By Micheal Rios, Tulalip News
The Tulalip Heritage Hawks basketball team demolished Shoreline Christian 70-39 and then ran away with a 67-46 victory over Grace Academy in their opening two games of the NW1B District Tournament. Those Ws set up the much anticipated third meeting between the undefeated Cedar Park Christian Lions and the Tulalip Hawks on February 7 for the NW1B Championship.
When they met the first time Cedar Park thumped the Hawks, but the second time they met it was a highly competitive, back and forth game Cedar Park narrowly won. The third matchup, to say the least, did not live up to the hype. The Hawks came out flat and were unable to raise their level of play to that of Cedar Park. After trailing 1-16 only three minutes into the game the Hawks looked on with desperation at the undefeated Lions out executed them at all phases of the game.
After the lopsided 37-81 game ended, the Hawks had suffered their worst defeat of the season; their defense gave up the most points they have all season combined with the lowest offensive showing on the season. It was a disappointing game, but the show must go on and the Hawks had finished 2nd place in their District.
With six days between games, the Hawks had plenty of time to practice and prep for their upcoming opponent, the Eagles from Pope John Paul II out of Lacey. The teams faced off in the opening round of the Tri-District game on Tuesday, February 13. Because of their high-seeding it was a home game for Heritage.
The Hawks came out executing their game plan to the tune of a 13-6 early lead they were able to extend to 22-12 midway through the 2nd quarter. With both teams full of quick, athletic guards the defense was showcased much more than offence. Both teams were forcing turnover left and right, but it was the Hawks were doing the better job of getting to their spots on offense.
Guards Josh Iukes, Isaac Comenote, Josh Miranda, and Sam Fryberg all connected on 3-point shots in the early going. With the ball continuing to move and no one player jacking up shots, Tulalip was playing their brand of basketball. As for senior center, Rodney Barber, he was having a block party and all the Pope John Paul II players were invited. He would finish with a career-high 9 blocks on the game.
While Rodney was patrolling the paint and contesting anything within his reach, the Hawks weren’t giving up any easy buckets. At one point their lead got cut down to only a single point, but they didn’t give in to the pressure and kept playing smart. Guard Jr. Shay who missed his first nine shots finally got into a rhythm in the 2nd half and scored 7 points in the 4th quarter.
To the home crowd’s delight, the Hawks took home a well-earned 50-44 win. Rodney finished with a near triple-double 12 points, 11 rebounds and 9 blocks, while Josh Iukes added 9 points. With the win, the Hawks now advance to the next round of the Tri-District Tournament where they will play the #2 ranked school in the state, Muckleshoot Tribal School.
