VIDEO: Colton vs. Sprague-Harrington girls

Reign ends for Sunnyside Christian boys

Cusick knocks off 2-time champs at the buzzer ||

YAKIMA, Wash. — It would be nice to gain experience without aging.

But Sunnyside Christian’s Knights, while learning some indelible lessons Thursday night, were unable to avoid an excruciatingly harsh reality.

Cusick, executing a length-of-the-court, game-ending play to perfection, got a banked bucket by Spencer Shanholtzer at the buzzer to deal SC a 51-49 defeat in a Class 1B state tournament quarterfinal in the SunDome.

The loss — SC’s first in 10 state 1B games — ended the youthful Knights’ chances of winning the school’s third straight state title.

Sunnyside Christian (12-12) will meet Curlew, which fell to top-ranked Moses Lake Christian in the preceding game, at 4 p.m. today in a loser-out game and can finish as high as fourth.

The fifth-ranked Panthers (20-5) will meet MLC in an 8 o’clock semifinal tonight.

Their hero? There were three of them, starting with Dustin Villegas, who with four seconds to play and the score tied at 49, fired a baseline-to-midcourt pass to 6-foot-3 Tyler Edwards, who in turn flicked the ball to Shanholtzer streaking down his right sideline.

Shanholtzer hesitated briefly — he had hit a 3-pointer shortly before — then drove hard toward the basket and banked in a close-in leaner as time expired.

“We practice that play every day,” a euphoric Shanholtzer said while accepting congratulations from fans. “Tyler gave me a perfect pass, and if he doesn’t do that the play doesn’t work. I looked up at the clock, saw I had three (seconds) and just went to the basket.

“It was just amazing … almost ridiculous, actually. Oh, my goodness.”

The Knights led 47-40 with 1:29 to play when Matt Crabtree converted one of two free throws.

But Shanholtzer hit a three at 1:15, after which SC’s Trevor Wagenaar made two foul shots at 0:50. Edwards, with 42 seconds to go, connected on a deep three to tie it, and SC called time at 0:40 and again at 0:12 to set up a potential winning play.

The Knights got the ball down low to 6-5 sophomore Steven Broersma, their top scorer with 14 points. But his turnaround jumper missed and was rebounded by Cusick’s Riley Bauer.

“We prepare for every situation,” said Panthers coach J.R. Bluff. “On that one we want to throw it to our biggest guy and have him hit Spencer on the run. With that much time he didn’t have to take the three, which he didn’t, and he ended up making a great play.”

Wagenaar scored 11 points for SC, which includes six sophomores and a freshman on its roster. But the Knights, who led 16-7 during the second quarter, committed 17 turnovers and made only 7 of 17 free throws.

Six of their misses came during the final 3:15.

Cusick, on the other hand, shot only 23 percent during the first half (7 for 30) and 35 for the game (19 for 55).

Shanholtzer led all scorers with 18 points while Bauer, hitting 4 of 8 3-pointers, totaled 12.

A 6-0 junior who brought a team-best 18.4 per-game scoring average to the tournament, Shanholtzer said his team had not tried the game-ending play before.

“Even if it works in practice, it’s not the same as doing it in a game,” he said. “But at least now we know we can do it, and this one tonight was something I’ll never forget.”

Restless Knights

SC girls still looking for perfection ||

YAKIMA, Wash. — What a bunch of perfectionists, these girls from Sunnyside Christian.

“We didn’t play a great game,” confessed junior Kelly Newhouse after the Knights left the SunDome floor Thursday in the Class 1B state tournament. “In fact, we have yet to have a good game here.”

“More intensity,” chimed in junior Hilari Bosma, “we need more intensity.”

And this after a 48-29 quarterfinal humbling of Hunters that appeared to have Sunnyside Christian at its defensive best.

But, in this case, seeking perfection is a good thing because that’s what the Knights believe they will need in tonight’s 6 p.m. semifinal showdown with unbeaten and top-ranked Colton.

“It will take our best game, no doubt about that,” said SC coach Al Smeenk. “They are playing awfully well.”

True, Colton’s rock-em, sock-em scores of 66-15 and 65-15 would send shivers down anyone’s spine, but the Knights have turned in some quality work here as well.

