Prior to Tenino’s win-and-in game against King’s Way Christian on Saturday, Feb. 22, in Centralia, Tenino coach Ryan Robertson took a moment to speak to his team as they made their way onto the floor for warmups.
“Thirty-two minutes of heart,” Robertson told his players as they jogged past him. “Thirty-two minutes of heart.”
“That’s what it was about,” Robertson said postgame. “That’s what we put on the board. You’re not just playing for you, you’re playing for your town, and you’re playing for everybody who supports you and loves you.”
The Beavers not only gave it their all for 32 minutes in front of a raucous Tenino-heavy crowd, but they did it for 36. After overcoming an 11-point deficit in regulation, the Beavers finished off a 56-53 overtime win over the Knights, one that punched their ticket to their second straight 1A State Tournament.
It’s the first time that the Beavers have gone to state in consecutive years since they went three straight times from 1996-1998, according to the WIAA website.
“It felt like we had a lot of chances to win, but I don’t give a crap,” Robertson said with a laugh, soaking wet from the dousing he received from his team in the locker room. “We freaking won when we had to. Made the plays when it mattered.”
After the final buzzer sounded, the Beavers ran to midcourt to celebrate, but Robertson peeled off towards the baseline.
Jumping up and down, he fell to his knees, where he proceeded to smack the ground several times out of excitement before getting up and joining the rest of the team.
“It felt so good,” Robertson said. “It makes me so happy for these kids.”
Tenino took the lead at 4-2 early in the first, but fell behind shortly after and struggled to slow down the Knights’ attack. King’s Way was threatening to pull away, going up by nine on three separate occasions late in the second half, but the Beavers responded with a bucket each time and went into the locker room down seven.
At halftime, Robertson and his staff made the switch to a junk defense, leaving Jack Burkhardt inside to protect the rim while the other defenders focused on slowing the Knights’ top options. Robertson said that it’s a defense they’ve talked about using, but hadn’t used prior to Saturday.
The move began to pay dividends just before the fourth.
King’s Way Christian went up 11 with two minutes left in the third, but Tenino scored the final seven points of the frame to enter the fourth down only four. The Beavers then opened the fourth with a 9-3 run to take their first lead since the first quarter at 44-42.
“We’re starting to click with our defense,” Will Feltus said. “And then our defense just led to offense. And when we got in half court offense we were just moving the ball around and everything was working.”
Austin Gonia helped keep Tenino in the game early with 16 in the first half, and he and Feltus led the second-half surge. In the OT period, the two combined for all eight of Tenino’s points.
“We gave the ball to Will and let him attack,” Robertson said. “Time and time again.”
Feltus scored nine of his 11 points in the second half and OT, and Gonia added 16 more after halftime to finish with a game-high 32. It’s a worthy follow-up of his previous game, where he scored a career-high 38 in an elimination game against Columbia (White Salmon).
“He’s an amazing player,” Feltus said of his teammate. “When I’m struggling, I just pass him the ball and I know he’s gonna do something good.”
Feltus finished with 11 points, Preston Snider scored eight, and Burkhardt ended the day with five. After allowing 31 points in the first half, the Beavers allowed just 22 in the second half and overtime.
The game played out similarly to how the season has.
The first stretch of the year was brutal for Tenino. Battling injuries and illness against a tough schedule, the Beavers started the season 0-6 and were 2-11 at one point. They’ve since won eight of their last 10.
“I think it’s absolutely amazing,” Feltus said. “We were struggling. People were sick, but I think we’re all healthy and we’re good now. Everything is clicking.”
Robertson echoed a similar sentiment.
“For these kids to hang in there and keep working hard, give all credit to them,” Robertson said.
At 10-13, the Beavers secured the 16th seed and will face Chelan in the regional round at 10 a.m. Saturday, March 1, at Wenatchee High School.
“I’m ready for the next one,” Feltus said. “I’m ready.”
