Warriors just miss out on state trophy
YAKIMA — The Almira/Coulee-Hartline Warriors, who entered the 1B State Tournament with a modest 10-12 record, were a group some may have overlooked when picking teams to make a run in the inaugural small-school tournament at the Yakima Sundome over the weekend.
Doing so would have been a foolish mistake, as the Warriors proved they deserve to be mentioned among the state's best 1B teams. Playing in a league largely composed of larger 2B schools, ACH came into the post season ready for the challenge of facing quality teams each night.
"If you want a record, play in an easy league," said ACH coach Scott Isaak. "If you want to be fire-tested, play in a tougher league."
ACH fell just 16 minutes short of earning a state trophy, as the Warriors trailed just 19-18 at halftime of their elimination game with Tri-Cities Prep before faltering the second half and eventually losing the contest 41-28 Friday.
The teams, evenly matched from a physical and athletic standpoint, put on a fine display of basketball fundamentals in the first half. Both teams played excellent half-court defense, both teams were careful and deliberate with the ball while on offense, and both teams waited patiently for the other to make a few key mistakes that would open the door for a scoring run.
It simply didn't happen in the first half, as the trophy contenders matched each other move for move in the game's first 16 minutes. The two squads exchanged leads six times, with the largest gap being a 10-6 margin held by the Jaguars in the first quarter.
In the second half, ACH would be the first to flinch, as a pair of turnovers and three fouls by the Warriors allowed Tri-Cities Prep to open up a 28-20 lead. The Warriors responded, closing to within four of the Jaguars with 3:26 to play in the third quarter. However, ACH would get no closer, as the stingy Jaguars' defense allowed the Warriors only two more field goals over the game's remaining 11:26.
"I thought that they played a nice little zone," said Isaak of the Jaguars. "They knew where our kids were."
Also leading to the loss for ACH was a difficult afternoon on the boards. Tri-Cities Prep out-rebounded the Warriors 35-31, including 16 offensive rebounds for the Jaguars.
"We did not control the boards," said Isaak. "We had a ton of offensive boards on us. You're gonna lose a lot of games when that happens."
While the Warriors could have played a better second half against the Jaguars, their coach was pleased with his team's performance in the tournament.
"I'm very happy, we had a great season, a great year," said Isaak. "It would have been nice to win that game, but that's how it goes."
Earlier in the tournament, ACH played more like the team that went on an 8-3 run over their last 11 games that included four victories over teams they had fallen to earlier in the season.
The Warriors opened the tournament with a 57-45 victory over Neah Bay, champions of the North Olympic League. In the game, ACH built a 31-20 halftime lead and out-rebounded the Red Devils 57-37. Against Neah Bay, ACH's Greg Giese scored 21 points and grabbed a tournament-high 18 rebounds to lead his squad to victory.
"He was the best ball player at that tournament," Isaak said of the senior Giese.
Following that game, ACH met up with Liberty Christian in the quarterfinals, with the winner securing a top-six finish at state. The Warriors were every bit the equal of the Patriots, matching them in nearly every statistical category but one; field-goal shooting percentage. Liberty Christian shot a remarkable 61 percent from the floor, including a 9-18 effort from 3-point range. It was a shooting performance ACH's solid play simply couldn't overcome, as the Warriors fell 60-44.
"I felt as good about that loss to Liberty Christian as the win against Neah Bay," recalled Isaak. "We just played hard."