This past winter sports season, spanning from December to March, dozens of Tulalip youth showcased their athletic prowess on the highest stages of amateur competition. Marysville Pilchuck wrestling and Tulalip Heritage basketball both garnered state-wide recognition enroute to making school history, while other Tulalip high schoolers and middle schoolers showed out in their respective sports and postseason tournaments.
To honor all those athletes who contributed to making the winter campaign unforgettable, the Youth Enrichment division hosted a stirring event at the Youth Center on March 28.
“We had a bunch of local athletes make it to the State level in their sport and thought we would come together to make that good medicine by hosting an honoring and coastal jam,” explained outreach advocate Odessa Flores. “It’s important we, as a community, take the time to hold space for these athletes and their accomplishments.”
Churning out accomplished athletes is something the Reservation has no difficulty doing. It seems like every family has that legendary uncle or auntie who embellishes only slightly when recounting their on-court or on-field domination. You know the ones. They aren’t bashful and will take as much credit as they can for teaching the current crop of players everything they know.
How much impact those old heads have actually had on the amazing athletes of 2025 is somewhere between incalculable and immeasurable. Past generations crawled and walked so the current generation could run. No longer forced to play just on the Reservation, proud Tulalip culture bearers now are fixtures on school teams all around Snohomish County.
Whether attending home school, public school or private school, our Tulalip athletes are excelling in the classroom and keeping themselves eligible to play sports in the fall, winter and spring seasons. More opportunity equals increased exposure and more playing time for youth who dream of playing on the college level.
During the Youth Enrichment event, each attending athlete was wrapped in a blanket before taking to center court. Then the mic came out. One by one, the athletes stated their name, age, and sports played. As they bashfully introduced themselves in front of the large audience, the sentiment was not lost that among them could be the next RaeQuan Battle (men’s college hooper turned pro), Mikail Montez (women’s college hooper), Zues Echevarria (college footballer) or Milo Jones (college wrestler).
Often times, what separates the dreamers from the believers is simple support. Thankfully, the Youth Enrichment division is full of devoted staff members who are committed to supporting Tulalip’s youth and helping turn dreams into reality.
“It makes my heart so full to witness the results of all the hard work our kids put in to better themselves and better their families,” said Odessa. “We created a gratitude tree just for this event so each athlete could add their own leaf that states what they are grateful for. It really represents the deep-rooted impact each of us has on the larger community.”
By Micheal Rios, photos courtesy Willy Enick and Deyamonta Diaz
Four games in four days. Under the bright lights of Spokane Arena. For a chance at bucket-getting glory. That was the mission for the (19-4) Tulalip Heritage Hawks boys basketball team who journeyed to Spokane, Washington for the much-heralded WIAA State Tournament.
After an exhilarating (15-1) regular season, 2nd place finish at District’s, and a 3rd place finish at Tri-District’s, the Hawks winning ways earned them a ticket to State. They were slotted as the tournament’s #6 seed.
Wednesday, March 5
In Spokane, Tulalip’s first opponent was #14 Summit Classical Christian. They boys previously played and defeated Summit, 66-53, in the Tri-District Tournament. That familiarity with a previously vanquished foe injected additional confidence into an already confident squad. The Hawks jumped out to an early 19-11 1st quarter lead thanks to a well-balanced scoring attack. Each member of the starting lineup scored a basket by the end of the opening quarter.
Their tenacity didn’t let up. The Hawks flew away with a 70-51 win. This particular game was a great example of ball movement and scoring distribution, exemplified by the well-rounded scoring attack. Davien 19 points, Davis 14 points, J.J. 13 points, Ziggy 12 points and Amare 8 points.
Thursday, March 6
The following afternoon, Tulalip faced off with #4 DeSales Catholic out of Walla Walla. Entering the game with a whopping (24-2) record, DeSales proved they were every bit as good as their 24 wins said they were.
Heritage held tough in the 1st quarter, where they only trailed by 3 points, 13-16, after eight minutes of play. But over the course of the 2nd and 3rd quarters, DeSales continued to outscore and outexecute the Hawks. Entering the 4th quarter, Tulalip trailed 38-54.
The 3-ball wasn’t falling for any Hawk outside of Davien, who made 3 of them, and made it impossible to rally enough points for a proper comeback attempt. The Hawks wings got clipped to the tune of a 51-68 loss. Davien led all scorers with 29 points and Ziggy chipped in 10 points.
