Valley sending four teams to Tacoma and Spokane | CBBN-Big Nine
Now that the monumental task of qualifying for state has been achieved, the next objective is clear and urgent.
The Valley has four teams traveling to state tournaments in Tacoma and Spokane this week and all of them face loser-out games on Wednesday. A victory will guarantee at least two more games.
Davis’ boys and Sunnyside’s girls will be in the Class 4A tournament in the Tacoma Dome while Mabton’s girls (2B) and Sunnyside Christian’s boys (1B) will be in the Spokane Arena.
After a 62-55 regional setback to second-seeded Curtis in Tacoma last week, the No. 7 Pirates (19-2) had their win streak ended at 18 games but they face what appears to be a favorable matchup Wednesday against No. 15 Graham-Kapowsin at 5:30 pm
With several players off the state championship football team, the Eagles (13-10) were third in their division of the SPSL, went 2-2 in a six-berth district tournament and earned the final regional spot. GK then knocked off No. 10 Glacier Peak last week — its third loser-out victory in the last two weeks.
While the 55 points against Curtis was a low season, the Pirates’ average is 73 points led by the diverse range and age of two CBBN first-team leaders — freshman Cesar Hernandez and senior Dhantaye Bennett-Joe. That age diversity extends further with senior Robert Galindo (second team) and sophomores Blake Garza and Brandon Lee Jr. (honorary mention).
Having already faced the no. 2 seed, Davis could take on No. 1 with a win over GK as Mount Si awaits in a 5:30 pm quarterfinal on Thursday.
The pressure and intensity of elimination games has brought out the best in Sunnyside’s girls, who have won four in a row since Feb. 16. After beating CBBN champion Eisenhower for the league’s second regional spot, the 15th-seeded Grizzlies hit the upset jackpot again with a 52-51 win over No. 10 Chiawana to earn a trip to Tacoma.
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Two-time CBBN defensive player of the year Paris Wilson leads a veteran crew that features two other key seniors, Benemi Sanchez (first team) and Alyna Ramirez (second team). Sanchez hit the game-winning shot against Chiawana with seven seconds left.
The Grizzlies (13-11) will face another Tri-Cities team in No. 7 Richland (17-7) on Wednesday at 10:30 am Like Davis’ boys, the Bombers trekked to the westside for a 2-7 regional matchup on Saturday and got humbled by Sumner, 72-52. Also just like Davis, Sunnyside should pull off another upset the quarterfinal opponent would be the top seed, Woodinville.
In Spokane, Mabton’s 12th-seeded girls have the momentum of last week’s 63-52 regional win over St. George’s and an extraordinarily young team seeking experience for future trips to the Arena.
The Vikings, whose oldest players are sophomores, are led by EWAC West player of the year Esmeralda Sanchez, a freshman, and eighth-grader Alana Zavala, a first-team pick. Freshman Keirrah Roettger and sophomore Amy Moreno also earned all-West recognition.
Mabton (17-8), which is 14-2 since Dec. 30, will play no. 5 Raymond (18-2) at 12:15 pm on Wednesday. The Seagulls (18-2), champions of the Pacific 2B League and Southwest district, had a 17-game win streak snapped by No. 4 Okanogan, 65-56, on Saturday.
Despite a 65-59 loss to No. 4 Willapa Valley on Saturday, Sunnyside Christian’s fifth-seeded boys have a good shot at reaching the 1B semifinals. The Knights (17-6), who will make the program’s 26th state appearance, will play No. 12 Crosspoint (17-6) of Bremerton at 12:15 pm on Wednesday.
A victory would then send Sunnyside Christian into Thursday’s quarterfinals against No. 6 Moses Lake Christian, which edged the Knights at home 66-58 on Jan. 25.
Junior guard Cole Wagenaar and senior post Justin Van Wieringen were first-team picks in their division of the Southeast 1B League, and junior Dash Bosma made the second team.