WP Up at Half

White Pass' girls team is up 28-21 at halftime. Breanna Moody came out hot, scoring 9 points in the first 1:15, and she's up to 17 at halftime. 

The St. George's student section is ridiculous, screaming at the top of their lungs about every call and non-call and making me wish some of the security guards would take a break from keeping reporters out of the press area and shut these 'fans' up. 

Either way, White Pass is in control with a 7 point lead and streaking down the court on every play.

Tie Ballgame

Napavine's tied with Northwest Christian (Lacey) at halftime of a loser-our state contest. Kirk Vigre's been huge inside for Napavine, drawing fouls and scoring on lay-ins to keep the Tigers ahead. High-scoring guard Blake Anthony has been on the bench the entire second quarter with 3 fouls. 

Napavine was prepared to go into the break up 3, but after an Arturo Ramirez miss with about 3 seconds left NWC's Airick Owens took off downcourt and tossed up a running prayer from just past halfcourt that banked in as the buzzer sounded. Tie game, 24-24. 

Thursday's Games

After a quick breakfast of bagels and coffee in the media hospitality room (and interrogation by no less than four "security" guards in green vests who asked where we were going) The Todd and I settled in to watch the last quarter of a Reardan-Wellpinit loser-out game. 

Wellpinit's got it in the bag, up 51-35, and we're waiting for the 10:30 tipoff between Napavine and the other Northwest Christian (Lacey). The Tigers oddly pulled consecutive games against the two NWC teams, earning them the distinction of the first team ever to do so. 

Also today, on the girls' side, we're watching White Pass vs. St. George's (19-2) at 5:30, Napavine vs. Liberty Bell at 7:30 and Mossyrock vs. Lind-Ritzville (17-3) at 9 p.m. 

Check throughout the day for updates or anything else.  

Mossy Up in Late Game

Mossyrock's up 13-5 early in the second quarter of here in Spokane. Sarah Petrino hit a pair of 3's, one from a few feet behind the line, in the first quarter. 

On the boys side, undefeated Toutle Lake is warming up for a match with Life Christian (the same school who's football team knocked out Adna this year). Wahkiakum just beat St. George, by 4, in a down-to-the-wire first round game. 

Tiger Girls Shut 'Em Down

Napavine's girls look to be on their way to the second round. 

The Lady Tigers held LaConner scoreless through the first 13 minutes of their first-round matchup and lead 20-3 at halftime. 

WP Wins, Napavine Loses

Tough break for Napavine. The boys lost their first round game to Northwest Christian, 66-39, putting them in the loser's bracket with a fifth-place finish their best-case scenario. 

White Pass girls picked it up in the second half and finished on top of the Pomeroy (Lady?) Pirates, 54-45. 

In an unrelated near-death experience, a St. George's Dragon just crashed into our press box, nearly decapitating The Todd The Photographer. How uncalled-for is that?

WP Still Up, Nap-Town Still Down

White Pass is up 50-43 with a minute. Some kid in the stands just shouted, "That's like Iverson against Yao!" when Breanna Moody, 6-1, was guarding a smaller player. Classic state b-ball fans. 

Napavine's down 20, in the fourth. 

Halftime Update

White Pass is up 7, 28-21, on the Pomeroy Pirates, but that's not stopping Pomeroy's band director. "We're playing next, no matter what!" he just shouted at his charges. I think he's kidding but I'm not sure. 

The WP band just wrapped up the Batman (the movie) theme, a long piece in Pomeroy's opinion. 

"That was the longest song ever!" the Pomeroy drummer just shouted, before launching into something more upbeat. The director also plays the trumpet. Go figure.

White Pass is scoring most of their points on the fast break and Pomeroy can't run with them. 

On the other end of the arena Napavine's down 33-15 at the half. NWC point guard Chase Ramey, a junior who's already won two championships as a starter, is as good a ball-handler as advertised and looks like he could be Chronicle reporter Dan Schrieber's little brother.

Arturo Ramirez and Blake Anthony are leading the Tigers with 4 points apiece. 

WP Up, Napavine Down

White Pass girls are up 16-13 on Pomeroy after the first quarter. The East Enders were down a few early on but stepped it back up to take the lead with about a minute and a half left. 

Meanwhile Napavine's boys aren't doing so hot. Northwest Christian (Colbert) jumped out to a 9-0 lead and are now up 16-2, with 3:00 left in the first. Very tough break for the Tigers early on.

Welcome to Spokane

We just got seated for the first day of action at state. Napavine's boys just headed for the locker room to get ready for their round one matchup, and possibly the worst draw possible: Northwest Christian (Colbert). The Crusaders walked off with the golden ball (first place trophy) the last two years, with point guard Chase Ramey at the helm, and have three of their starters back. 

Right now La Conner is up on Wellpinit, 70-59, with 5 minutes to go, and trying to run out the clock. 

On the girls' side, White Pass takes on Pomery (11-9) at the same time, so I'll be juggling between both games. There's about a ten or fifteen minute difference between games, but that could change as the day progresses. 

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.