State 1B boys: Yakama Tribal rallies in fourth quarter to top Almira/Coulee-Hartline in semifinals
Mylo Jones’ decision to transfer to Yakama Tribal from White Swan months ago paid off in a big way Friday night.
Jones’ layup between two defenders with 24 seconds left completed his team’s furious comeback to defeat Almira/Coulee-Hartline 55-53 in the semifinals of the State 1B boys basketball tournament at the Arena.
The Eagles will face Sunnyside Christian in the state title game on Saturday at 5 p.m. Yakama Tribal is the only team to beat the defending two-time state champs this year, with a 54-51 win on Jan. 18 in the first of the teams’ three meetings.
ACH led 50-34 after Reece Isaak’s layup with 6 minutes remaining in the game. Yakama Tribal outscored the Warriors 21-3 the rest of the way to roar back and steal the win.
Bryan Strom, who finished with 20 points, sparked the rally with a pair of 3-pointers during a 10-0 run that trimmed the Warriors’ lead to 50-44 with 4:36 left.
The rally seemed certain to falter when Strom fouled out moments later, but Yakama Tribal drew within 51-49 with Bryce Strom’s layup and Justice Hart’s three-point play.
Isaak, who led all scorers with 29 points, made a layup with 2:49 left to give his team a 53-49 lead, but ACH could not convert another bucket. Bryce Strom made 1 of 2 free throws and added a layup to narrow the Warriors’ advantage to 53-52 with 90 seconds to play.
After an ACH turnover, Jones caught a pass and split two defenders to score with 24 seconds left. The Warriors (19-8) turned the ball over, setting up a Bryce Strom free throw that provided the final margin. ACH’s last-second shot was blocked, allowing Yakama Tribal to escape.
Bryce Strom ended his night with 18 points.
Maguire Isaak scored 12 points for the Warriors (18-9).
Sunnyside Christian 57, Muckleshoot Tribal 44: Lucas Dykstra scored 12 of his 16 points in the fourth quarter, and the two-time defending champion Knights rallied in the second half to defeat the Kings and preserve a chance to win another state crown.
Muckleshoot battled to a 25-23 halftime lead, but the Knights battled back in the third quarter to regain control. Brennan Rip’s two buckets surrounded a pair of free throws by Dykstra, sending Sunnyside Christian into the fourth quarter nursing a 40-34 lead.
Dykstra caught fire in the final 8 minutes. His 3-pointer gave the Knights a 43-34 lead 25 seconds into the fourth quarter. Muckleshoot couldn’t draw closer than four points the rest of the way.
Ross Faber led the Knights with 19 points and eight rebounds, and Kyler Marsh had 12.
Kobe Courville scored 17 points for the Kings, and Darius Nichols and Kash Nichols added 12 and 10, respectively.
Muckleshoot and ACH will play for third place on Saturday at 1 p.m.
Odessa 70, Riverside Christian 47: Ryan Moffet scored 29 points and the second-seeded Tigers (26-4) eliminated the 11th-seeded Crusaders (19-9).
Reagan Haas led Riverside Christian with 17 points. Tim DeWulf added 13 points and Marcus King had 10 points with a game-high seven rebounds for Odessa.
Odessa controlled the boards, grabbing 32 compared to 19 for Riverside Christian. The Tigers also worked the Crusaders inside, scoring 42 points in the paint and allowing 12.
Odessa took advantage of a slow second quarter by the Crusaders, outscoring them 14-6.
Oakesdale 68, Naselle 52: Kieron Anderson scored 20 points with eight rebounds and the 12th-seeded Nighthawks (20-9) eliminated the eighth-seeded Comets (18-8).
Antonio Nolan led Naselle with 12 points and a team-high three assists. Matthew Hockett added 13 points with a game-high nine boards. Wesley Castanon and Jacob Hines scored 12 apiece for Oakesdale.
The Nighthawks dominated inside, scoring 46 points and giving up 22 to Naselle. Oakesdale shot 62 percent from the floor while holding the Comets to 37 percent.