Friday, March 7
Tulalip was left with no other choice but to shake off the previous day’s loss with the quickness because they had an early day tip-off with #7 Moses Lake Christian. Embodying the shooter’s mindset to the fullest was sophomore Amare Hatch. He went scoreless vs. DeSales, but in a matter of minutes he made she he got into the scorer’s book this game. Amare drained back-to-back 3-pointers that helped ignite his team’s early offense. Heritage took a 19-11 lead after one quarter of play.
Moses Lake wasn’t going to go away without a fight thought. They came back with a 2nd quarter onslaught that caught Tulalip off guard. Heritage trailed 26-29 at halftime.
In the 2nd half, it was a pair of sophomore sensations, J.J. Gray and Ziggy Myles-Gilford, who caught fire when their team needed them most. Both boys combined to score 32 of their team’s 41 2nd half points and helped propel their Hawks to a 67-54 win.
J.J. led the Hawks in scoring with 25 points, while Davien added 17 points and Ziggy 13 points. The fight and determination by the Hawks to continue their postseason journey is exemplified by a dominant 4th quarter in which they nearly scored twice as many points as Moses Lake.
The must-have win elevated the Hawks into the 4th place game.
Saturday, March 8
Tulalip’s favorite team of Rez ballers rose shortly after a sunrise for their final game of the ’24-’25 season. Tipping off promptly at 9:30am with a matchup with #3 Willapa Valley was no problem for a team full of young legs and a supply of seemingly endless energy.
It’s important to note that Heritage lost to Willapa Valley just eight days earlier, 53-66, in Chehalis. With that loss still fresh in their minds, the Hawks were primed for a classic get-back game.
In the 1st quarter, all five starters scored a basket. Coming off the bench, junior Tokala Black Tomahawk got in on the scoring spree as well to help his team jump out to a 20-15 lead. Both teams scored exactly 12 points in the 2nd quarter. This gave Heritage a 32-27 halftime advantage.
Forward Ziggy Myles-Gilford put on a show in the 3rd quarter while gobbling up rebounds and powering his way to the bucket for big time layups. Heritage’s defense put the clamps on all would-be scorers, playing some of their best discipled defense of the season. Willapa Valley only mustered a measly 6 points in the 3rd quarter, while the Hawks were soaring at their accustomed tempo and scored 18 points. At the end of three, Tulalip held a commanding 50-33 lead.
With their defense remaining locked in, Tulalip quelled any notion of a Willapa Valley comeback. While welcomed chants of “Tulalip Power!” rained down upon them, the boys were all smiles as they basked in a 64-46 victory. They capped off a truly memorable (22-5) season with a 4th place clinching performance to be proud of. Ziggy led all scorers with 17 points, J.J. 14 points, Davien 11 points and Davis 10 points.
After the tournament’s conclusion, junior guard Davien Parks was awarded one of the five coveted spots on the All-Tournament team.
“Our four days at state this year was great for my boys,” reflected head coach Shawn Sanchey. “We had fun out there doing our thing, gaining experience and going to battle in the Spokane Arena. Our team represented well and earned their hardware. We took home fourth place, which lands the second best placing in school history!
“It was tough not reaching the goal of winning it all, but we adjusted to the circumstances and set a new goal,” he continued. “It’s a great feeling that they buckled down to take care of business and bring home the 4th place trophy. This State experience builds character for us and deepens the motivation to do what it takes to reach that final goal next year. We plan to get a busy off-season summer schedule doing trainings, weight lifting, leagues and tournaments to help elevate our program and take it to the next level.”
For those devout Heritage fans already looking forward to next year, all the Hawks core players are expected to return, including all 5 starters. With a full State experience now under their belts and another year of program building for the Heritage coaching staff, expectations in 2026 will be even higher for a soaring group of Hawks who etched their names into school history with a 4th place trophy.
After their 3rd place finish in the Tri-District Tournament, the (19-3) Tulalip Heritage boys basketball team ventured 2 ½ hours south for a much anticipated 1st round matchup in the WIAA 1B State Tournament. Their opponent? The (21-2) Willapa Valley Vikings out of Menlo, Washington.
The day’s finale after a full slate of 1st round games played on February 28 at W.F. High School in Chehalis, the Hawks and Vikings tipped-off at 8:05pm.
Junior shooting guard Davien Parks was sizzling early. He put his Hawks on the board with a strong drive to the bucket and score, followed by a transition layup, and then made a 15-foot jumper. His six early points notched the game at 6-6 nearly halfway through the opening quarter. Moments later, sophomore Ziggy Myles-Gilford entered the game. Ziggy missed the previous two Heritage games with a sprained ankle. He wasted no time shooting and knocking down his first jump shot of the game, resulting in an applause from the Tulalip fans in attendance, that put his Hawks up 8-7.
