Blaine's Luke Ridnour celebrates after the Borderites won their second consecutive title with an overtime victory against Wapato in 2000.   SANDY SUMMERS/Yakima Herald-Republic file  View photo gallery 1 for this story.  View photo gallery 2 for this story.

A wild ride 

Class 2A tournaments in Yakima have had their
fair share of unforgettable moments
 
YAKIMA HERALD-REPUBLIC

In 1999, the Class 2A state basketball tournament was looking for a home and Yakima needed an image boost. Each served the other well.

For eight tournaments, including this year's edition, Class 2A -- the class created when the WIAA reclassified in the fall of 1997 -- has called the Yakima Valley SunDome home.

And despite some early grumblings, the two have fit quite well.

That all ends Saturday. The Class 2A tournament is returning to the Tacoma Dome where it spent its first year. The SunDome will again get the rights to the 'new' tournament, this time Class 1B -- the smallest of the classifications.

So with the SunDome's final 2A tournament drawing close, the Yakima Herald-Republic is looking back. A panel of 10 YH-R sports staffers and tournament officials voted on the top moments, players and championship teams during the 2A's stay in Yakima.

Here's looking back at the Class 2A tournament in the SunDome. For a pictographic montage of tournament memories, click here.

Top moments
1 WOLVES PUSH BLAINE TO THE BRINK (2000): A sellout crowd saw local favorite Wapato take a 13-point lead in the third quarter and lead by 10 with 3:05 left before three-time tournament MVP Luke Ridnour rallied the Borderites to force overtime, where they won 60-56 for back-to-back titles.

2 BATTLE OF THE UNBEATENS (1999): Blaine and tournament MVP Luke Ridnour top Pullman in the boys championship 63-54 to cap a 26-0 season. The Greyhounds opened a 10-point lead early before the Borderites took a 37-32 halftime edge on Tony Nymeyer's three at the buzzer. Both teams came into the contest 25-0.

3 GREAT GRANDVIEW (2002): The Greyhounds, who had no player taller than 6-foot-2, cap a 27-0 season by beating Chelan 58-55 in the championship game led by tournament MVP Phillip Candanoza, who scored 17 straight points for Grandview at one point.

4 HEUTINK HITS IT (2003): Tournament MVP Jason Heutink shoots the game-winning shot with 2.2 seconds remaining as Nooksack Valley (25-1) tops Pullman 56-54 in the title game.

5 NO DENYING THE DEVILS (2003): East Valley's girls win two overtime games and edge Tenino by three to make it to the final and where they beat Pullman 44-31 for their second straight title led by tournament co-MVP Angie Ibach's 20 points. The Red Devils held their opponents to an average of 38 points per game.

6 EAGLES SOAR BACK (2001): Down 20 in the second quarter, tourney MVP Jen Barcus leads Lakeside to within four points at halftime and the Eagles (26-0) eventually unseat Ephrata as state champions 63-61 in overtime.

7 DOMINANT DEVILS (2002): East Valley's girls win by an average of 22.3 points to take the championship with a 26-1 record. Tourney MVP Elyse Mengarelli scored 20 points in the 53-40 title game win.

8 DEVILS PACK FINAL PUNCH (2004): Just 13-10 coming in the tournament, the East Valley boys reel off three straight wins to advance to the state championship against unbeaten Hoquiam. The Grizzlies finally subdue the Red Devils 41-37 to capture the championship.

9 CHEWELAH BREAKS LYNCS (2001): Led by tournament MVP Kenny Stone's 25 points, the Cougars rallied from a 13-point second-half deficit and outscored Lynden Christian 23-2 in the final six minutes to upset the Lyncs 74-62 in the title game.

10 GOATS HAVE GUTS (2003): With star center Sarah Schramm playing 37 minutes despite an injured ankle and with Coco Poirier scoring 30 points, Chelan outlasts Tenino 57-54 in double overtime, the longest game in tournament history.

Boys
1 LUKE RIDNOUR, Blaine: MVP of the 1999 and 2000 tournaments in leading the Borderites to back-to-back titles and holds many of the tournament's records.

