

BELLEVUE - Whether it was in select club, or on the playground asphalt for elementary-school recess, Veronica Sheffey and Tatum Thompson have always found themselves on the same girls basketball squad.

Out of it, they seemingly have become one unified mind.

And that was certainly on display at its best Saturday night in the 4A KingCo championship game.

Seventh-ranked Eastlake was a challenge, and made the No. 1 Falcons work tirelessly. But in the end, another league title to the green and white by way of a 68-53 victory at Bellevue High School.

And those aforementioned seniors, two of the best players in the state?

Sheffey scored a game-high 29 points, adding six assists and five rebounds. Thompson, who earlier this week was voted the 4A KingCo player of the year, added 27 points and nine rebounds.

Woodinville has won 19 games in a row after its season-opening loss at Tumwater.

"That loss (to Tumwater) really hurt," Falcons girls coach Scott Bullock said. "In the end, it was really good for us. The kids came home and realized they needed to work harder and be more focused.

"All the games since then we've pretty much won convincingly."

At this point, in basketball chemistry terms, Sheffey and Thompson essentially finish each other's sentences.

Sheffey's big second quarter (10 points) helped the Falcons build a 17-point lead.

And when Ava Schmidt (team-high 20 points) and the Wolves made runs to get the deficit under 10 points in the third quarter, Thompson answered. Her 3-pointer at the 1:07 mark capped a quick 7-0 Woodinville scoring spurt to push the lead to 47-32.

"We always know where one is going to be," Thompson said. "If she passes me the ball, I know she is going to cut and I can give it right back to her. And she knows when I cut, and she will give me a perfect pass."

There might not be a better tandem in the state that works so in sync together.

'My girls did a great job on the defensive end, but they were unbelievable offensively," Eastlake girls coach Sara Goldie said.

"They do find each other. Going in, we knew that.

"We have talent, but we are going up against experienced talent - and that is a game-changer."

Sometimes, Bullocks just sits back on the bench and watches his two NCAA Division I signees play beautiful basketball together.

"They make it easy to coach," Bullock said.

(All photos by Todd Milles)