Heritage’s offense remained most effective in transition. Whether it was pushing the ball ahead after securing a defensive rebound or after turning the Vikings over, the boys were intent on pushing the pace and instituting their preferred high-octane style of play. Transition bucket after transition bucket, and one layup after another, Heritage was rolling early. Up 20-17 with seconds left in the 1st quarter, the Vikings missed a shot, corralled an offensive rebound, and scored on a put back as the quarter-ending buzzer sounded. 20-19 Hawks after one.
In the 2nd quarter, the offensive efficiency took a hit as the Hawks continued to push the pace. Sophomore guard J.J. Gray had himself a crowd pleasing stretch when he splashed a 3-pointer, came up with a couple steals, and outjumped multiple Vikings players for a rebound. The 5’5 J.J. even managed to climb the proverbial ladder and block the 6’2 Vikings center’s point-blank shot attempt. All that action came during a near 5-minute dry spell when both teams were struggling to score.
Up 25-21, with two minutes until halftime, the Hawks again found success from their transition game when first Davis and then J.J. broke free for layups. Looking to take a 31-26 lead into halftime, the Hawks watched as the Vikings hit another quarter-ending buzzer beater. This time, it was a prayer heaved from out near half court that went in. 31-29 Hawks at the half.
Notably, the Hawks went 1-5 from 3-point in the 1st half. The lack of 3-point shots were indicative of an effective attack mindset by the boys. They were getting to the bucket and feasting in transition over the game’s first two quarters. This was also observed by the Vikings coaching staff who made a halftime adjustment to play less press coverage, opting to give the Hawks more space on the perimeter.
Over the course of the 2nd half, the Vikings defensive decision to load up the paint and close off driving lanes, while giving more space to Heritage perimeter players resulted in way more 3-point attempts for the Hawks. Unfortunately, they weren’t able capitalize on their 3-point barrage, like they were able to do so often during the regular season. At one point, the Hawks missed eight straight attempts from long distance and finished the 2nd half just 2-13 from downtown.
Even with the ineffective 3-point shooting, the Hawks managed to keep the score close midway through the 4th quarter, 47-51, after junior forward Tokala Black Tomahawk found nothing but nylon on a jump shot.
Ultimately, the lack of accustomed firepower that was missing from the Hawks on this night would prove to be too big of an obstacle to overcome. They ended up on the wrong side of a 51-59 loss.
The 51 total points is the second lowest scoring output by the Hawks all season.
After the game, J.J., who led Heritage in scoring with 19 points, shared, “Regardless of who are opponent is or what the defense is doing, it’s still just basketball. For me, it’s simple. It’s about playing team ball, getting the best looks possible, and scoring more points [than the other team]. We got a lot of good looks tonight, but didn’t make enough of them. There’s going to be games like that. We really wanted to win this game, but now we have to stay humble and keep our focus on playing as a team and getting the next win.”
Despite the disappointing loss to Willapa Valley, the now (19-4) Hawks will continue on their State Tournament journey. Next up, they travel to eastern Washington for a March 5 matchup with Summit Classical Christian in a loser-out game to be played inside Spokane Arena. Heritage previously defeated Summit, 66-53, two weeks ago in the Tri-District 3rd place game.
A year ago, the Tulalip boys were playing in the 4th round of the Tri-District Tournament hosted at Mt. Vernon Christian. In a highly contested game with the Muckleshoot Kings, the Hawks claimed a 3rd place finish after a thrilling 65-59 W.
Fast forward to this past weekend, the Tulalip boys were again playing in the 4th round of the Tri-District Tournament. This time it was hosted at the newly minted Muckleshoot Community Center. Their opponent? Summit Classical Christian (15-5) out of Issaquah. Just like last year, it would be another knock-down, drag-out battle that would come down to late game execution with a 3rd place finish and 2-game guarantee at State on the line.
The bright lights of Muckleshoot’s gym made for the perfect backdrop of what would be an epic example of clutchness by the Heritage Hawks (18-3). From the opening tip, it was clear the game would be a battle of wills and contrasting styles of play. Summit had all the height with several six-footers on the court at all times, but what Heritage lacked in height they made up for with blazing speed and quickness.
In the 1st quarter, Tulalip was determined to push the tempo and attack the basket regardless if shot blockers awaited them or not. They wanted Summit to know that they’d keep attacking and weren’t afraid of any contact from a would-be six-foot defender. Their constant pressure on the defense yielded multiple uncontested looks from downtown, where Amare splashed one and Davien splashed two, giving Heritage an early 20-13 lead.
