Serving Whitman County since 1877
Serving Whitman County since 1877
After a record eight three-pointers and 29 points in Neah Bay’s 1B state semifinal win over LaCrosse-Washtucna, Tyler McCaulley walked back out onto the floor of Spokane Arena.
Lights reflected off his mohawk from five stories above and the lingering Neah Bay crowd cheered from the stands. He smiled, waved, hugged fans along the bottom row, got a kiss from his girlfriend and sat down for an interview on the radio.
Afterward, he basked in some more cheers and thumbs-up and walked back to the locker room.
The Red Devils had just advanced to the state final during a game which was played simultaneously with a girls 2B state semifinal between Northwest Christian and Pe Ell.
Late in the Neah Bay-LaCrosse-Washtucna game, the other side of the arena began to erupt in bursts of applause. It was during the girls’ game’s final minute, which featured two missed free throws, a stolen inbound pass, a missed lay-in with seconds left and finally, an offensive rebound and putback for 47-46 at the buzzer. Pe Ell players dropped to the floor as Northwest Christian’s bench, players and fans exploded in a green pile at center court.
Pe Ell’s 26-2 season and dream of a state title was pulled from their hands.
A full 15 or 20 minutes after this, the arena was nearly empty. McCaulley’s hero’s walk had happened and Neah Bay’s coach and the 1490 AM Forks radio man interviewing him at the deserted press row were the only people around.
Then suddenly a line of players appeared from under the concourse in the quiet.
In navy and white, it was the Pe Ell girls basketball team.
They walked in a line across the baseline and then stepped one row into the stands, right where McCaulley had greeted the Neah Bay crowd.
They passed with faces still contorted, an absolute row of tears.
Wisdom teaches it’s only a game, but that’s only wisdom.
Rosalia HERO
In the third quarter of the still-close Reardan vs. Northwest Christian girls 2B state championship game, a Reardan outside shot went up and lodged between the rim and the backboard.
The crowd gasped and chuckled, the players stopped and a nearby referee stood in watch.
If this happens in a boys’ game, it’s common for a player to jump up and tip the ball free.
But this was girls and no one came forward to leap up and try to knock it free. The nearby referee stood in his spot, evidently not able to jump that high either.
Meanwhile, behind the basket, Rosalia resident and 10-year WIAA tournament floor-mop employee Mike Day stood up from his chair and stepped back behind the giant curtain behind him. A moment later, he stepped across the baseline with a court-mop in his hand.
He lifted the wooden handle up and poked the ball free.
It rolled and dropped into the net.
The crowd cheered and Day put his mop back behind the curtain and sat back down in his chair.
REFEREE’S NOTE
As the Colfax High School band played during warm-ups for the 2B boys state championship game between Colfax and St. George’s, one referee stood at courtside, his back to the band as leather balls flew by and fans filed into seats.
The referee turned, bent down to the press row and said something to a reporter (whom he’d never met).
“You know, it’s always more fun when there’s good music before the game. This is good stuff.”
MAKAH BALL
The 1B boys state championship game between Neah Bay and Sunnyside Christian offered a study in contrasts. Neah Bay coach Gerrad Brooks wore a black suit with red-Makah Indian pattern tie while Sunnyside Christian’s Brian Bosma patrolled the sidelines in sun-punished jeans, a brown leather belt, some worn Adidas low-tops and a plaid shirt.
On the floor, Neah Bay made an inspired comeback. Down the whole game, they trailed by 18 points in the third quarter before cutting it to two with possession with 2:12 remaining.
During timeouts through the comeback the Neah Bay crowd rose with a building melody of a traditional Makah war song. The lower voices of the men were followed by the higher response of the women.
A predominately tribal school on state land inside the Makah reservation, one player on Neah Bay’s roster is the son of parents stationed there with the Coast Guard. Travel time to Spokane was 10 1/2 hours.
In the end, the image of Neah Bay’s 5’11” Josiah Greene matching up with Sunnyside Christian’s 6’7” Brandon Boersma in the championship game was something to see.
Greene and his team of tribal fishermen almost pulled it off.
Greene and McCaulley are juniors, and point guard Abraham Venske is a sophomore. They’ll be something to see next year too.
LAND
In the late summer, they harvest. In the fall they disc and seed. In the winter they repair equipment and prepare, and in the early spring the girls win the state basketball championship.
Here’s to the rhythm of life in Colton, Washington.
IN A NAME
The Washington state 1B/2B state championships’ official name is the “Hardwood Classic.” This is one of the few misteps in a well-run tournament that featured a genuine sense of place and occasion.
It’s held at the Spokane Arena, which is a real place in the world as opposed to “Alaska Airlines Arena” or the equivalent. Second, organizers create grandeur with the darkened stadium and spotlit introductions before the championship games.
As for the name, the “Hardwood Classic” makes it sound like a generic pre-season tournament begun five years ago for which organizers couldn’t think of a name.
This event needs no title other than what it is to thousands of kids dribbling basketballs in driveways across Washington this week: “State.”
Or, officially, the WIAA 1B/2B State Basketball Championships.
See state basketball pictures on the posted pages.
Garth Meyer is a former Whitman County Gazette reporter.
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