Zillah's Andy Jones is averaging 13.2 points and 5.4 rebounds a game. SARA GETTYS/Yakima Herald-Republic file

Zillah, Granger are peaking at the right time:
when the games mean the most

By ROGER UNDERWOOD
YAKIMA HERALD-REPUBLIC

Because it's not necessarily new for Zillah's boys to be playing in the Class 1A state tournament, the experience hasn't necessarily become old.

Every team, after all, is different, as is every tournament.

Just ask Doug Burge, who has guided the Leopards to state in each of his 13 seasons as their coach.

"This has been a group that's a little hard to figure," he said of his No. 3-ranked, 22-2 SCAC District champions, who open with Cedar Park Christian (14-7) Wednesday at 2 p.m. in the SunDome. "Some nights we don't look real good. We might not look as smooth as some teams.

"But there's something to be said for 22 wins."

Including 17 straight, with the most recent being a one-point defeat of Granger last Saturday night for the district title. The 19-4 Spartans, state-ward bound for the third straight year and the fifth time in six seasons under coach David Gibb, meet Charles Wright at 4 p.m. Wednesday.

Perhaps Zillah's biggest strength is that it doesn't have one -- a key player or component.

The Leopards have good size, but no single dominant post presence. They have firepower, but no specific top gun.

"We can do a lot of different things," Burge said. "Zach Sybouts (6-foot-2) is a good enough presence that we can go inside, but we have some people who can play effectively on the wings and on the perimeter, too. We don't have a Duran Torrez, who would give you 18 or 19 points a night, but we spread it around a little."

To be sure, Sybouts was especially effective against a shorter Granger team at district, totaling 16 points and 17 rebounds in the district championship game.

Over the season, 6-0 senior Justin Rico was Zillah's scoring leader at 14.3 points a game while also averaging 7.5 rebounds. Andy Jones, a 6-1 senior, averaged 13.2 points and 5.4 boards and Sybouts scored 11.0 and had a team-high 7.6 rebounds. Point guard Brian Ross has averaged 4.5 assists.

"We have a lot of kids with similar size and quickness, and overall we're pretty athletic," Burge said. "With that combination, we match up pretty well with most teams."

Cedar Park Christian, from Bothell, is 14-7 under first-year coach Lamont Franklin, who moved to the Northwest from South Carolina when his wife took a job with Microsoft.

"We're a very young team coming into this," Franklin said of his Eagles, whose roster includes three seniors, two juniors, six sophomores and a freshman.

Their leaders are sophomores Riley Bettinger, with a 14.4 scoring average, and Jon Ramos, at 11.5. They stand 5-11 and 5-9, respectively. Tony Pettigrew, a 6-0 senior, is the top rebounder at 7.0.

Granger, 19-4 and ranked No. 5, has lost only to Zillah (three times) and Brewster, one of the pre-tournament favorites.

The Spartans lean heavily on the 3-pointer, having canned 174 long balls this season.
But it's not just that Granger likes the 3-ball, it needs them.

"My first year here we made 230-some 3-pointers, and these guys are a little behind that," said Gibb. "We do rely on the three heavily, but then again we're vertically challenged. So we need the 3-point shot to even things out against bigger teams."

Gibb said his Spartans played Charles Wright last summer.

"They're a little different now than they were then," he said, "and they came out of a tough league so you've got to assume their record (13-8) is a little deceiving."

The Tarriers, from Tacoma, are led by 6-1 senior Jordan Artis (15.2 points, 6.5 rebounds per
game), 6-0 sophomore Patrick Philley (11.2 points) and 6-1 senior Houston Jackson (9.6 points, 5.5 rebounds, 5.0 assists).

Granger, meanwhile, has ridden the triumvirate of 5-6 senior Edward Castro (20.1 points a
game), 5-11 junior Mario Mengarelli (13.1 points, 6.4 rebounds, 5.2 assists) and 5-8 sophomore R.J. Solis (10.7).

"They've been solid all season, but come tournament time they've elevated their games," Gibb said. "We've also had Matt Castro and David Alegria play well, and off the bench the Cortez twins (Armando and Jose) are solid.

"These kids can taste it now. They've all seemed to step up. It's March madness now, and this is the third year in a row for Edward. Mario missed his whole freshman season with an injury, but he was on the team so this is his third year of experiencing the tournament, too."

Plus, so far so good.

"The draw worked out in our favor," Gibb said. "Zillah and us stay away from each other, and we also stay away from Brewster and Bellevue Christian until we get to the semifinals.

"Even the other night, I asked the guys, 'Would you rather have a district championship or a state trophy?' The general consensus was a state trophy."