Adna’s Cinderella run ends with loss to Colfax in state title game

SPOKANE — When a team loses a championship game, tears aren’t uncommon. A season’s worth of work falling one game short of the ultimate goal brings out a wide range of emotions, including frustration, anger, and sadness.

No one would have batted an eye if the emotions poured over for the Adna Pirates after the final buzzer of the 2B State Championship Game as Colfax celebrated on the other end.

Instead, one positive emotion shined through: Pride.

“I’m just so proud,” Salme said. “I don’t have any negative feelings in my core, which is crazy after you just lost the state title. I’m so proud of our kids, and I'm so happy for those Colfax kids. What a weird, cool, finish to the season.”

No. 9 Adna did more than hold its own against No. 1 Colfax, but the Bulldogs were able to build a double-digit lead in the second half and hold off the Pirates for a 69-56 victory.

Adna’s second-place finish is the best mark in school history, and the Pirates (25-5) also tied a school record by reaching the 25-win mark for just the second time (joining the 1994-95 team that placed third).

“I’m sad that it’s over,” junior guard Trevin Salme said. “But we’ve got a lot to be proud of. We weren’t expecting to get here and get second place, so we gotta be proud.”

It was clear early on that the Pirates weren’t going to go down easy. Trevin Salme hit two threes in the first quarter, added a third in the second, and Grayson Humphrey knocked down a three in the final minute of the first half.

Humphrey’s three stood as Adna’s only three points in the final five minutes of the first half, but the Pirates went into the locker room down only seven at 33-26. Adna erased that deficit immediately at the start of the third, scoring seven straight points to tie the game at 33.

A run from Colfax seemed inevitable, though, and star guard Adrik Jenkin hit back-to-back threes to put the Bulldogs right back in front. Jenkin added two more three-pointers in the third quarter alone and helped Colfax build a 55-43 after three.

Jenkin went on to finish the night with nine three-pointers, one shy of the 2B Tournament record, and he ended the night with 33 points and 12 rebounds. 

During the trophy presentation after the game, Colfax coach Ben Aune held up a photo of former coach Reece Jenkin, Adrik’s father, who passed away last week after a battle with pancreatic cancer.

Colfax’s Caleb Lustig had 11 rebounds, and no Pirate had more than six. The Bulldogs finished the night with 46 rebounds, including 17 offensive rebounds, compared to Adna’s 24 rebounds.

“I did feel like we would be able to score in spurts,” Luke Salme said. “The biggest concern against these guys is rebounding, and Adrik. And those two things eventually catch up to you … We stayed aggressive, and that’s all I ask for. But eventually, Adrik puts on a show, they get some offensive rebounds and go on little runs. I’m not surprised by that.”

Even then, the Pirates never went away. Trevin Salme hit a three late in the third, and Kannen Kephart followed with a bucket that had Adna within five at 48-43 with 1:35 left in the frame. Trevin Salme hit a pair of threes in the fourth to put him at six on the night, but by that point, the Colfax offense was in control.

“We came in with the gameplan and executed pretty well,” Landen Cline said. “We were more of the underdogs, for the sole fact that we only have one guy at 6-5. We played with heart, and we can compete with anybody.”

Trevin Salme finished with 24 points, six rebounds, and five assists, while Cline scored 15 points and brought down five rebounds. Kaden Richardson added nine points, Kennen Kephart added four to go along with six rebounds, and both Grayson Humphrey and James Greenwood scored two.

After the game, the Pirates were presented with the second-place trophy. Instead of immediately heading back into the locker room, they stayed on the court and applauded the Bulldogs as they were presented with the championship trophies.

As the Bulldogs celebrated, Colfax coach Ben Aune proudly hoisted a photo of Reece Jenkin, the longtime Colfax coach who passed away last week after a battle with pancreatic cancer.

Coming into the season, Luke Salme figured that the Bulldogs would be on the court during the 2B Title Game in Spokane.

“They are Tier 1, and nobody else is,” Luke Salme said. “But we have felt like, ‘Could we maybe be in Tier 2 with a bunch of really good programs? Could you imagine?’ I love these guys, but I don’t know that I thought we’d be playing in that game against those guys.

“And we fought for 32 minutes,” he added. “I’m so proud of the fight we showed for a bunch of little guys.”

Those “little guys” will return to Adna with the second-place trophy for the first time in school history. It’s just the seventh state trophy that the Pirates have ever won, but it is their third top-3 finish since 2018.

“It’s a lot to play for,” Luke Salme said. “As immature as kids sometimes are, they understand that it's bigger than just them in this moment. We reflect on that and smile, and we’ll smile a lot, I think, tomorrow and going forward. Our chins won’t be down. We won’t be hanging our heads. We’re very, very proud of what we did.”