SPOKANE — With a few minutes remaining against Columbia, it seemed like Toledo had finally found the answer it had been looking for on the offensive end. The Riverhawks had been within striking distance of the Coyotes for most of the second half, but they hadn’t been able to get the big shot to flip the script.
Back-to-back threes from Eli Weeks and Adam Kruger seemed to do just that, putting Toledo within one with 2:18 to play.
Ideally, that sequence would have been the beginning of a Toledo run to end the game. Instead, those six points stood as the final points of the Riverhawks’ season.
“I don’t know how to sum it up,” Toledo coach Grady Fallon said. “They made more plays than we did.”
No. 12 Columbia (Burbank) upset No. 4 Toledo 63-55 in the 2B State Round of 12 on Wednesday, knocking the Riverhawks out of the state tournament on Day 1 for the second year in a row.
“It’s hard to trophy,” Fallon said. “Everybody’s good here.”
The Coyotes came out firing, hitting three three-pointers in the first three minutes before adding a fourth later in the opening frame to build a double-digit lead.
The Riverhawks were able to prevent the deficit from getting any worse, but they entered the locker room down nine at 31-22. Toledo finished the first half shooting just 8 for 32 (25%) from the floor, including a 1 for 10 (10%) mark from three.
“We dug our hole right off the bat,” Fallon said. “And we can’t afford that.”
The third quarter played out the same way until the final minute and change, when the Riverhawks got two baskets to get within five.
The next four and a half minutes were a game of cat and mouse. Columbia hit a three to open the frame, Toledo hit a three of its own in response. Each of the next three Coyote baskets after that were followed by a Riverhawk bucket of their own.
“They did exactly what we knew they were,” Fallon said, referencing Columbia’s zone defense. “It just took us too long to get going.”
Even Weeks’ three-pointer was followed up by a Columbia basket, which made sure that Kruger’s three only got Toledo within one at 56-55 instead of tying the game or even giving Toledo the lead.
The Coyotes best response came after Kruger’s three, as Jace Aldous hit a three-pointer on the wing in the waning seconds of the shot clock to push the lead back to four.
“Those are daggers,” Fallon said. “The momentum killers.”
The only points after that moment were free throws from the Coyotes, who were able to milk the rest of the clock and ice the game.
As he walked off the floor with his team, all Fallon could do was shake his head.
In his final game as a Riverhawk, Cooper Fallon finished with 19 points on 8 of 12 shooting and 19 rebounds. He leaves Toledo as the school’s all-time rebound record holder.
Kruger and Weeks, also in their final high school game, finished with 12 and 11 points, respectively, and five rebounds each. Trevin Gale, Toledo’s fourth senior, scored 10 points and brought down four rebounds.
“The worst thing is to look the seniors in the eye,” Grady Fallon said. “You know their career is done, and it just sucks.”
It’s a senior class that has plenty to be proud of. In basketball, the Riverhawks have gone 66-34, won two district titles, and gone to the state tournament twice. Grady Fallon also noted their success in other sports, including a recent football run to the state title game.
“They might be the most decorated class that’s ever come through,” Coach Fallon said. “Another thing I told them was this is probably one of the best groups to coach in their chemistry and their attitude … It was a really, really, good group.”
The Toledo girls team was in attendance to support the boys, and at halftime, they were honored as the 2B Girls Academic State Champions. The girls team was part of a larger group that made the trip across the state to cheer on the Riverhawks.
“We have a ton of support,” Grady Fallon said. “I just wish we could have given them a couple more days.”
