When the pressure was on, the Bellevue Christian Vikings girls basketball team simply delivered in the Class 1A state tournament.

The Vikings, who finished with a 3-1 record, registered a 41-35 win against Elma in the Class 1A fourth/sixth-place game on March 2 at the Yakima SunDome. Bellevue Christian’s only loss of the state tourney occurred in the Class 1A quarterfinals against eventual state champion La Salle. The Vikings defeated Freeman 50-43 in a loser-out, first round state playoff game Feb. 27. Bellevue Christian also cruised to a 65-36 triumph against Annie Wright on March 1.

Vikings’ head coach Mark DeJonge was thrilled his team was able to travel back across Snoqualmie Pass with a fourth-place trophy.

“It was a great accomplishment by the girls. They came to work. Our backs were against the wall in that loser-out game on Wednesday (victory against Freeman). La Salle obviously won the state championship and they were really good. We didn’t play great against them and they had a lot of depth,” DeJonge said. “We came back and won against Annie Wright, who we know really well. Every time our backs were against the wall, the girls stepped up.”

DeJonge was most proud of his team’s 41-35 win against Elma in the fourth/sixth-place game that tipped off at 8 a.m. on Saturday morning.

“There is only three teams in 1A that can win on Saturday (final day of the state tourney), so to be able to be one of those teams was special. There was a lot of emotion in the locker room after the game with all of the seniors for the time and effort they’ve put into our program. Playing at 8 a.m. on Saturday after playing the past three days in a row was really tough because they were just so tired,” DeJonge said. “It was a great way to end the season.”