The Adna boys basketball team fell behind early and never recovered in Spokane on Friday night, as the No. 7 Pirates were soundly beaten by No. 2 Freeman 81-45 in the Regional Round of the 2B State Tournament.
As a top-eight seed, Adna is still through to Spokane and the final 12, but it’ll need a win on Wednesday to advance to the quarterfinals and the double-elimination portion of the bracket.
“That’s as impressive of a B basketball team as I’ve ever seen,” Adna coach Luke Salme said. “They look and play like a community college team. We’re not gonna hang our heads after this one. They are just a whole heck of a lot bigger and better than us.”
The Scotties took control early, putting up 22 points in the first quarter and adding 24 more in the second to open a 46-23 lead at halftime. The second half was more of the same, as they continued to pull away.
Trevin Salme led the Pirates with 17 points, while Grayson Humphrey scored 15. Jackson Knittle added five, and Gavan Muller and Kannen Kephart tallied four apiece.
Adna (19-6) will begin play in Spokane at 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday against either No. 10 Liberty Bell or No. 15 Mount Vernon Christian.
“All we care about is getting ready to win a game on Wednesday in the Arena,” Luke Salme said. “We’re still right where we’ve wanted to be all year long. Our guys won’t quit or put or go away. We’ll be ready to roll.”
