Sunnyside Christian's Danny Van Boven is embraced by a Knights fan after the SC boys won the Class 1B state title in the SunDome last year.   KRIS HOLLAND/ Yakima Herald-Republic file

Class 1B boys tournament again looks to draw sizable
crowds with teams built on tradition and a local contender

By SCOTT SANDSBERRY
YAKIMA HERALD-REPUBLIC

Last year's inaugural Class 1B boys state basketball tournament could not have gone better for the WIAA and the SunDome, in terms of putting people into the stands.

The field included communities that travel en masse come state-tourney time, like Neah Bay, Curlew, Lummi and Entiat. It had programs with long, storied histories in Class B basketball, like LaCrosse-Washtucna, St. John-Endicott, Almira/Coulee-Hartline and Odessa.

But most of all, the 2007 1B boys tourney maintained a lot of close-to-the-Dome drawing power into the weekend. Two Tri-Cities teams (Liberty Christian and Tri-Cities Prep) reached the trophy round and the school with the shortest distance to travel -- Sunnyside Christian -- won the whole thing.

Could that happen again?

Maybe.

The Knight boys, though, boast a significantly less explosive lineup than the 2006-07 team that went wire-to-wire as the state's No. 1 team and capped its 26-0 season with the championship. Last spring's SC graduates included the 1B state player of the year (Aaron Van de Graaf) and the state-tourney MVP (Cole Van de Graaf).

"We have an entirely new cast of characters," noted SC boys coach Dean Wagenaar, considered by many the 1B ranks' best X's and O's guy. "We're not like we were last year. Last year, when I looked at the (state-tourney) field, I thought there were three teams that could beat us. This year, I think there are legitimately eight or 10 teams that can win this tournament."

The Knights still have a legitimate all-stater in 6-foot-1 senior swingman Joel Koopmans, a rapidly improving shot-blocker in 6-6 Jason Friend and their trademark stingy defense -- so they still may be making some noise at the SunDome.

And who else might make some noise? Here's a look at some of the candidates.

LIBERTY CHRISTIAN graduated four starters from its third-place team of a year ago, but the one returner is Jeremy Siefken, whose typical night includes 19 points, a half-dozen assists and some terrific on-the-ball defense. They have height (6-6 senior Grant Howard), a terrific two-guard in Mark Wilson and enough athleticism to allow coach Terry Watson to change from last year's pedestrian offense to one that's more turbo-charged.

"Last year we were big and walked the ball up the court," Watson said. "This year we're really quick, so we try to get up and down the court." Asked if his team might even be better this year than the team, he noted, "It could be. We move our feet, we play less zone, a lot more man(-to-man), so teams aren't able to get comfortable."

The Patriots already own a win over Sunnyside Christian and all four of their losses have come against larger-school competition, including two to 1A power River View and one to 2B unbeaten Riverside Christian.

But the top-ranked Patriots might not even come into the SunDome as a top seed, because at district they'll probably have to get past no-size, big-heart GARFIELD-PALOUSE. Coach Tim Coles calls his Vikings "a donut-hole team," a reference to their all-guards, no-center lineup.

But Gar-Pal twins Jordan and Tyson Palmer are a force to be reckoned with -- ferocious defenders, aggressive drivers -- when they're both healthy. Tyson has missed most of the season with a collarbone that's been broken twice (once in football, once in basketball), while illness sidelined Jordan for a critical late-season week.

Brothers also make TEKOA-OAKESDALE a factor, with juniors Kelly and Casey Cook both capable of lighting it up. Kelly, in fact, might be one of the best shooters in the 1B tournament if the Nighthawks reach the SunDome ... but not THE best shooter. That title would have to go to LOPEZ scoring machine Jordan Smith (36.2 points per game), who is absolutely deadly in that mid-range area -- 10 to 15 feet -- that is too often ignored by scorers interested only in 3-pointers or layups.

The success of the Northwest B League at last year's 1B tournament (earning second- and seven-place trophies) have coach Brad Smith feeling pretty confident. "I've been telling my guys all along, if we get there (to state) we should be able to come home with some hardware," said Smith, who is Jordan's dad. "The Northwest B League is as tough as anybody in the state right now."

Of course, it helps the Lobos that Smith's son -- a 6-foot-1, high-flying leaper who can drive, dunk and swish 3's all night long -- creates such a matchup nightmare for opposing teams. But the tourney's biggest (literally) matchup problem could be CURLEW, if the Cougars can make it to Yakima.

Not only do the Cougars have one of the 1B ranks' fiercest competitors in 6-3 Austin Mannick, for whom a 20-point, 10-rebound game is just another night at the office, but they're huge inside, going 6-8 and 6-6. Curlew also has scoring balance, as evidenced by its five players in double figures in last week's 78-60 drubbing of talented, state-worthy CUSICK.

But the Cougars now find themselves facing a very tough road just to get to Yakima. They were upset in the second round of district play by sleeper ODESSA, a team better than its so-so 10-9 record after playing a largely 2B schedule, and will have come through the losers' bracket -- and probably have to face Odessa again. Another team worth keeping an eye on is ENTIAT, which has a 6-6 center in Dylan Crawley, a slew of capable guards, and a legitimate shot at playing Saturday night in the SunDome.

As for who else might be here trying to make some noise, here's one scenario:

NEAH BAY, with its frenetic pressing, running style led by versatile Dominick DeBari, reaches the Northwest Bi-District final and comes to Yakima with a glittery 18-1 or 17-2 record and becomes a scary opponent for any team with less than precision passing. ROSALIA escapes that oh-so-tough Southeast District, keeping TRI-CITIES PREP from a return trip. Although nobody is apt to keep Entiat from the top seed in the North Central District, MOSES LAKE CHRISTIAN comes through with the second spot.

LUMMI and HIGHLAND CHRISTIAN end up playing for the third and final spot in the Northwest Bi-District, this time on a neutral court after each won at home during the regular season. OAKVILLE makes its second straight state visit and NORTH RIVER makes its first since 1966, though neither of those can keep LAKE QUINAULT from grabbing the Southwest District title.

And, finally, KLICKITAT earns its first state-tourney berth since 1967 -- with a team good enough that, with a decent draw, might just earn the Vandals' first victory in a state-tournament game.