Respect for foe tempers Greyhounds' joy

By SCOTT SPRUILL and SCOTT SANDSBERRY
YAKIMA HERALD-REPUBLIC

There by the grace of a fortuitous late run go us.

That was the respectful undercurrent accompanying Grandview's jubilation at beating Wapato in Friday's loser-out round in the Class 2A state tournament.

Dating back for decades and including a split of two hotly contested CWAC meetings this season, the Wapato-Grandview rivalry always produces an especially sweet feeling for the winner.

But the Greyhounds didn't enjoy keeping Wapato out of today's trophy round. It was like seeing a well-liked neighbor get evicted.

"I feel for them because they're good guys," said Grandview senior Derek Newhouse. "They wanted it just as a much as we did; we just had a little more at the end. It's a great, great rivalry."

One reason for the high level of respect between the two teams is how similar they are. They appreciate and understand what each other is going through.

"It's a great matchup -- we're both quick, both like a fast tempo and both can shoot," said Greyhounds' junior Daniel Nielsen. "It always feels good to beat Wapato, but it's bad they don't get a trophy. They deserve one."

Friday's 9 a.m. loser-out game was exceptionally well-played, especially considering the edgy circumstances and early start. Combining for nearly 50 percent shooting, both teams had 24 field goals, both made eight free throws and Grandview had one more 3-pointer.

"It was a typical Wapato-Grandview game, very well-played and intense," noted Wapato coach Adam Strom. "Our kids respect their hard effort because that's what they give, too. We hope they win tomorrow."

"With Coach Strom you always get a class act and a real battle," added Grandview coach Roy Garcia. "It's a real chess match playing Wapato. Both teams play so hard. We all wish they could be playing tomorrow also."

TROPHY STREAKS: Grandview's boys and East Valley's girls both resumed impressive trophy streaks Friday with victories in the loser-out round.

Grandview's 64-63 win over Wapato extended the program's hardware streak to 13 consecutive appearances dating back to its first trip in 1988.

At the same time on Friday, East Valley's 66-52 elimination win over Clarkston pushed its run of trophies to 17 straight appearances going back to 1992. In 19 total appearances, the Red Devils have missed a trophy only once.

With East Valley and Ellensburg both winning loser-out games Friday on the girls court, the CWAC clinched its fourth straight year with all three girls entries earning trophies. Prosser and Ellensburg have trophied each of those years.

DISTRICT SHOWDOWN: This week's 2A tournament is providing yet another strong performance by teams from the District 1 and the vaunted Northwest Conference, another underwhelming showing for the Southwest (District 4) and another none-too-shabby effort by the CWAC.

Here are the district-by-district win-loss records and trophy totals heading into Friday night's semifinals, ranked by total win-loss percentage:

Districts 5/6 (CWAC): 6-2 girls, 5-3 boys, 11-5 total, five trophies in six entries.

District 1 (Northwest, Cascade): 5-5 girls, 7-2 boys, 14-7 total, six trophies in eight entries.

District 7 (Great Northern): 5-3 girls, 3-6 boys, 8-9 total, two trophies in six entries.

Districts 2/3 (Nisqually, Olympic): 1-4 girls, 2-3 boys, 3-7 total, one trophy in four entries.

District 4 (Evergreen, Greater St. Helens): 3-6 girls, 2-7 boys, 5-13 total, two trophies in eight entries.

WAKE-UP CALL: Early-morning loser-out games may be played to echoes in cavernous emptiness at some state tournaments, but the energy was buzzing for the 9 a.m. games at the SunDome. A lot of that was because all four teams playing -- Wapato and Grandview on the boys' end, East Valley and Clarkston on the girls' side -- were supported by its pep band, and the place was rocking out.

Then you had the fact that the first two boys' games were both close throughout, and the Wapato-Grandview game was an absolute classic right up to the final buzzer of the Greyhounds' 64-63 victory, giving fans the kind of back-and-forth intensity typically reserved for championship games.

SHORT JUMPERS: East Valley's Yasi Mohsenian had one of those rare days for a basketball player on Friday. Every time she took a shot -- five times from the field (including four times from 3-point territory) and two times from the foul line, her shots found nothing but net. She also had six rebounds and four assists while committing just one turnover. ... Biggest shot nobody will remember? Maybe the 3-pointer hit by Deer Park's Uconn Peone, with his team down by five points with 40 seconds remaining in the game and one second left on the shot clock. A teammate, unaware the shot clock was ticking down, passed the ball to Peone, who had a man in his face, ducked down under the defender's arm, somehow managed to put up an off-balance shot and drain the trey, pulling the Stags within two points. Why will no one remember? Deer Park still lost the game. ... What has happened with Andrea Bland? At midseason, the Ellensburg senior had a run of five games in which she scored 4, 4, 1, 8 and 5 points. In postseason play, she has scored 15, 11, 14 and 15 in district play and 13, 8 (in a low-scoring defensive game) and finally 29 in the Bulldogs' trophy-clinching victory Friday over Elma. ... Away from the court, the Washington Interscholastic Basketball Coaches Association will be naming Joe Harris of Chelan as its "Mister Basketball" for the state, for all classifications.