Immediately after the final buzzer sounded on Saturday night in Chehalis, the Toledo Riverhawks stormed the W.F. West court and began celebrating.
Toledo coach Grady Fallon, who has been the school’s head coach since the 2014-15 season, stepped back and watched for about 10 seconds, before stepping up and joining in.
“It’s been a long six years,” Fallon said postgame, with tears welling in his eyes. “We got fourth at state (in 2019) and then hit the bottom. And we’ve been trying to crawl out of there … Things stacked against us all those years. It’s a team effort. It takes a village. But at the end of the day, those guys wearing the jerseys just came through.”
Toledo was able to make one final defensive stand against Adna on Saturday, holding on for a 60-59 overtime victory to win its first District 4 Championship since 2019.
It was the first 2B Boys District 4 title game to go to overtime since Life Christian beat Mossyrock in 2016.
“Just battle,” Fallon said. “You gotta give yourself a shot to win it at the end. And we did.”
The Riverhawks weathered an early Adna storm, as the Pirates came out swinging. Trevin Salme and Grayson Humphrey combined for three threes in the first half, and with 3:31 left in the second quarter, Adna led 22-11.
Toledo ended the quarter on an 8-2 run to get within four at the break, and later used an 8-0 run to take their first lead since the opening minute with 2:16 left in the third.
The final 10 minutes were a back-and-forth battle, with the two teams trading blows.
With 3:13 to play, Salme gave the Pirates a two-point lead with a three. Ninety seconds later, Cooper Fallon responded with a three of his own to give Toledo the lead right back.
After an Adna free-throw, Fallon hit a go-ahead shot inside with 22 seconds remaining. Nineteen seconds later, Beau Miller hit a putback in the paint to tie it up and force overtime.
Adam Kruger and Conner Hill hit back-to-back threes to give Toledo a six-point lead in the OT period, and the Pirates responded by going on a 6-1 run to get back within one in the final seconds of the game.
“Everybody in this gym wants something like that,” Adna coach Luke Salme said. “That was pretty fun, and I’m pretty proud … We have kids that will compete and not quit, and I’m pretty sure both coaches, coaching staffs, and communities are pretty proud of what was displayed. It was phenomenal.”
Toledo’s final defensive stand could actually be classified as three separate stands. With just over 12 seconds to play, the Pirates inbounded the ball from underneath the basket. A pass was quickly swatted out of bounds by a Riverhawk, and Adna got another inbounds play with 11.1 seconds to play.
Cooper Fallon blocked a shot on the next inbound play, leaving 4.1 seconds on the clock and giving Adna one more chance. Trevin Salme’s inbound to Muller was deflected, and Muller had to book it to the wing to even gain possession.
Toledo’s Ryker Sorenson gave him no breathing room, and Muller was forced to shoot a contested three. Jackson Knittle actually caught the missed shot and put it in, but it was well after the final buzzer sounded.
“Defense wins,” Cooper Fallon said while commending both team’s defensive efforts. “We just dug in and we bought into what my dad (coach Grady Fallon) has been telling us for the last few years. We’re clicking at just the right time, and it makes me so happy to see.”
Cooper Fallon and Grady Fallon shared multiple hugs after the win, including in the immediate aftermath when the Riverhawks were celebrating at midcourt.
The photos of them cutting down the nets will be a welcome addition to the family’s photo album, which includes photos of a younger Cooper Fallon helping cut down the nets in both 2019 and 2014, Toledo’s last two district titles prior to Saturday.
“We just have such a deep love for the game,” Cooper Fallon said when describing his relationship with his father. “I just love seeing and learning how he plays and what he teaches me every day.”
“I don’t have the words to say it, other than just happy,” he continued. “I can’t wait to go to state.”
Fallon finished with a team-high 14 points, 15 rebounds, and five blocks, which made him the new Toledo career blocks leader with his entire senior season to play.
Eli Weeks finished with 13 points and five rebounds, while Kruger and Trevin Gale both scored 11 points. Hill finished with six, and Tyce Vigre tallied five.
Trevin Salme finished with 18 points to lead the Pirates, though Humphrey and Muller weren’t far behind with 16 and 14, respectively.
“I can’t fault anything effort related,” Luke Salme said. “Do we wish we had some decision-making back? Yes. But in terms of competing like crazy and never quitting, the Adna Pirates were at 100 percent.”
Both the Pirates and Riverhawks had already secured their state spots thanks to their semifinal wins earlier in the week, and Luke Salme is already looking forward to getting back on the court in the Regional Round next weekend.
“The sting is the 15 minutes of not cutting down the nets,” Luke Salme said. “We’re turning the page on moving on. I’m proud of the effort and excited for noon (Sunday) to see who’s next.”
Grady Fallon is also excited for the Regional Round of the playoffs, though he did mention that he is 0-4 in that round as Toledo’s head coach.
With a district title in hand, the Riverhawks should land in the top eight. That means a spot in Spokane would be secure, but if they are seeded between five and eight, they’ll have to hit the road for their Regional.
“I don’t mind being the underdog,” Grady Fallon said, before breaking into a massive smile. “I still can’t even believe it.”
