Bickleton girls return to State after 29 years
Andrew Christiansen
Reporter
The last time Bickleton’s girls basketball team went to State, the mothers of this year’s team were in high school.
On Feb. 24, a new chapter in Bickleton sports history was written as the lady Pirates began play in the State tournament for the first time since 1981.
The team played Lummi in the Yakima SunDome in first round action of the 1B tournament. Their second game will be Feb. 25 against either King’s Way Christian or Colton. Game time is 9 a.m. if Bickleton lost to Lummi or 4 p.m. if they won.
There is some sense of justice in Bickleton’s qualification for State. Last year’s District finished in a similar fashion, but the game against a much stronger Sunnyside Christian team was a mere formality and as runner-up, Bickleton was destined to stay home since there was only one berth to State in 2009. This year two teams go, and although the Knights were again unconquerable (60-38), Bickleton has a chance to test themselves against other top state competition.
TLG battled Bickleton for second place last week in White Salmon. The Pirates’ balanced attack and pressing defense flustered TLG during the first half. There seemed to be no way to prevent Star Kibby from disrupting the offense and if they collapsed on Katelynn Clinton, Morgan McBride made them pay with her outside shooting.
However, it was a charged up TLG that came out in the third quarter as Katie Yarnell pushed the attack and stole the momentum from Bickleton. The final quarter started with the Pirates clinging to a 38-32 lead. It didn’t take long for Bickleton to reestablish their dominance as they roared back with 6-13 shooting while TLG’s guns went cold.
The Mustang-Eagles turned the ball over nine times and managed to put down just three shots as Bickleton cruised to a 54-39 win. Clinton had 18 points, 13 rebounds and four steals. Kibby and McBride each scored 14 points. TLG was led by Liz Vogt’s 11 points and Yarnell’s 10.
Trout Lake and Glenwood schools will still be going to State, as their boys team defeated Klickitat in an emotionally charged game at White Salmon. The Vandals had more important things on their minds with the recent deaths of two classmates, but they gave it their best shot. At times ragged, at times brilliant, Klickitat couldn’t overcome turnovers and fouls in a 42-37 loss.
TLG’s Lucas King showed great leadership in steering his team to a 16-4 final quarter of play. King finished the game with 21 points and seven steals. Andy Wells had nine points and 11 rebounds. The championship game was another wipe-out for Sunnyside Christian’s boys, 60-26. The second place finish was also a momentous occasion for TLG. It is the first time the combined schools’ boys team has made it to State. Trout Lake made the trip in 1997 and Glenwood was there in 1992.
They opening game was against Moses Lake Christian on Feb. 24. If they won that game, they play the winner of King’s Way Christian versus Lummi at 5:30 p.m. on Feb. 25. If they lost on Wednesday, they play the loser at 10:30 a.m. on Feb. 25. Final rounds of play are on Friday and Saturday.
Close isn’t good enough as Timberwolves fall out of SCAC playoffs
Justin Garrigus
For The Sentinel
Goldendale’s boys began post-season play when they traveled to River View for a rematch of a game won by the Timberwolves 50-47 early in the year.
The story was a little different on Tuesday; both teams were competing for a win and advancement in the tournament to the playoffs, and for the Timberwolves the result was unfortunately not the same as the first time, as they were on the losing end of a 69-64 overtime game.
River View led the majority of the game outscoring the Timberwolves 43-37 in the first three quarters. In the fourth quarter, the Wolves fought back to tie the game 58-58 at the end of regulation behind a scoring surge by junior Reed Lindhe who scored 13 of his season high 29 points in the fourth quarter. But in overtime, the Wolves just couldn’t keep Juan Contreras from the free throw line and were only able to muster up six overtime points compared to River View’s 11 points, all scored by Contreras.
Contreras led the game in scoring with 36 points, and Victor Contreras was second with 24 points. Kaden Milliren had a double-double with 13 points and 13 rebounds for Goldendale.
The loss put the boys into the loser out game with Burbank, who Goldendale previously defeated by three points earlier in the season. The Wolves started off the game matching Burbank’s scoring through the first quarter. An eight-point second quarter, however, left the Wolves down at halftime 31-20. The Timberwolves came out of the locker room with more aggression, outscoring Burbank in the third quarter 20-13 with the scoring dispersed among the starting five and Chase Wing’s defense, earning him seven steals on the night.
With 1:12 left in the game and Goldendale down 56-51, Devon Casey hit a three- pointer. Burbank turned the ball over and Goldendale regained possession but could not execute down under the basket on attempts to tie the game. Burbank converted foul shots to cap a 59-54 win, bouncing the Timberwolves out of the playoffs.
