Quincy boys take district championship
Quincy High School sophomore Aidan Bews (4) looks for an opening to attempt a shot during the district championship on Feb. 11.
Rebecca Pettingill/Columbia Basin Herald
Quincy High School senior Aidan Heikes (30) drives past a Chelan High School player during the district championship game on Feb. 11.
Quincy High School sophomore Aidan Bews (4) and senior TreyVaughn Bierlink (1) push to rebound the ball as two Chelan players box them out.
Quincy High School senior TreyVaughn Bierlink (1) shoots the ball on Feb. 11 in the district championship game as Chelan High School senior Reed Stamps (32) attempts to block the shot.
Quincy High School senior Aidan Heikes, right, smiles as he embraces his teammates after winning the District 6 Championship game.
Quincy High School senior Aidan Heikes, left, is hugged by his dad, Todd Heikes, after making the winning basket to seal Quincy’s district championship on Feb. 11.
The 2021-22 Quincy High School boys basketball team holds the league title and now the district title as well.
Quincy High School senior Aidan Heikes (30) drives past Chelan High School senior Nate Harding (1) during the district championship matchup on Feb. 11 at Wenatchee High School.
Quincy High School senior Saul Alvarez (20) goes in for a layup as a Chelan High School opponent attempts to block him.
Quincy High School senior Jalen Spence (0) faces off against Chelan High School sophomore Isaac Wilson (3) during the matchup between the two teams on Feb. 11.
Quincy High School sophomore Aidan Bews (4) goes in for a layup as a Chelan High School opponent attempts to block him.
The entire Quincy bench erupted in cheers and shock as Aidan Heikes made the winning shot at the district championship on Feb. 11.
Todd Heikes embraces his son, Aidan Heikes (30), after the district title game.
Quincy High School sophomore Aidan Bews (4) cuts the net after his team won the district championship on Feb. 11.
Coach Scott Bierlink hugs his son, TreyVaughn Bierlink after cutting the net at Wenatchee High School on Feb. 11.
The Quincy High School boys basketball team took the district title on Feb. 11 after a 57-56 victory over Chelan High School.
WENATCHEE — The Quincy boys basketball team has been a force to be reckoned with this year, taking the league title and now the district title.
This was the first time the program had won a league title in 20 years and now this is their first district title in 10 years.
Going into the game, Quincy had beaten Chelan twice already this season and lost to them once. All of those games were within a 20-point margin.
The district championship game saw Quincy snatch the district title out from under Chelan with a layup in the final seconds. The last-minute grab was the culmination of a pattern of strong comebacks for the Jacks against Chelan. The team had pulled a similar trick against the Goats on Jan. 25 to pull the league title in the fourth quarter.
The District 6 championship game was held at Wenatchee High School on Feb. 11. The gym was packed with spectators eager for the tough matchup between the two schools. The crowd seemed to be a sea of green with both teams sharing the same school color. The room would erupt in cheers and boos so loud they could be heard throughout the building.
The game was intense from start to finish for fans, players and coaches alike.
Quincy was able to get a slight jump on Chelan in the first quarter to lead by two going into the second quarter.
Fouls were abundant throughout the game as players felt the pressure to stop shots and get to the ball. Chelan’s Braiden Boyd fouled out during the fourth quarter and Quincy’s TreyVaughn Bierlink made four before the game ended, one of those a technical foul in the fourth quarter for what he admitted was talking smack to the other team.
Leading 14-12, Quincy had not sealed the game but managed to keep the short lead in the second quarter. Quincy kept the pace, applying pressure, and ultimately was up by one to close the first half.
In the third quarter, the Jacks seemed to let nerves get the better of them, allowing Chelan to take the lead. Even so, they didn’t keep more than a five-point lead over the Jacks. Baskets just wouldn’t go in for Quincy as they hovered behind Chelan but couldn’t pass them. In their lowest scoring quarter of the game, the Jacks only managed 11 points. This was the highest-scoring quarter of the game for Chelan with 17 points.
The third quarter ended with Chelan ahead, 44-39.
The fourth quarter started and it was make or break time for the Jacks. How they played this quarter determined whether they would walk away with the district trophy, or if they went home empty-handed.
The Jacks pushed and battled, keeping pace with Chelan and getting within inches of taking the lead.
Thirty seconds left on the clock and Quincy had possession of the ball and were down by only one. Thirty seconds was all they needed. They pushed to score and with 15.5 seconds left, Bierlink was fouled. This was it: Bierlink had an 82% free throw shooting average, and if he made both free throws, Quincy could take the game. But Bierlink missed both shots.
The Jacks regained possession at Chelan’s basket and as they crossed the half court line, Quincy’s coach called a timeout to strategize.
In a final push, the team had 8.4 seconds to make a miracle happen. Would they drive to the hoop for a layup and hope to be fouled or would they take the risk to attempt a three pointer? The team passed the ball in from just inside the half-court line and pushed to the hoop. Bierlink went in for the layup but it rolled off the edge of the rim onto the other side of the hoop. That’s where senior Aidan Heikes was waiting and in a perfect setup, was able not only to get his hands on the ball with several Chelan players attempting to block and rebound, but to tap it into the basket right as the buzzer went off. Heikes had made the basket, nudging Quincy over from 55 to 57 and beating Chelan by one point.
The final score: Quincy 57, Chelan 56.
Quincy had won the District 6 Championship.
“My coaches teach us to always go for the board and that's why,” Heikes said of making the winning basket, a moment he added will stick with him forever..
Bierlink led the Jacks, and the game, with 21 points. Heikes wasn’t far behind with 19 points. The two have been leaders on the Quincy team the entire season, guiding their teammates to victory after victory. They’re also childhood friends and have played basketball together since the first grade.
“All the boys put in so much hard work, and they’ve been together for so long. (Quincy Head Coach Scott) Bierlink never gave up on them, worked hard all the time and finally, all of them together, they were able to do it. That is such a cool story,” said Todd Heikes, Aidan Heikes’ dad.
Coach Bierlink said the game had not gone as the Jacks originally planned. They’d hoped for a game that wasn’t so tight throughout, but rather a more definitive win. The team had worked on late game strategies though which was good practice for such close games.
“That is why we play to the final whistle,” said Bierlink.
Bierlink said he is really proud of his boys and that the next goal is the state championship.
The Jacks are now 19-3 overall and 12-1 in their conference. They are ranked No. 8 by Rating Percentage Index (RPI) on the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA) website.
The Jacks move on to the District 6/7 1A crossover game. They will take on the winner of the Colville versus Deer Park game set for Feb. 16. The crossover game’s date has not yet been announced. A lot is still on the line for the Jacks as only the winner of the crossover game gets to go to regionals; the loser is out of the competition.
Box score:
Quincy - 14 14 11 18 - 57
Chelan - 12 15 17 12 - 56