After playing Hunters to a 9-9 draw in the first quarter, SC held the young Lions to five field goals the rest of the way. It was season low in scoring for the fifth-ranked Panorama champions, who shot 20.5 percent for the game.

“Once we got going with the defensive pressure we did a nice job,” Smeenk said. “We shot a lot better than yesterday (improving from 30.8 in the first round to 45.2 against Hunters), and we did OK on the boards. Still too many turnovers, though.”

Four different players scored during an 8-0 run that gave the Knights separation in the second quarter, then the defense delivered the knockout blow by holding Hunters scoreless for more than eight minutes in the second half.

Melanie Van Wingerden turned in a second straight double-double with 10 points and 12 rebounds, Bosma hit a pair of 3-pointers and Newhouse made 3 of 4 shots and grabbed four rebounds.

Most of SC’s lineup is now 3-0 in 1B state quarterfinal games.

“We’ve been here before and that experience helps a lot,” Bosma said. “Each day we know we have to get better and we have.”

That experience was in sharp contrast to Hunters, which is talented but extremely young with three starting freshmen. One of them, Krista Colvin, scored 20 of the team’s 29 points.

“I made that very clear to the girls before the game,” Smeenk said. “Half of their girls were in junior high last year, I said, and you guys are juniors and seniors. They’re a good team for as young as they are, but we have to take advantage of having older, more experienced kids.”

Now the Knights (19-5) will set their sights on ‘08 state runner-up Colton (22-0), which has put up a prolific 146 shots in two games and forced 71 turnovers.

“It’s a real tough challenge. We’ll have to play great defense and crash the boards,” Bosma said. “I think it’ll be a defense battle.”

“Colton plays hard, they’re aggressive, they press and they put up a ton of 3s,” Smeenk said. “Their first look is usually a 3 so we’ll have to be careful with covering those shooters. It’s a big challenge we’re up against, but it’s great to be in this position again — back in the semifinals.”

Ex-YVCC player returns leading Warriors

Addink played for Yaks under Nicholson, Rice ||

YAKIMA, Wash. — As a coach, Ben Addink is a stand-up guy. Literally.

The Almira/Coulee-Hartline girls basketball coach simply never sits down during a Warriors game. While his carry bag occupies the end bench seat next to his assistant coach, Addink paces the length of the coach’s box, shouting instructions or encouragement, barking out the next play call.

And it doesn’t matter if his team is ahead or behind. He was just as intense and focused in Thursday’s consolation game — in which his team led, 30-6, early in the second half — as he was in the second-ranked Warriors’ opening-round loss to No. 3 St. John-Endicott the day before.

“That’s the player in me,” Addink said. “I’ve got to fight to have the right amount of intensity — being encouraging without being scary.”

At 6-foot-5, Addink might seem a bit intimidating, but he’s armed primarily with a ready smile, a quick wit and his varied basketball experience. His personal odyssey within the game took him from high school in Buckley to community-college ball at Yakima Valley (1997-98 and ‘98-’99 seasons), to four-year university ball at Hawaii-Hilo, and then, after five years away from the game, to coaching in what he calls “the ideal small-town environment.”

Addink came to YVCC to play for the legendary Dean Nicholson, then co-coaching with Leon Rice, and loved his time in Yakima. “I had fun there; it was a great experience,” he said. For one thing, he met his wife-to-be, Jada, at YVCC, and he played on an outstanding Yaks team.

“Our practices were as competitive as games,” Addink recalled. “Our second team was better than some of the teams in the conference.”

In his second year, the Yaks carried a 21-game winning streak into the NWAACC tournament only to lose in the opening round.  Addink played well enough to attract the attention of the coaching staff at Central Washington and also, of course, at Hilo.

“That was an odd deal,” Addink recalled. “I could have gone to Central, but I had a full scholarship opportunity at Hilo and I figured it would be the only chance I’d ever have to live in Hawaii. Hey, I was 20 at the time, what can I say? The 20-year-old in me came out.”

After his stint in Hawaii, Addink became a financial adviser and now owns a land-development business, developing recreational property near Lake Roosevelt. Although he lives in Ephrata, a 40-minute drive from Hartline, when the Warriors’ head job came open, Addink didn’t hesitate. And he’s having a blast. In this, his third season, the Warriors brought a 22-1 record and a No. 2 state ranking into the tournament, and much of the populace of the three small towns that make up the school district have been in the SunDome this week to support ACH’s boys and girls teams.

