By Micheal Rios, Tulalip News
Tulalip vs Lummi. Hawks vs Blackhawks. A battle for Northwest 1B supremacy. The much-anticipated, much discussed first matchup of the season between Coast Salish rivals lived up to all the hype and then some.
There were figurative fireworks galore ignited on Everett Community College’s basketball court on January 5. Officially a Heritage home game, the venue was appropriately changed from Francy J. Sheldon gymnasium to Everett C.C. because of an expected high-volume attendance that would far exceed Tulalip’s gym capacity.
Fans began to fill the bleachers a good ½ hour before tip-off. While the boys hit the court to get in their pre-game routine, assistant coach Alec Jones-Smith reflected on what it means to be a part of the Tulalip/Lummi rivalry.
“There’s so much history behind it. My grandpa still talks about his basketball battles with Lummi. That’s how much these games matter to our people,” said coach Alec. “You can just see how much pride there is. It’s literally filling the stands. There are more elders here than I’ve seen all season.
“And for our players, they’ve been playing with and against these same Lummi players since they were kindergarteners playing biddy ball. They know all too well what kind of bragging rights come with these rivalry games. Now, it all comes down to execution and staying poised in the moment. One thing, too, I try to tell them is just enjoy the experience because these are the games they’ll remember long after high school. Win or lose, they’ll remember playing here in this gym and all the community members who came out to watch them play.”
From the opening tip-off, sparks began to fly when Ziggy Myles-Gilford outjumped Lummi’s big man for first possession. Moments later, J.J. Gray missed a 3-pointer that bounced perfectly toward Davien Parks. He collected the offensive rebound and quickly shot a layup that secured Tulalip first bucket of the game. When Lummi took an 8-11 lead, five minutes in, J.J. threw a nifty jump pass to wide open Davis Bachand in the corner who connected on a game-tying 3-pointer, 11-11.
Early in the 2nd quarter, both Tayari Williams and Peyton Hatch finished through contact to produce and-one opportunities for Tulalip and keep the score tight at 19-21. Lummi went on a mini-run to take an 8 point with 90 seconds until halftime. Timely scoring by Tokala Black Tomahawk over the final minute and half, including an offensive rebound and putback and an aggressive running floater, cut Tulalip’s deficit in half. The boys trailed by 4, 27-31, at halftime.
During intermission, head coach Shawn Sanchey described the second half game plan. “Locking in mentally and just staying true to who we are. We know this is a big game, it’s been a lot of fun and super high energy to this point, which is why it’s more important now to remain focused and stick to the game plan down the stretch.”
In the subsequent 3rd quarter, the Hawks came out firing. First, it was Tokala knocking down a corner 3-pointer and then a couple minutes later, Yari and Peyton connected on back-to-back 3-pointers. Each made long ball received a roar from the home crowd faithful. Tulalip held a 5-point lead, 43-38, with 2 minutes remaining in the quarter. Lummi would battle back to tie at 47-47, setting up a decisive 4th quarter.
Tulalip trailed 53-55 midway through the 4th when Davis came up with a steal and ignited a Hawks transition break. His layup attempt rimmed out, but Ziggy, who trailed him on the break, was in perfect position. More fireworks ensued when the 11th grade forward took flight, corralled the offensive board in mid-air, and abruptly two-hand jammed it. The Everett gym exploded like a pack of Excalibur mortars. Tie game, again, this time at 55-55.
Over the game’s final four minutes, Heritage’s dazzling display dissipated, as lack of offensive execution curtailed their grand finale. A bad pass, a miss-timed play, and 3-point attempts that fell just short was all it took to prove the difference in a game between Northwest 1B contenders. First round goes to Lummi with Tulalip losing a memorable matchup, 62-65.
Davien Parks led Tulalip with 16 points. Tayari added 12 points and Peyton scored 9 points. Round 2 of Tulalip vs Lummi is scheduled for February 3, at Lummi. Mark your calendars.