2 PHILLIP CANDANOZA, Grandview: 2002 tourney MVP, 2001 first-team pick, 2000 second-team pick; averaged 25.8 PPG in the '02 tournament and at one point scored 17 straight Grandview points in the title win against Chelan.

3 JASON HEUTINK, Nooksack Valley: 2003 tourney MVP; hit the game-winning shot in the title game against Pullman with 2.2 seconds. Had 30 points in the final, including the Pioneers' final 18 points.

4 STEVEN GRAY, Chimacum: Was the 2005 tournament MVP for a Cowboys team which finished sixth. Led the tournament with 24 PPG, and was also top five in rebounds and assists. Has committed to Gonzaga.

5 PAUL HAFFORD, Lynden Christian: All-tournament first team in 2001, 2002 as the Lyncs finished second and third, respectively. The 118 points and 29.5 PPG he posted in '02 tournament still a record.

6 GRANT DYKSTRA, Lynden Christian: All-tourney first team in 2001 while leading the Lyncs to second-place. Went on to star at Western Washington.

7 FRED PEETE, Pullman: A first-team all-tournament selection in 2003 for the runner-up Greyhounds. Matches the tournament record with 37 points in first-round victory against Ridgefield.

8 BRENT CUMMINGS, Pullman: All-tournament in 1999 as he led the Greyhounds to the title game against Blaine and went on to play at Montana.

9 STEVEN WESLEY, Medical Lake: First-team selection in 2004 and 2005. Top rebounder in '05 for the champion Cardinals and average 16 PPG in 2004.

10 JUSTIN REED, Hoquiam: 2004 MVP averaged 21.5 PPG and hit 16 3-pointers during the tournament. Had 19 in title win against East Valley.

Girls
1 JEN BARCUS, Lakeside: Tournament MVP in 2001 as the Eagle won the title, also first-team all-tourney in '00 and '02. Scored 20 points in 2001 title win against Ephrata as the Eagles erased an early 20-point deficit.

2 ELYSE MENGARELLI, East Valley: The 2002 MVP also was a first-team all-tourney pick in '00 and '01. Led Red Devils to the title in 2002 with 20 points in title game against Chelan; also holds tournament career records for assists (50), free throws attempted (98) and free throws made (69).

3 SARA MOSIMAN, King's: The unanimous 2005 MVP in leading the Knights to the championship as a junior with a tournament-high 20 PPG average.

4 JESSICA SUMMERS, Blaine: The tournament's all-time scoring leader (235 points) was the tournament MVP in 2004, a first-team selection in 2003 and second-team in 2002. Now at Idaho.

5 CAREY SAUER, Newport: Averaged a tournament record 28.5 points per game in leading the Grizzlies to the title. Totaled 50 rebounds in the tournament, still a tourney record.

6 COCO POIRIER, Chelan: Co-MVP in 2003 and first-team pick in 2002. Led 2002 tournament with 68 points (17 PPG) and averaged 21.5 PPG in 2003 to lead the Goats to third. Playing volleyball at Eastern Washington.

7 SARAH SCHRAMM, Chelan: All-tournament first-team selection in 2001 and 2004, and second-team pick in '02 and '03. Holds tournament records for block shots in a game (7), tournament (18) and career (45). Hit the game-winner in a 30-29 win over Pullman in the final. Now at Gonzaga.

8 CHRISTA BROSSMAN, Pullman: All-tourney first team in 2000; owns individual game scoring record with 40 points, also has the top scoring average for two or more tournaments (24.5 PPG).

9 STEPHANIE O'FARRELL, Ephrata: 2000 tournament MVP in guiding the Tigers to the title. Scored 25 points and made 11 free throws in overtime win against Meridian in title game. Averaged 23 PPG for tournament.

10 ANGIE IBACH, East Valley: Overcame early-season injuries to be named co-MVP of the 2003 tournament as the Red Devils repeated as champs. Scored 20 points in title win against Pullman.