Warriors take second in tight championship round

SPOKANE – The Spokane Arena was roaring; the score was 50-49 for Almira-Coulee/Hartline with less than a minute left in the fourth quarter. Despite ACH’s best efforts, the Lummi Nation Black Hawks pulled ahead with less than 60 seconds left, winning the championship game with a score of 53-50.  

“I thought that we played a great game,” ACH head coach Graham Grindy said. “I thought that Lummi played a great game. I mean, it’s what everyone wants out of a championship game. That's just the way those things go. I watched several championship games across the state, and there were a lot that were decided at the last minute. I think that we competed and competed all the way to the end, and there wasn't any single factor in my mind that I can look back and say, ‘well, we really lost the game here or lost the game there.’ It was going to be won by somebody, and we just didn't come out on top.” 

The Warriors got off to a slow start, with the Black Hawks scoring nine points before Nolan Grindy scored the team’s first point. ACH was down two points, 12-10, at the end of the first quarter.   

“We went down nine to zero to start the game. When you're in that atmosphere, in that environment, it's day three, you're tired and when you get down nine, nothing, your mind either keeps you going or it will tell your body, ‘All right, this is it, we're done,’” Grindy said. “I called a time-out, and they all looked me in the eyes, I wasn't thinking that they were going to give this one away. They came back and kept running and kept pushing. Then we took the lead, then we held the lead. I honestly had no doubt in our team, the whole entire time, even all the way down to the end, there was just this thing in my mind that says, ‘We're going to do this.’”  

ACH’s Carter Pitts scored two points to tie the game. The Black Hawks took back the lead; however, ACH went on an 8-0 run to take a 20-14 lead. 

Lummi took the lead 23-22, on a basket by Trevon Lee. ACH finished the quarter by scoring four points, which put them narrowly in the lead again, 26-23, at the half.   

ACH took a 28-23 lead and started to pull away. During the third quarter, ACH had a 10-point lead on the Black Hawks after Nolan Grindy scored a two-point field goal. 

ACH kept a lead from two to ten points throughout the third quarter, leading 43-40 going into the final quarter. The Warriors took a six-point lead on a three-pointer by Josh Booker, who hit two of four of ACH’s three-point baskets during the game. 

The Black Hawks Jaie Leighton scored a two-point goal, bringing the Warriors lead back down to four points. Max Grindy scored to give the Warriors a six-point lead. Jerome Toby of Lummi Nation cut it back to three points, then Toby hit a basket to cut the lead to 48-47. 

ACH’s Max Grindy pushed the lead to 50-47 on two free throws; the Black Hawks cut it 50-49 on a basket by Leighton. ACH turned the ball over and Leighton hit a basket to give Lummi Nation the lead, 51-50, for the first time in the second half.  

Both teams called a timeout with less than 30 seconds left on the clock. The crowds on both sides of the stadium were standing and yelling in anticipation.  

“I told them just keep playing,” Grindy said. “We didn't talk about finalities. I didn't tell them not to give up because I knew they wouldn't. We just talked about strategy and what we were going to do, basically, and that's all we've done all year. It was like look at this point, this is the score, this is what we're going to do.” 

ACH fouls gave the ball back to the Black Hawks and allowed Lummi Nation two free throws. Lummi Nation’s Toby made both free throws to push the lead to 53-50.  

With less than seven seconds left on the clock, ACH missed its last shot, making the final score 53-50.  

“I will say firsthand, it was a very emotional locker room, especially me as a dad and a coach, that was probably one of the hardest ones I've ever been in,” Grindy said. “But after it was over, I felt relieved in a way that I knew that I had just experienced and witnessed something very special.” 

Despite the narrow loss, the ACH boys team showed resilience on the court Saturday, according to Grindy.  

“My message to them is that they set out a goal,” Grindy said. “We set out a goal to win a championship this year. But what they actually gained from that, even though we didn't get the trophy, they gained how to have the mindset of being a champion. They put in the work. They did all the right things. When you do all the right things in life, sometimes it throws you a curveball, and you don't get exactly what you want, but they got something so valuable. It's more valuable than a trophy. And I hope that they realize that.”  

Grindy said the Warriors are already setting goals for next year.  

“The goal is to get right back,” Grindy said. “I had so many boys hug me and tell me, ‘We'll be back, we'll be back, we'll be back.’ I was just astonished with their maturity and their confidence. That's a powerful thing. So hopefully we can just keep it going.”  

Box Score:  

ACH: 10-16-17-7 50 

LUM: 12-11-17-13 53 

    Eighth grader Nolan Grindy (15) passes the ball to senior Carter Pitts, (11) of ACH during the finals game Saturday against Lummi Nation.
  

    Caden Correia, a junior from ACH dribbles the ball during the tournament game at Spokane Arena Saturday.
  

    The Almira-Coulee Hartline Warriors score a three-point shot Saturday during the final's tournament against Lummi Nation Black Hawks Saturday.
  

    Nolan Grindy, an eighth grader from Almira-Coulee/Hartline, dribbles the ball around Jerome Toby from Lummi Nation during the finals game Saturday.
  

    Carter Pitts, a senior from ACH, dives for the ball at the same time as Jerome Toby from Lummi Nation during the Class 1B state final.
  

    Nolan Grindy (15) passes the ball to his brother Max Grindy (25) during the Class 1B state tournament final. ACH competed against Lummi Nation Black Hawk’s during the final’s tournament at the Spokane Arena.
  

    Eighth-grader Nolan Grindy from Almira-Coulee/Hartline steals the ball from the Lummi Nation Black Hawks during the championship game Saturday.
  

    Sophomore Max Grindy (25) from ACH scores a two-point shot during the championship game Saturday.
  

    Caden Correia, junior from Almira-Coulee/Hartline walks off the court after shaking hands with the Lummi Nation Black Hawks. ACH took second in the state Class 1B tournament.