After a while, Grandview's boys just had to take it on faith. There was a bigger picture to consider, so deal with the relentless gruntwork even if it hurts like blazes.

"Coach always said it's not punishment," senior Derek Newhouse said of Roy Garcia's high-stress practices meant to hone late-game situations under pressure. "Believe me, he'd always say, it will make you better. He killed us, but he was right."

View all photos for this story.

Never more than when the Greyhounds needed it most.

After swapping leads with Wapato nine times in the second half, Grandview made a decisive break on both ends of the floor over the final six minutes and held on for a 64-63 loser-out victory Friday morning to clinch the program's 13th consecutive state trophy.

Daniel Nielsen's 3-pointer with 5:24 left triggered an 8-1 run, and the junior guard coolly sank four free throws in the final 12 seconds to send the Greyhounds into Saturday's 8:30 a.m. trophy game against Mount Baker for fifth and eighth place.

In winning its fourth loser-out contest in the past five games, Grandview went to its bread-and-butter to make the crucial break. After Nielsen's triple from the corner for the lead, junior point guard Tony Vela scored on the next two possessions on slashing drives to the basket.

That gave Garcia's crew a 58-52 lead -- the biggest of the hard-fought game by either team - with four minutes to go. The Greyhounds then went to work on defense, holding Wapato to a single missed shot on its next five possessions.

After that it became a matter of free throws, and while Grandview did miss four straight in the final minute to leave the door open a crack Nielsen kept it a two-possession game with his foul shots at the :12 and :05 marks.

After an agonizing 0-for-9 stretch from the field, Wapato made three field goals in the last 14 seconds, including two 3-pointers.

"I just blocked out the noise and tried to think of shooting free throws in practice," said Nielsen, who led four players in double figures with 18 points. "Every time we play Wapato it's like this, a tough, tough game."

In a rivalry game with so much on the line, Grandview's shooting touch was unhindered at a 52.2-percent. Garcia's three other players in doubles -- Vela, Newhouse and Christian Schrank -- were a combined 15-for-24.

"We do put the boys under a lot of strain in practice, working on executing things in game situations," said Garcia, smiling in response to Newhouse's comment. "It really paid off today. We had a nice inside-outside balance and that shooting (24-for-46) is a real credit to the kids and their poise."

Wapato's accuracy was just as good until the late dry spell. The Wolves shot 52 percent in the first half and led after three quarters, 48-46, on Rigo Alvarado's back-to-back 3-pointers.

"Offensively we didn't hit enough timely shots and they did," said Wapato coach Adam Strom, whose team finished 18-7. "That quick stretch with five minutes left was key. Neilsen's 3-pointer and Vela's dribble penetration. That's typical Grandview and two things we needed to stop."

Alvarado scored a game-high 20 points in his career finale, adding five rebounds and three steals. Greg Strom, Jacoby Howe and Matt Guevara also hit double figures, and Guevara - another of Wapato's five seniors -- hauled down eight rebounds.

"Emotionally this was very tough, and I thanked them for their tremendous dedication," Strom said. "We'd definitely like to play on Saturday, but it's heartwarming thinking of all that they accomplished."

Grandview (18-9) will carry on a trophy streak that started in 1988.

"I've dreamed about this as a kid," Newhouse said. "It's a Grandview tradition -- 13 years -- and it's a motivation to keep that going. It's never about one player -- that's another tradition that keeps the streak going."