There’s a number of consistent themes to any great championship-caliber team: chemistry, talent, opportunism, belief in one another ... and a workmanlike determination that says: Just get the job done.

That’s what Sunnyside Christian did Friday night in the Class 1B state boys basketball semifinals. The Knights edged a rugged, just-as-determined Curlew squad 46-34 in a game much closer than the final score, earning a spot in tonight’s championship game against Tulalip Heritage.

They got the job done — just like a dentist would. Because this one was like pulling teeth.

“I think the kids were feeling a load of weight,” said Knights coach Dean Wagenaar, whose 25-0 team has borne the No. 1 ranking and presumed title favorite since the opening tipoff of the season.

“That’s probably one of the worst games we’ve ever played,” admitted Knights center Cole Van de Graaf, whose 7-for-8 shooting from the field was by far the most efficient aspect of Sunnyside Christian’s night. “We advanced. That’s the key.”

They advanced because, even when their offense wasn’t flowing — “The third quarter was miserable ... it was painful,” Wagenaar noted — they continued to apply enough defensive pressure to keep Curlew struggling right along with them.

Had the Cougars (17-9) sunk even a third of their shots from the field, in fact, they might well have been in the lead instead of nipping at the Knights’ heels. “We just didn’t hit the shots in the fourth quarter,” Curlew coach Doug Grumbach said.

Curlew shot a grisly 4-for-17 after halftime, but still trailed only 31-25 with 5:45 remaining when standout Knight guard Aaron Van de Graaf hit the biggest shot of the game — a 3-pointer from the corner. It was only his second basket of the game, and one he punctuated with two clenched fists, gritted teeth and an expression of absolute relief.

“I was hurting myself,” he said of his first three quarters, when one of the 1B ranks’ best players was almost not even a part of his team’s offense. “My shot just wasn’t there. I was a little tired — I didn’t have the gas tank I had last night. But when I hit that shot, that just fired me up and I knew we weren’t going to let anything stop us. A lot of people were here expecting to see us win, and we couldn’t let them down.”

That shot all but opened the dam gates. The Cougars lost their playmaker when, 1 1/2 minutes later, Dillon Strandberg fouled out. A steal and subsequent layup by Joel Koopmans pretty much closed the door on a Curlew team that hadn’t been that far off from upsetting No. 1.

“They gave me everything,” Grumbach said of his Cougars. “We were in that game right up until the end, and I don’t think a lot of people in the stands expected that.”

The Knights escaped by hitting their shots (17-for-35) when they were able to get them off against the Curlew defense, though they did miss 12 of their 23 free throws — seven of those clanks by Cole Van de Graaf. “I missed way too many free throws,” he said with a grimace. “I’m like a Shaq, man — I’m not terrible, just not very good.”

But, as a team, that’s just what the Knights are — very good. Enough so, in fact, that even on a night when nothing seems to be working, the end result might as well have been a masterpiece.

“Along any good trip,” Wagenaar said, “there are many games that do not resemble any work of art.

“That’s why we talk to the kids about one thing, and that’s finding a way to advance.”

Mission accomplished.

Sunnyside Christian -- Koopmans 4-9 0-0 8, Van Oostrum 0-0 0-0 0, C. Van de Graaf 7-8 6-13 20, Van Boven 0-0 0-0 0, J. Brouwer 0-1 0-0 0, M. De Jong 0-1 0-0 0, L. Brouwer 1-2 0-0 2, A. Van de Graaf 3-10 5-10 12, De Vries 0-1 0-0 0, Meininger 1-1 0-0 2, N. De Jong 1-2 0-0 2, Freepons 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 17-35 11-23 46.
Curlew -- Strandberg 2-6 2-5 6, D’Lerma 2-5 2-2 6, Novikoff 2-2 0-2 4, Keeley 1-2 0-0 3, E. Mannick 0-0 0-0 0, Gregory 1-6 0-1 2, Payne 1-4 1-2 4, Wakefield 2-2 1-2 5, Porter 0-0 0-0 0, A. Mannick 2-14 0-0 4, Echols 0-0 0-0 0, Engstrom 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 13-41 6-14 34.
Sunnyside Christian	14	8	5	19	--	46
Curlew	11	9	5	9	--	34
3-point goals--SC 1-11 (A. Van de Graaf 1-5, L. Brouwer 0-1, N. De Jong 0-1, M. De Jong 0-1, J. Brouwer 0-1, Koopmans 0-2), C 2-9 (Keeley 1-2, Payne 1-3, D'Lerma 0-1, Gregory 0-3). Rebounds--SC 24 (Koopmans 8), C 33 (A. Mannick 7). Assists--SC 7 (Koopmans 3), C 5 (A. Mannick 2, Gregory 2). Steals--SC 11 (Koopmans 5), C 4. Blocked shots --SC 1, C 0. Fouled out--Strandberg. Total fouls--SC 15, C 19. Technical fouls--None. Turnovers--SC 15, C 19.