Summit was intentional about getting the ball down low and consistently exploiting mismatches to their advantage in the 2nd quarter. Their height and rebounding ability were difficult to counter in the half court sets. Fortunately, Davien continued to his hot shooting from outside by hitting back-to-back 3-pointers. Notably, he was the only Hawk to get a bucket in the 2nd quarter. Going into halftime the game was knotted at 30-30.
Both teams scored exactly 13 points in the 3rd quarter. Summit’s scoring came from contested jumpers and long distance 2s, while Heritage’s offense came from a series of runners and floaters in the painted area.
Entering the 4th quarter, the game was tied 43-43. Guards J.J. Gray and Davien both showed their athletic prowess with a fancy finish each, contorting their bodies to get a shot off while multiple defenders went for a block attempt. Scoring on high degree of difficulty shots, Summit countered by splashing a 3 and then another long 2.
Trailing 47-48 with 6:30 to play, coach Shawn Sanchey put Amare back in the game with 4 fouls. In high school ball, players only get 5 fouls. Amare’s foul trouble forced him to sit out the entire 3rd quarter and opening plays of the 4th. The bench time meant he had the fresh legs necessary to ignite his team’s uptempo style again.
Amare back in the game gave Tulalip a 3-headed ballhandling monster that Summit was too exhausted and too worn down to keep up with. Over the game’s final six minutes, the boys decisive decision making and commitment to ball movement resulted in crisp passes and clutch buckets to the delight of their adoring fan base.
With the three ballhandlers dissecting the defense, forwards Davis and Tokala each scored two buckets apiece in the closing moments to clinch victory. A final score of 66-53 after once trailing 47-48 meant a so impressive 19-5 run by Heritage down the stretch to secure another Tri-District 3rd place finish.
Following the game, sophomore point guard Amare Hatch said of playing the final frame with 4 fouls, “My mindset was to keep playing hard defense, keep my hands up, and to stay out of my head so I could just play ball. I know my role is to bring the energy and when I’m spreading the ball around, it just opens up the game for everyone else. That’s when we’re playing our best. It feels really good to get this dub in front of all our fans and even the bigger tribal community who showed up to support us here in Muckleshoot.”
While Amare only finished with 3 points, he filled the intangibles box score by showcasing heart, hustle and grit when his team needed him most. J.J finished with 19 points, Davis added 12 points, and Davien continued to add to his resume by leading all scorers with 26 points, including making 4 of the team’s 5 made 3-pointers.
“Compared to all the height Summit had, we are a smaller run and gun team, but we are powered by a group of guards who will run for 4 quarters and not get tired,” said junior shooting guard Davien Parks. “At this point in the playoffs, we are going to keep seeing teams with more size and bigger bodies but when you have confidence in your game, like we do, that won’t stop us from playing our brand of basketball. Confidence can make up for a lot. For me, I believe I can takeover in any game I play and that this team can beat anybody in the State.”
A Heritage Hawks team full of confidence and armed with a determination to make school history now move on to the WIAA State Tournament. Their first round opponent is Willapa Valley. Game scheduled for 8pm Friday, February 28, at W.F. High School in Chehalis.
A second round Tri-District Tournament matchup with the Muckleshoot Kings (16-4) was expected to draw such a large crowd that the game was moved from Francy J. Sheldon gymnasium to Marysville Getchell. Those at the top who made that bold decision were proven right as Rez ball fans from across the I-5 corridor ventured to Marysville to watch the Tulalip Heritage Hawks (17-2) punch their ticket to the WIAA 1B State Tournament.
“The atmosphere at practice this week was good. The boys were excited for this matchup and were eager to play on this floor,” said head coach Shawn Sanchey pre-game. “We know the energy is going to be turned up a notch anytime two tribal school play one another, especially in the playoffs with fan bases that travel super well. There’s going to be a ton of talent on the floor, but we’re expecting our starters to do what they’ve been all season, which is executing our offense and keeping to our style of play.”
In front of hundreds of enthusiastic tribal onlookers, the Hawks and Kings put on a show. Muckleshoot jumped out to an early 9-3 lead with Tulalip’s offense appearing sluggish after the opening whistle. The ‘home team’ quickly responded though. Led by sophomore guard J.J. Gray and junior forward Davien Parks who opted to forgo the 3-ball in favor of attacking their matchup and getting quality looks from the painted area. The Hawks finished the 1st quarter on an 11-3 run to take a 14-12 lead. A lead they would not surrender.