“It’s a great family community,” he said. “It’s an ideal small-town environment, with good people trying to do the right thing. I enjoy it.”

On Thursday, he enjoyed watching his players play well and win the day after their heartbreaking opening-round loss, and hopes they can come back to capture the fifth-place trophy.

“At White River, we lost in the finals when I was a sophomore, and the next year we were picked to win it, lost our first game and went two-and-out,” Addink said. And, of course, YVCC was ousted in his last game with the Yaks.

“They can do something I never had the chance to do as a player — come back strong after losing,” he said. “To get to show what they’re made of.”

Almira/Coulee-Hartline vs. Tulalip Heritage photo gallery

Almira/ Coulee-Hartline plays Tulalip Heritage in the quarterfinal round of the state class 1B basketball tournament in Yakima, Wash. Feb. 26, 2009. (Gordon King/Yakima Herald-Republic)

Moses Lake Christian-Curlew photo gallery

Moses Lake Christian v. Curlew High School in the state class 1B basketball tournament Feb. 26, 2009 in Yakima, Wash. Photos by Gordon King/Yakima Herald-Republic

A fresh perspective

ACH ninth-grader Isaak comes up big in victory ||

YAKIMA, Wash. — Maybe it’s in the bloodlines. His mother’s father, Roland Halle, is a Washington Husky Hall of Fame member who was a junior guard in 1953 when the Huskies reached the NCAA Final Four.

Maybe it’s in the family guidance and assistance. His father is his coach, and his three younger brothers are his rebounders, ball retrievers for the thousands of shots he has taken at the family’s home hoop.

And maybe Derek Isaak is just that special of a freshman. Because there aren’t a lot of state-tournament coming-out parties like the one the 15-year-old Isaak had in leading second-ranked Almira/Coulee-Hartline past a very dangerous Tulalip Heritage squad, 57-50, to reach tonight’s 6 p.m. semifinal against Tri-Cities Prep.

Isaak scored a game-high 26 points on 9-for-16 shooting and sank a tournament-record seven of his 13 3-point attempts, including the trey that all but clinched the game with 2:55 remaining. That one bumped up the Warriors’ seven-point lead — which had been 18, at 49-31, less than 51?2 minutes earlier — up to 54-44.

“At this level,” his father, coach Scott Isaak said, shaking his head as he tried to find the right words, “I think it’s great. As a coach, you want for kids who don’t even have a driver’s license yet, you just hope they don’t show up all nerved up.

“And as a father, I’m just unbelievably proud.”

Tulalip Heritage had reached the 2007 tournament finals and, led by ultra-talented fifth-year senior Lesjar McKinney, seemed to have the firepower to get there again. But the young Isaak put them on the heels almost from the beginning with 11 first-quarter points, including his first three 3-pointers.

“He’s really good at coming up with the right game plan,” Derek Isaak said, pointing a thumb toward his father. “Anybody on our team could have done that — Cody (Jess) or Garrett (Jess). Like yesterday, Cody had 24 or whatever. That’s what I like about this team, anybody can step up and do the job.”

For the record, Cody Jess had 23 in Wednesday’s opening-round win and 6-4 center Kyle Tucker had added 21. Thursday, though, was Isaak’s night, and his deadeye shooting offset McKinney’s 20-point, eight-rebound night and helped thwart the Hawks’ valiant rally — first with his 3-pointer from the top of the key and then, at 54-50, a free throw that bumped the lead to five with 31 seconds remaining.

“Four points (as a lead) for me is scary,” Isaak said, “because you never know what can happen. But when you spread it, that late in the game, it calms you down. Big time.”

On Thursday, a 15-year-old freshman led the ACH Warriors into the 1B semifinals.

Big time, indeed.

Rosalia rallies past Lummi to stay alive

YAKIMA, Wash. — It was a loser-out game of a state tournament at the smallest level of Washington prep sports, Class 1B. Not the time, perhaps, for anything really memorable.

And, down nine to Lummi with less than 51?2 minutes to play, that wasn’t what the Rosalia Spartans were trying to produce. Says Nathan Richards, the Spartans’ irrepressible 6-foot-5 center, “We just didn’t want to go home.”

