Make no mistake about it. The Federal Way girls basketball team was disappointed to not be playing Saturday night for the Class 4A championship. A semifinal loss to the Kentwood Conquerors Friday inside the Tacoma Dome ended that dream.

But the Eagles fought back Saturday afternoon at the Class 4A State Girls Basketball Championships to snare a third-place trophy with an impressive 55-48 win over Moses Lake.

“I’m so proud of our girls,” Federal Way head coach Danny Graham said. “They work extremely hard. The girls battled every time. I’m extremely proud.”

The finish is the Eagles’ best since they won the state title in 1997. Their last appearance at state came a year later in 1998. The Federal Way girls program shouldn’t have to wait another 11 years between state tournament appearances this time around.

The Eagles will enter next season as one of the favorites in the 4A ranks, thanks to the return of pretty much their whole team. Federal Way has started four sophomores most of the season, including Brittany Barrington, Talia Walton, Chantel Dixon and TyShana Burgess. The Eagles also brought freshman Darah Huertas-Vining off the bench.

Burgess led Federal Way in scoring this season at 14.7 points a game, followed by Barrington (11.3), Evenson (10.1), Huertas-Vining (8.2) and Walton (8.0).

The young Eagles used their big-time talent to overtake the sixth-ranked Moses Lake Chieftains (22-8) in the third-sixth game Saturday afternoon.

Federal Way trailed by as many as seven points during the fourth quarter before coming back for the win.

The Eagles got double-digit scoring performances from Burgess, Evenson and Barrington. Burgess led Federal Way with 20 points, Evenson chipped in 12, including three 3-pointers, and Barrington finished with 10 points.

Moses Lake guard Jordan Loera put the Chieftains up 38-33 with a long-range heave at the buzzer at the end of the third quarter. Moses Lake’s Chayle Hirz made the lead seven, 40-33, with a jumper to start the fourth quarter.

But the Eagles dominated from that point on, outscoring Moses Lake, 22-8, down the stretch.

Federal Way erupted on a 10-0 run during the next three minutes to take a 43-40 lead, which was their first since before halftime. The two teams went back and forth during the next two minutes before Moses Lake tied the game at 46-46.

It was then that Burgess rebounded a missed free throw from Evenson and converted on the putback to give the Eagles the lead for good. Evenson hit a huge 3-pointer with 1:19 left in the game to give the Eagles a 51-46 lead.

Moses Lake played without 6-foot-5 star Carly Noyes for most of the second half. The Washington State-bound senior injured her left ankle during the second quarter after scoring nine points and blocking four shots. Jordan Loera led Moses Lake with 21 points.

Kentwood 49, Federal Way 43 (Friday)

The Eagles fell out of the state championship hunt late Friday night with a heart-breaking loss to the Kentwood Conquerors. It was Federal Way’s third loss of the year to the Conks, who went on to beat Snohomish in the state championship game.

But the Eagles were far more competitive than their previous two games against Kentwood. Federal Way lost both times during the South Puget Sound League North Division regular season by double-digit points.

“It sucks (playing Kentwood),” Graham said. “We knew what we were getting ourselves into and for us to compete like we did? I’m very proud of our girls.”

Just like they did all postseason long, the Eagles used a fourth-quarter comeback against Kentwood. The Conquerors used a 7-0 run to start the fourth quarter to take a commanding 43-34 lead over Federal Way with 6:18 left in the game.

But the gutsy Eagles battled back with a 7-0 run of their own to get back within two, 43-41, with 3:56 left, highlighted by five points from Evenson. Kentwood star Lindsey Moore, the MVP of the 4A tournament, scored the next three points of the game to put the Conquerors up by five, before Burgess hit a layup to pull the Eagles within three, 46-43.

But Kentwood’s Shelby Wahlberg hit a huge 3-pointer with 35 seconds left in the game to put the game away. The Wahlberg three was the long-range shot to find the mark all night long. The Conquerors finished just 1 of 14 on 3-pointers.

“In these games, possessions down the stretch are huge,” Graham said. “Kentwood capitalized on them and we didn’t. They are an awesome team and our goal was to stay in it till the end.”

But the difference Friday night came at the free-throw line. Kentwood shot 30 free throws during the game, compared to two by Federal Way. Jessie Genger led the Conquerors with 16 points.

Barrington led all scorers with 17 points and eight rebounds and Evenson chipped in 10.