Blogging From State

It’s been a while since I’ve blogged, but I’ve been pretty busy. 

Okay, maybe not, but I have been on vacation for a few days and I’m at my desk right now gearing up for my favorite non-vacation of the year: state basketball. 

Each year I take a break from my normal beats (education, business, sometimes religion, extreme sports, news of the weird, etc.) and head east for four days of covering the State 2B Basketball Tournament. It started at the 2005 tournament (then simply the “B” tourney), when I covered Willapa Valley’s second-place finish (and 27-1 season record) for the Willapa Harbor Herald. The next year, my first with The Chronicle, Morton stole the show in the first 2B show, taking third after storming through the district tourney loser’s bracket. 

Last year the Mossyrock girls and guys teams were the headliners; the Lady Vikings, led by five senior starters, blew out their first three opponents and came back in the finals to beat defending champ LaSalle with a pair of last second Lexi Belcher free throws. The guys picked up fifth, after sneaking into state with a less-than-stellar record, by knocking out perennial power Willapa Valley (see above). 

What’s in store this year? White Pass and Napavine both have top-tier girls teams, and Mossyrock’s back for another run. On the guys side I’ve only got Napavine to cover, but they open against two-time defending champion Northwest Christian (Colbert), who are on the (very) short list of tournament favorites. 

Here’s the kicker: for the first time in my tournament history, I’ll be blogging live from the sidelines. Straight from press table (which is like three feet from the court) to VanTuyl’s Views, I’ll post updates every quarter or so, and any other exciting tidbits I come across (like, for example, the best and worst haircuts at the tournament, the best place to eat on the cheap in Spokane, my “most intense” play of the day, or anything else I think up on the spot). Photo-ringer (and fellow Pirate alum) The Todd will be along for the ride, so we’ll post any interesting photos of our adventure. 

That’s it. The action starts Wednesday, probably around 1 p.m. 

Check it out.