[ t o u r n e y t o w n . c o m -- 2009 Class 1B boys state tournament ]

Tri-Cities Prep -- Hoppes 3-6 3-5 9, Campbell 0-3 0-0 0, Mercado 1-5 6-7 8, Ledesma 2-8 2-2 6, LeBrun 6-14 0-1 12, Lopez 6-8 0-1 13, Gerlitz 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 18-44 11-16 48.

Moses Lake Christian -- Moffet 4-16 3-4 13, Gjefle 1-4 2-2 4, McNamara 2-4 0-0 4, Roberts 0-4 0-0 0, Murrel 0-4 0-0 0, Yarbro 7-14 6-6 20. Totals 14-46 11-12 41.

Tri-Cities Prep

Moses Lake Christian

3-point goals--T-C 1-3 (Lopez 1-2, LeBrun 0-1), MLC 2-15 (Moffet 2-11, Yarbro 0-1, Murrell 0-3). Rebounds--T-C 30 (Ledesma 8, LeBrun 6), MLC 33 (Yarbro 16). Assists--T-C 8 (Campbell 2, Ledesma 2, Lopez 2), MLC 6 (Roberts 3). Steals--T-C 9 (Campbell 4), MLC 4 (Yarbro 2). Blocked shots--T-C 1, MLC 4 (Yarbro 3). Fouled out--None. Total fouls--T-C 12, MLC 16. Technical fouls--None. Turnovers--T-C 10, MLC 13.

They are, truly, a case in which the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.

The Tri-Cities Prep Jaguars didn't have the dominant big man. The other team did. The Jaguars didn't have the sharpshooting guard who had set the tournament single-game scoring record a day earlier. The other team did.

But while the top-ranked Moses Lake Christian Lions had 6-foot-7 Riggs Yarbro and explosive guard Adrian Moffet, the Jaguars ended up with the one thing both teams deeply wanted: the Class 1B state basketball championship, thanks to their 48-41 upset of the Lions on Saturday night.

When the Jaguars needed leadership, they got it from tournament MVP Sergio Lopez, who took only eight shots but made six of them for a team-high 13 points.

When a 7-0 MLC run that had erased all but two points of what had been a 40-31 Jaguars lead, Will Hoppes swished a critical 17-footer to end the drought and, with 1:38 remaining, bump their advantage back up to 42-38.

"I didn't think about it," Hoppes said. "I just knew my team needed it, so I put it up. It was all in the moment."

When the Jaguars needed to make their foul shots down the stretch to protect their lead -- something they hadn't been able to do in a holiday-tournament game on the Lions' home court eight weeks ago -- Ryan Mercado sank six of seven free throws over the final 23 seconds.

"I was pretty calm up there," said Mercado, who clearly looked it.

And although Yarbro was a dominant force with 20 points and 16 rebounds -- he was, after all, five inches taller than anybody the Jaguars had on the floor -- Moffet was off his game, finishing with 13 points on 4-for-16 shooting. And that was entirely by the Prep coach Joe Perez's design.

"We knew defense was going to win it tonight, and that's exactly what happened," Perez said. "We knew we had to stop Moffet, the great shooter. We decided to let Riggs do his thing and try to stop Moffet, but we knew we still had to make Riggs work for everything he got. And I think we did."

The Jaguars also unveiled a press they hadn't used all year -- "I figured this was when we'd use all the tools in the bag," Perez noted -- and forced just enough turnovers at just enough critical times to control the game.

Andrew LeBrun was huge for the Jaguars, at just 6-2 holding his own in the paint to post 12 points and pull down six rebounds for Tri-Cities Prep, a Pasco school that opened in 1998 and had never won a state title in any sport.