Fans of Klickitat boys basketball are hoping another 41 years don't pass before the Vandals return to the WIAA Class 1B Boys Basketball Tournament.
In its first state tourney appearance since 1967, Klickitat's boys team gave a good accounting of itself before departing the double-elimination tournament after two games.
A 52-44 double-overtime loss to the Lummi Blackhawks last Thursday ended the Vandals' stay in Yakima. It followed Wednesday's 50-34 setback against opening-round opponent Garfield-Palouse.
The losses notwithstanding, Vandals Coach Kirk Huwe couldn't have been more pleased with his team's showing.
"I'm proud of our kids and the effort they gave. They showed they can compete with the best teams at this level," he noted. "Of course, it would have been nice to get a win or two, but all in all, it was a great experience for our kids and our community."
And the Vandals did their best to make the experience last as long as possible for themselves and their supporters.
They rallied from a 39-30 deficit with 3:38 to go in the loser-out game to tie the game at 40-all with 37 seconds left on a 15-foot jumper by junior Levi Sanchey.
Then, in the first 4-minute overtime period, Sanchey converted a free throw for a 3-point play that gave him 10 points for the game and Klickitat a 43-40 edge--its first lead since 10-8 in the second quarter.
Lummi's Jordan Wilson kept his team in the running, however, by scoring on a putback and making one of two free throws with 22 seconds to play in OT.
Wilson retained the hot hand in the second OT, breaking the 43-43 tie with a 3-pointer that began a 9-1 finishing surge by the Blackhawks. The Vandals' only point in the final four minutes came on a free throw by the team's lone senior, Herschel Sanchey.
For the game, Klickitat made just 11 of its 31 free-throw attempts, finishing the tournament with a 13-for-42 mark at the foul line, much to its coach's consternation.
"If we would have made our free throws we would have been in great shape," Huwe said.
Moreover, Klickitat had a few breaks go against it late in the fourth quarter as junior point guard Michael McConville sprained his right ankle falling off the edge of the court while trying to save a ball with 3:19 to go and sophomore center Seth Davis fouled out with 2:30 left.
"Losing Michael to injury and Seth to fouls tested our bench," Huwe said, "but our younger players, Matt Kessinger and Matt Brewer, did a great job" filling in the rest of the way.
Garfield-Palouse 50, Klickitat 34:
The Vandals led their first tournament game since LBJ was president at 6-3 following back-to-back 3-pointers by Michael McConville and Ron Prominski.
But after McConville's second trey knotted the score at 9-all, the Vikings went on a 9-2 run to close out the first period with a lead they never relinquished.
Klickitat, however, never stopped trying to get it back. In the second stanza, the Vandals got within 24-19 thanks to an 8-2 run that featured five points by Levi Sanchey.
But everytime Klickitat narrowed the gap, Gar-Pal found ways to widen it again. Midway through the third quarter the Vikings enjoyed their biggest lead at 45-27 on a free throw by Michael Jacobs.
Free-throw shooting was a key for Gar-Pal, which outscored Klickitat, 13-2, from the foul line. Another factor in the Vikings' favor was their accuracy from the 3-point line, where they mounted a 21-12 scoring advantage.
The Vandals, for their part, shot just 33 percent from the field and 18 percent from the foul line. Still, Huwe said they were never really out of the game until the fourth quarter.
"The game could have gone our way if we would have done a better job of making shots near the rim and free throws," he noted.
McConville led Klickitat with 11 points on 4-of-8 shooting, Jeromie Mason added eight on 4 of 6 from the floor and Seth Davis pulled down a team-high six rebounds.
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