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State 1B basketball preview: New champions guaranteed to be crowned in boys, girls tournaments

Odessa’s Ryan Moffet drives to the hoop during the second round of the State 1B tournament on Feb. 28, 2019, at the Spokane Arena. (Libby Kamrowski / The Spokesman-Review)
By Jason Shoot The Spokesman-Review

New state champions are guaranteed to be crowned in the respective boys and girls State 1B basketball tournaments this week at the Arena.

Anchored by the state’s all-time leading scorer, Ryan Moffet, Odessa enters the boys tournament at 24-0 overall and the top seed as determined by RPI. Buoyed by Moffet’s 31.8 points per game, the Tigers rarely have been challenged, and only three opponents have remained within single digits.

Odessa’s trip to state in 2019 was derailed by a regional tournament loss that relegated the Tigers to a loser-out game on the first day and a matchup against eventual champion Sunnyside Christian in the quarterfinals. The Tigers romped to a 65-32 win over Oakesdale at regionals last Saturday, guaranteeing a first-round bye at state and an automatic berth in the quarterfinals.

Odessa’s top two threats for a state title – second-seeded Yakama Tribal and third-seeded Lummi Nation – reside on the other half of the tournament bracket. Yakama Tribal (21-2) placed second at state last year and hasn’t lost since December. Lummi (24-3) has won its past eight games by an average of 28.5 points.

Naselle (18-6) also nabbed a first-round bye and made the quarterfinals.

Southeast 1B schools Garfield-Palouse (17-7) and Oakesdale (18-5), and Northeast 1B schools Almira/Coulee-Hartline (16-8) and Selkirk (16-8) play respective loser-out games Wednesday.

Gar-Pal plays Muckleshoot Tribal (19-8) at 9 a.m. ACH, which ended Sunnyside Christian’s season at regionals, plays Rainier Christian (20-7) at 10:30 a.m. Selkirk plays Riverside Christian (20-2) at 12:15 p.m. Oakesdale plays Taholah (19-3) at 2 p.m.

Girls

Pomeroy has enjoyed more success in its classification the last two seasons than any girls team in the state – except for one. Colton defeated the Pirates in each of the past two state championship games, capping a remarkable stretch of nine titles in 10 years.

Colton was eliminated in its district tournament this season, however, and Pomeroy appears primed to take the next step in its ascension to the top. The Pirates are 21-1 and the field’s top seed. Maddy Dixon, a senior, is averaging 16 points and 10 rebounds a game. Pomeroy also is enjoying the recent return of its starting point guard, Emma Severs, who has played two games since coming back from a knee injury suffered last summer.

No. 2 seed Inchelium (22-2) is riding a 13-game winning streak but narrowly avoided a loss at regionals with a 30-28 win over Curlew. The Hornets are one of three Northeast 1B teams (Curlew and Wellpinit) to qualify for state but the only one to earn a first-round bye and a spot in the quarters.

No. 4 seed Neah Bay (18-5) and No. 6 seed Yakama Tribal (18-6) are the other automatic quarterfinalists.

Oakesdale (16-7) enters the tournament as the No. 3 seed, but a regional loss to Neah Bay forced the Nighthawks to play a loser-out game against Lummi Nation (17-9) at 3:45 p.m. on Wednesday. Oakesdale is the only team to beat Pomeroy this year, earning a 38-37 road win on Jan. 24.