How they accomplished that goal was, yes, really memorable.

With 21 unanswered points.

From dead in the water to basking in the glow of a big lead.

It started with Richards, the team’s vocal leader, barking encouragement on the court and in a timeout huddle at the rest of the team and at the team’s junior star, Jim Maley. “C’mon, Jim! It’s our game! It’s our game!”

And, over barely three minutes, it became just that.

Maley hit a field goal. D.J. Brown came up with a steal and Richards scored. Richards blocked a shot — one of three he had in the fourth quarter — and Maley scored again. Zach St. John made a steal, and Maley hit a third straight shot. After a Richards steal, Garrett Kerle, the only senior in the Rosalia lineup, coolly swished a 3-pointer and, just like that, the Spartans were in front 53-51.

“Our crowd, the teammates, our coaches … we were just so fired up,” said Maley, who would finish with 28 points on 12-for-16 shooting. Part of that, he noted, was the fire-’em-up attitude and play of Richards: “He can get us pumped up.”

“We just fed off each others’ emotion, off everything that was happening, really,” said Richards, who finished with 22 points and 15 rebounds.

Kerle’s 3-pointer made it 11 straight points, and the Spartans were only getting warmed up. They would score 10 more before Lummi finally hit a pair of free throws with one second remaining. The 63-53 final might look like a routine victory, but this one was anything but routine.

“I’m kind of dumbfounded, to be honest,” Rosalia coach Rob Hudkins said. “I’ve never been a part of anything like that.”

Few people have.

Richards said it best. “It’s the will to win.”

2/26/09 Girls 1B state tournament roundup

QUARTERFINALS

Colton 65, Sprague-Harrington 15

Courtney Druffel scored 13 points and Kelsey Moser chipped in 10 as top-ranked Colton cruised past Sprague-Harrington 65-15 on Thursday in a Class 1B girls state quarterfinal game.

The win sends the 22-0 Wildcats into Friday’s 6 p.m. semifinal.

Colton jumped out to a 19-6 lead after the first quarter and was never threatened after. All 12 Wildcat players scored, and each played at least six minutes in the rout.

Druffel sank 4 of 8 3-point tries. Moser pulled down a game-high nine rebounds, and teammate Mollie Kramer added eight rebounds.

St. John-Endicott 54, Lummi 43

Kelly Van Lith scored 13 of her team-high 20 points after halftime to lead St. John-Endicott to a victory over Lummi.

The Eagles (18-4) advance to Friday’s 8 p.m. semifinals.

Trisha Luft added 11 points and Alyssa FitzGerald nine. SJE trailed early, but overtook Lummi in the second quarter and never looked back.

Sarah Brady scored 22 points and Kyla Frajman grabbed 11 rebounds to lead Lummi (20-3).

St. Michael’s 42, North Sound Christian 25

Katie Drass and Katie Urann scored 13 and 12 points, respectively, to lead St. Michael’s (12-13) to a win over North Sound Christian .

St. Michael’s is making its first state trip.

Drass, who also pulled down a game-high 12 rebounds, scored nine of her game-high total in the second half, when the Warriors outscored NSC 24-14.

Tori Speck led the Lions (14-10) with nine points.

CONSOLATION BRACKET

Moses Lake Christian 33, Wishkah Valley 22

Esther Timofeyev scored 12 points and pulled down a game-high 19 rebounds as Moses Lake Christian eliminated Wishkah Valley.

Timofeyev scored seven points in the second half as the Lions (13-10) shut out Wishkah Valley (12-12) with a 12-0 run in the third quarter to put the game away.

Neah Bay 59, Mary M. Knight 28

Shayla Nagel scored 18 points and Kelli Shuffelen added 17 as Neah Bay (20-2) cruised to a win over Mary M. Knight (10-14).

Nagel had 10 points in the first half as Neah Bay built a 25-12 halftime lead. Shuffelen had nine in the first two periods.

The Red Devils, who improved to 20-2, made 42.6 percent (23 of 54) of their shots in the game. The Owls were ice cold, making just 19 percent (11 of 58).

Nagel converted 7 of 14 shots, and snared six steals.