The Wolves finish the season with a 13-8 record and pride in a reversal of last year’s 7-13 record.
Timberwolves bring home four medals from Mat Classic
It was clear from the start of the season that Goldendale’s wrestling team was good enough to send several wrestlers to State. Four to six was the guess, but few people would have guessed four of the five boys who did make it would bring home medals. It was one of the best performances in recent history for the Timberwolves, on par with 2007 when the team sent eight wrestlers and came home with five medals.
Leading the way was Braydon Ross who won his opening two matches and finished in fourth place at 160 pounds. Ross won his first match by pin half way through the third round. The second match was a tough, strategic battle with Gabe West, of Montesano.
Ross held onto a 3-2 lead with a tenacious ride through the final round, sending Ross into the medal rounds. His first match on Saturday was against Andrew Grillo, of Tonasket. Grillo had given up just one point in his first two matches, winning both on technical falls.
Ross made the first move, but Grillo pushed him aside and quickly got behind for the take down. It was all the points Grillo would need as he countered several Ross moves to win the match 5-0. The next match was scoreless after the first round.
Ross started round two in the down position and used a technique he recently practiced to break free of leg hooks and got a reversal. Late in the match, tied at four, Ross avoided a takedown attempt and used his opponent’s momentum for his own takedown and a 6-4 victory. Ross had no solution for Port Townsend’s Brett Johnson in the final match settling for fourth place on a 15-3 decision.
Billy Monroe, the only senior Timberwolf at State, finished sixth at 171 pounds. He was dominant in his third and fourth matches, shutting out Brendon Ossman, 6-0 and pinning a familiar opponent, Royal’s Jake Thomas. Another SCAC wrestler, Dakota Scott kept Monroe out of a top four finish and he had to settle for sixth after a final loss to Kyle Trudeaux, of Omak.
Torey Spaulding-Jimenez and Nolin Bare each made their way to seventh place finishes, although they had very different starts to the tournament. Spaulding-Jimenez had a disappointing loss in his first match on Friday, losing to Dillon Miller, of Cashmere on an 8-2 score with all points coming in the third round.
Match two gave the Timberwolf junior some confidence when he pinned his opponent 15 seconds before the end of round two, but he still had a ways to go while on the verge of elimination. The third match was crucial and it was a tough one against Levi Godinho, of Castle Rock. Both wrestlers managed just an escape through the three rounds of regulation. In overtime, Spaulding-Jimenez had the upper hand as he was in on a leg, but Godinho countered and it was a battle of wills.
Godinho looked to break the hold, but Spaulding-Jimenez gave a second effort and got behind for the two points and a 3-1 win which guaranteed a medal. Spaulding-Jimenez found he could do little against Royal’s Alex Myrick and the match ended with a second round pin.
The final match for Spaulding-Jimenez was another overtime battle, again with the score 1-1 after three rounds. Both wrestlers were unable to finish takedowns, ending the first overtime still tied. Spaulding-Jimenez was down to start the second overtime and quickly escaped to go up 2-1.
His opponent Jake Johnson, of La Center, didn’t fare so well in his attempt from the down position, and it was a thrilled Spaulding-Jimenez who managed to turn around his fortune at State and go home with the seventh place medal.
Bare had a stronger start in his first match, getting a pin half way through round two. The quality of opposition took a big jump in the second match for the sophomore in his first year of high school wrestling. Tanner Bolt, of Kettle Falls, the eventual runner-up to three-time champion, Chris Castillo, of Zillah was too quick for Bare and advanced with a 9-4 win. Bare went right at Travis Petrovich, of Forks in his next match and was into the medal rounds with an 11-6 win.
The next match was a more even affair with the winning margin coming on a late second round reversal for a 4-2 loss.
A rejuvenated Bare was quick and strong in the final match against Damien Delarosa, of Royal, and he was awarded the seventh place medal with an 8-1 win.
Kurt Wilkins was looking for a medal this time around, after a 1-2 record last year as a freshman. He started strong with a pin in his opening match at 189 pounds, but his second opponent was two-time champion and eventual winner at 189 pounds, Taylor Meeks, of Orting. Wilkins was pinned by Meeks in the first round and never got going in his next match, an 8-4 loss that left him looking to next year for that elusive medal. As a team, Goldendale flirted with a top 10 finish, but ended up 17th out of 47 teams.
Also missing out on a medal was Jessica Carr, who wrestled in the girls’ tournament, held at the same time as the boys’ tournament in the Tacoma Dome. It was Carr’s first year in the sport. |
