By Micheal Rios, Tulalip News
After earning a 2nd place finish at Tri-Districts, the (20-5) Heritage Hawks earned a much-appreciated opening round bye in the WIAA State Tournament. The Tulalip boys were awarded the #3 overall seed and as such were designated the home team for their round two matchup with the (23-2) Liberty Christian Patriots. The game was played at a neutral site, Mount Vernon High School, on Saturday, February 28.
Prior to tipoff, Heritage head coach Shawn Sanchey said, “Getting the first-round bye gave us time to watch a lot of film. We’ve been preaching to the boys all year about the importance of ball movement and player movement. Not getting stagnant and not finding ourselves standing around, not moving. Now, we’ve decided to tweak our offense a little bit to emphasize that movement even more. The goal is to maximize our team’s strengths and catch our opponent’s off guard with plays they aren’t prepared for.”
Junior guard J.J. Gray scored the first bucket of the game after a strong take saw him blow by multiple defenders caught flatfooted. A couple of possessions later, the Hawks showcased ball movement at its finest. Senior forward Davis Bachand came up with a steal and found a streaking Tayari Archibald in the open court. Instead of taking the layup, Yari waited a beat and then lobbed a perfectly placed alley-oop to Ziggy Myles-Gilford who threw down a thunderous two-handed dunk. Tulalip only led 4-0, but the boys were setting the tone early that this was statement game.
Davis would connect on back-to-back corner 3s to secure a 14-9 advantage after one quarter of play. The shooting prowess of the Hawks would continue in the 2nd quarter. Senior Davien Parks and sophomore Yari would both catch fire from the floor and make four buckets a piece to pace their team. Ziggy would again make another highlight play late in the 2nd when he went air born to collect an offensive rebound and jammed it over multiple Patriots defenders.
Tulalip led 37-21 when chants of “Tulalip Power!” rang out from the Mount Vernon bleachers with a minute to play before halftime. Heritage’s defense came up back-to-back stops and suddenly Yari found himself with the ball and only seconds until halftime. As is his style, he casually dribbled into a step back 3-pointer. Never appearing rushed, the six-foot guard hit nothing but nylon as the buzzer sounded. Tulalip led 40-21 at the half.
“Once our boys settled down and locked into the game plan, you could see how effective all our players became,” said coach Shawn during the intermission. “Offensively, it comes down to staying patient, making good passes, and attacking their weak spots. Defensively, we want to make their lead guards work every time they touch the ball and to continue helping each other. We know they have a size advantage, but we have the speed and shooting advantage. As long as we continue to play for each other and see the bigger picture, we’re going to be a problem for anyone waiting for us in Spokane.”
The game tightened up in the 2nd half, but nearly doubling up their opponent gave the Hawks a big cushion to play with. Sophomore Peyton Hatch and junior Jaedynn Zackuse both got in the scoring column with well-timed rebounds and positioning. They contributions kept Tulalip comfortably in the lead, 52-38, at the end of the 3rd quarter.
Down the home stretch of the 4th quarter, Heritage’s offense was most effective being played through the stone cold shooter, Yari. Tulalip’s perimeter shooting had completely disappeared in the 2nd half before Yari drained two 3-pointers midway through the final frame. He also drained five clutch free-throws in closing minutes to seal Tulalip’s 70-63 win over the Patriots and propel his team to Spokane with a dub.
Yari led all Hawks scorers with 21 points, while Davien and Ziggy added 14 points each.
After the game, Yari shared, “I’ve been playing this game my whole life. Whether its just shooting around or at practice, I’m shooting like the game is on the line. When the game got close there late, I was hoping to get the ball because I want to take those big shots.”
In attendance for this game was Yari’s big brother, professional basketball player and Tulalip icon RaeQuan Battle. “It feels great for me to be home right now and be able to watch these guys play playoff basketball,” he said. “I know what my brother is capable of on the basketball court and to see him show out today like he did is amazing. I’m excited for this Heritage team. Making it to Spokane two years in a row is tough to do, and they did it. They are looking to put their names in the history books, for sure.”
Next up, the Heritage Hawks will soar to Spokane where they will play under the bright lights of Numerica Veterans Arena in search of defensive stops, offensive buckets, and the best kind of hardwood glory – a State championship.