Almira/Coulee-Hartline 53, Pateros 22

Madenline Isaak scored 11 points and led a balanced scoring effort as second-ranked Almira/Coulee-Hartline rebounded from a stunning first-round loss to eliminate Pateros.

The Warriors, who improved to 23-2, got points from eight of their 10 players as they led throughout. ACH’s biggest lead, 32 points, came early in the fourth quarter.

Jamie Bruno led the Nannies with 12 points and six rebounds..

Taholah 49, Mansfield 39

Kailani Charley sank a 3-pointer with 2:50 to play that pushed Taholah ahead to stay en route to a 49-39 consolation-round victory Thursday in the Class 1B girls state tournament.

Charley finished with 14 points, and Jessica Charley scored a game-high 25 points for the Chitwhins, who improved to 19-3.

Taholah trailed 26-12 at halftime, but used a 22-7 third quarter to close the gap.

Jaci Bayless led Mansfield with 21 points and 10 rebounds.

2/26/09 Boys 1B state tournament roundup

QUARTERFINALS

Tri-Cities Prep 57, Wellpinit 39

Will Hoppes led four Tri-Cities Prep players in double-figures with 16 points as the Jaguars beat Wellpinit.

The Jaguars led from the opening basket and took a 30-14 halftime lead. Wellpinit never got closer than 14 points the rest of the way.

Sergio Lopez chipped in 13 points for the Jaguars, Andrew LeBrun had 12 and Antonio Ledesma 10.

Lopez pulled down nine rebounds as T-C outboarded Wellpinit 32-28.

Cody Flett scored 13 points for the Redskins, and Kennedy Seyler had 10..

Moses Lake Christian 60, Curlew 43

Riggs Yarbro scored a game-high 26 points and Adrian Moffet added 15 as top-ranked Moses Lake Christian pulled away from Curlew.

Yarbro canned 10 of 15 shots and 6 of 7 free throws. He scored five of his 16 second-half points during a 12-4 midway through the fourth quarter that put the game out of reach.

Isaac Murrell chipped in 11 points for the Lions (22-2), including hitting three 3-pointers.

Jordon Wakefield paced the Cougars (19-6) with 23 points and 14 rebounds..

Lake Quinault 40, Clallam Bay 37

Michael Mayton converted 7 of 9 free throws in the second half, including four on a four-point swing that put Lake Quinault ahead for good, as the Elks rallied past Clallam Bay.

Lake Quinault (12-12), which trailed most of the game, took a brief lead at 30-28 on bank-shot 3-pointer by Marcos Arreguin with 4:42 to play. But the Elks were tagged for a technical foul after the shot for delay of game, which sent Clallam Bay’s Jesse Chartraw to the line.

Chartraw made both technical shots to knot the score at 30, and, following a turnover, Mayton was sent to the line when he was fouled by Mario Smith. Smith also was tagged with a technical, and Mayton sank four straight free throws to give the Elks a 34-30 lead they’d never surrender.

Chartraw led the Bruins (14-6) with 15 points. Smith added seven rebounds and six points.

Pateros 51, Taholah 49 (OT)

Abram Wilson scored on a putback with 35 seconds to play, and Taholah couldn’t pull off a last-second shot again as Pateros edged the Chitwhins.

Taholah sent the game into overtime after James Black drained a 3-pointer with two seconds left that knotted the score at 44-44.

Urijah Willis put the Chitwhins (10-13) ahead by sinking a 3-pointer to open overtime, but Blayne Harvey answered with his own trey about a minute later. Black and Harvey traded baskets later in the extra period before Wilson’s winning shot.

Taholah missed two shots in the final 28 seconds to tie the game again.

Wilson and Harvey poured in game-highs of 20 points each. Wilson also pulled down a game-high 18 rebounds for the Billygoats, who improved to 15-10.

Oakville 67, North Sound Christian 47

Berry Peterson scored 14 of his game-high 25 points in the second half as Oakville powered past North Sound Christian (12-13).

Izaha Powell added 20 points, 10 rebounds, four assists and three steals for the Acorns, who improved to 21-2.

Oakville took the lead for good late in the first quarter and never looked back.

Tucker Reinitz chipped in 13 points for the Acorns.

Jeremy Waller led the Lions with 19 points.

For box scores, visit www.tourneytown.com

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