YAKIMA — If you’re Oakville right now, you’re a little worried about your placement in the State 1B Boys Basketball Tournament.
For a team that’s looking to build on its single win in the previous three appearances — all consecutive, from 2007-09 — the Acorns (13-7) fell into, arguably, the toughest four-team pairing in the Yakima SunDome.
Oakville’s first round match is with Wellpinit (21-3), the State’s No. 2-ranked team in the latest poll from the Associated Press. And pending the outcome of that game, No. 1-ranked Rosalia (22-0) — which opens the tourney with Lopez Island — could be waiting on either side.
Adding to that difficulty, the state’s No. 3 team, Sunnyside-Christian, is on their side of the 8-team bracket that will determine at least a runner-up.
“It’s a great draw isn’t it,” Acorn coach Steve Reinitz joked. “The old saying is, you gotta beat the best to be the best. It’s definitely going to hold true with a draw like that.
“Wellpinit and Rosalia are just two real, real talented teams,” added the coach. “They are where they are because of how they do play. It’s going to be a tough hill to climb, but I don’t think anything in 1B basketball is insurmountable.”
The ascent begins with the Redskins, a team that came down from the 2B rankings in 2009 and will make its third-straight trip to state, at 4 p.m. on Wednesday. Wellpinit had a perfect 14-0 record in the Panorama League, which features seven 1B and four 2B teams.
There’s no secret to what drives Wellpinit’s success, as senior Cody Flett is known as one of the classification’s marquee scorers. As a junior, the Seattle Times named him its’ 1B Athlete of the Week after he broke his late father Kip’s school scoring record with a 57-point outburst in an overtime win over Cusick.
“He’s evidently a scoring machine,” Reinitz said. “We’re going to have to play some good defense to work him a little bit.”
The Redskins, who like to run a 2-2-1 fullcourt press, also have two other All-League members, Kennedy Seyler and Drake Wynne, who are scoring threats at the guard position.
But, perhaps, Wellpinit doesn’t know enough about the Acorns — which are guided by a state-seasoned senior.
Tucker Reinitz, a Co-MVP of the Pacific Coast 1B League, will make his fourth straight appearance for Oakville — a team that beat North Sound Christian last season for its first tournament win since 1970.
“We only have one true veteran in Tucker,” said Reinitz, who replaced Jamie Berg as the team’s coach midway through the season. “Most of the rest of our team is untested.”
Kodi Berentsen and Rikki Sutterlict are Oakville’s two other scoring threats. Berentsen notched a season-high 33 points in a four-overtime victory against Lake Quinalt in the regular season.
Reinitz said that battling against the Elks in four contests this season helped prepare the Acorns for a team like the Redskins.
“The one thing I do like,” he said, “I believe that Wellpinit and our styles are reasonably close. Both teams like to run and gun.”
The Redskins are coming off of winning their district tournament, while the Acorns are picking up the pieces after falling by 20 to Lake Quinalt in the title game.
“We just had our last practice of the year tonight,” Reinitz said. “We went over our downfall at the district championship game. It was basically due to unforced errors — they take the guts right out of ya.
“A couple of our kids lost their composure,” the coach added. “We’re just set to go over and do the best we can. The one thing that has really became evident to us in Oakville: we don’t think beyond one game at a time.”
Overall, Reinitz is just hoping his Acorns can represent the Western side of the state well once tournament play begins Wednesday.
“The first day is a mystery,” he said. “The last few years the west side hasn’t fared too well.
“All of the districts that I speak with, we’re really focused on going over there and representing ourselves and trying to do better,” Reinitz added. “Win or lose, it is a thrill for them, and a memory for their lifetime.”
Notes: Oakville has placed once — 6th in 1970 — in six trips to state as a B-classification school, while Wellpinit’s lone placing was in 2008 (8th). ... Neah Bay, ranked No. 5 in state, is also in the 8-team bracket with Oakville and Wellpinit. ... Tri-Cities Prep, champions a year ago, failed to qualify for the tournament.
