Brumfield sisters’ dream lasted less than two minutes, but repeat 2A title still a goal

Erika and Drea Brumfield were like any pair of sisters growing up loving basketball — they couldn’t wait to play together for their city’s state championship high school team.

Born three years apart, 2018-19 was their shot at a dream season, with Portland State-bound senior Erika hoping to defend the Class 2A crown she and her teammates won last March. And Drea, who watched W.F. West’s title run from the stands at the Yakima Valley SunDome, would be a valuable freshman, adding to an established mix of players.

They did play together for the Bearcats, but not for as long as they’d hoped.

“My senior season lasted one minute, 49 seconds,” Erika said.

Less than two minutes into W.F. West’s season-opening loss at Washougal, the older Brumfield sister tore the ACL in her left knee going for a rebound. She’ll be out for a full year, perhaps even needing to redshirt as a freshman at Portland State.

“I’m super bummed about it,” said Erika, leaning on her crutches before Wednesday night’s win at Black Hills. “I got to play a little bit with Drea in fall ball, but it’s not the same. I really wanted to play high school with her.”

Though they won’t be able to continue what Drea called a “sister clique” they developed during summer league and fall ball, both are still hoping to be part of another championship for the Bearcats (9-5), who are in second in the 2A Evergreen Conference.

“It was very exciting to watch them win it last year,” Drea said. “We can get to state. We’re all realizing now we don’t have Erika, so we know we’ve got to step up and make up for the things she was so great at.”

Brumfields playing basketball is not a recent development. Their parents are both on the Bearcats’ staff — dad Taj as a varsity assistant, and mom Angie as the C-team coach. Taj also started a youth team in Chehalis for Erika to play on in fourth grade, and Drea immediately jumped right in.

“She was a first-grader practicing with fourth-graders,” said Taj, a former W.F. West player who graduated in 1993.

Though Angie also played in high school, at Franklin Pierce, the Brumfields didn’t consciously push their three kids — son Gage is a promising sixth-grade player — into their favorite sport.

“When they were younger, they tried soccer,” Angie said. “They were never into fastpitch. They rode horses. But, they took to basketball. It ended up being their favorite. We wanted to create every opportunity for them to play.”

“I fell in love with the game,” Erika said.

Angie calls her daughters “best friends as well as sisters,” but they aren’t always two peas in a pod, on the court or off.

“Drea’s more of a finesse type of player, where Erika’s more of a flying-around, reckless-abandon type,” W.F. West coach Tom Kelly said.

“Erika has a more dominant personality, Drea’s more laid back,” Taj said. “She goes with the flow more, while Erika’s trying to create what’s happening.”

With youth programs generally divided into two-year groupings, the two seldom played together during AAU competition. Both remember the one time they did, at a tournament in Anaheim the summer after Erika’s sophomore year at W.F. West.

Her team was hit by injuries and needed a player. Drea got the call-up from their club’s younger team.

“It was weird at first,” Erika said. “I got an offensive rebound and the only person I heard was Drea screaming for the ball, so I kicked it out to her and she hit the 3. It was a lot of fun.”

This season hasn’t been Kelly’s most enjoyable. He started out needing to replace two graduates in The Olympian’s reigning All-Area player of the year Kiara Steen — his granddaughter and the point guard on the 2017-18 title team — and another All-Area pick in shooting guard Julia Johnson.

Then, in addition to Erika Brumfield, junior sharp-shooter Taya McCallum and sophomore Lauren Tornow were also lost for the season to injury.

“We’ve had to adjust big time,” Kelly said. “We’ve always turned turnovers into points, but we haven’t been able to press as much.”

He pointed out the Bearcats aren’t just missing what Erika — another All-Area pick last season — was in the past, but what she’d become.

“This year she was going to be even better,” Kelly said. “Her skills had escalated. Not just her rebounding and shooting, but you’ve got a 6-3 girl running all over the court pressing on defense.”

Erika still has a role.

“I have to be the biggest supporter I can,” she said. “I can’t lead on the court, but I try to keep the bench hyped. I do stats with one of the assistant coaches. I try to be encouraging and get behind everybody.”

One player gets a little more attention than the other Bearcats.

“I get on Drea pretty good,” said Erika, who plans a career in athletic administration after college. “If I know she could have gotten a steal or a board, I’m on her like, ‘Drea, let’s go.’ But, I’m also her biggest fan.”

“It’s annoying in the moment, but it’s a good thing,” Drea said. “She’ll find places for me to cut on offense, tell me things I can do better on defense.”

With four members of the family on the bench during W.F. West’s varsity games, the Brumfields are still leaving a big mark on the program.

“It’s not the same dynamic,” Angie said. “But it’s still nice to have them on the same team.”

This story was originally published January 21, 2019 at 2:14 PM.