They pushed their lead to 32-28 at halftime, and extended quickly to double-digits after Davien showed a flurry of moves to score around the basket. Up 42-32, Heritage’s offense began firing on all cylinders after shooting just 1-12 from 3-point territory. First, J.J. splashed a 3-ball. Then his backcourt mate, sophomore guard Amare Hatch, splashed back-to-back 3’s that received an eruption from the crowd and bench players.
Tulalip took a commanding 67-47 lead midway in the 4th quarter that gave coach Sanchey the breathing room to pull his starters and give his bench players some burn. Chants of “Tulalip power!” rang out as the final game buzzer sounded and Heritage claimed a 69-61 victory.
Following the game, junior forward Tokala Black Tomahawk reflected on his opportunity to play extended minutes and produce big baskets and rebounds after starter Ziggy Myles exited the game early with an ankle injury. “I just wanted to come in and do my part to help our team get this win,” he said. “This morning my dad told me to just make the most of my time on the court and do my best to go after every rebound. Hearing his voice motivates me and it really paid off tonight.”
Tokala finished the game with 11 points, as did Amare. Davien scored 18 points, but it was the shortest Hawks starter, 5-foot-5 J.J. who led Tulalip with 21 points. He seemingly got a bucket whenever Muckleshoot looked to mount a comeback by penetrating the heart of their defense and scoring over multiple taller players, over and over again.
“When we play team ball, you know, move the ball around and get the defense to chase us around, it wears them down over four quarters. Eventually, the other team gets tired and that’s when our speed and stamina show out,” explained J.J. after the win. “It feels great to get the W because we had this matchup circled ever since we found out us and Muckleshoot were on the same side of the bracket. Looking forward, we just got to stay humble and do us, like always.”
In the world of high school sports, true dominance is rare. Maintaining a season-long undefeated streak? Even rarer. But this ‘24-25 school year, the Marysville Pilchuck wrestling squad didn’t just aim for success, they aimed to rewrite the history books.
Culminating with a dominant 62-15 match victory over archrival Marysville Getchell, the Tomahawks did just that. They finished the regular season with an unblemished 17-0 record and, in doing so, cemented themselves in school history as the most formidable team to ever step onto the mat.
From the very first match versus Shorewood, when they dominated 67-12, it was clear that this team was something special. They opened the season with a statement victory, setting the tone for what would become a relentless march toward perfection. Match after match, they took down all opponents, including incredible shutouts over Archbishop Murphy, 84-0, and Kamik, 81-0. Over and over again, the M.P. boys outworked and outlasted every competitor who dared to stand in their way. With a combination of lightning-fast takedowns, relentless chain wrestling, and impeccable mat awareness, they dictated the pace in every dual meet.
Tomahawks head coach Marcus Haughian has been leading M.P.’s program for six years and knew early on that this squad had the makings of something historic. “A lot of these kids I’ve coached since they were wrestling in youth program. I knew we really had the makings of something great when many of them decided to come to M.P. and continue wrestling together,” he said in the immediate aftermath of the Berry Bowl victory. “It feels amazing. I’ve seen first-hand how much time, dedication, and hard work this team has put in day in and day out. They deserve all the accolades for coming together as a real team and accomplishing something historic.”
Among his coaching staff are two Tulalip tribal members, Tony Hatch and Sam Davis, who, as history would have it, coached Marcus when he was an M.P. wrestler years ago. Coach Marcus couldn’t praise their efforts and guidance enough as being instrumental to the program. “Tony meant so much to me when I was a high schooler. I still call him coach even though we are colleagues now. And having Sam as a lead youth wrestling coach be here and offer his insights from coaching several of our wrestlers since they were just little kids in invaluable. We have a bunch of tribal kids in this program. They are some of the toughest kids I know. Being able to further develop the connection between Tulalip and Marysville through our wrestling program is something we, as a coaching staff, are proud of.”
While wrestling is the ultimate individual sport, this Tomahawks team thrived on unity. Each wrestler contributed, but a few standouts rose to the occasion time and time again. Senior captain Danny Vergara dominated his 175-pound weight class with a series of flawless headlocks, fireman’s carries, and picture-perfect double-leg takedowns, securing crucial victories in high-pressure situations.
“For me, being a captain is all about showing everyone that’s younger how to practice the right way, how to work hard, and how to practice good sportsmanship regardless if you win or lose,” shared Danny. “This team know how to work hard. We sweat our butts off, literally, to maintain our wrestling weight and practice every day to make each other better. It’s all that hard work that drives us to be perfect.”
Meanwhile, 120-pound phenom Garrett Turner has stunned the competition with explosive ankle picks, powerful tilts, and relentless riding time, proving that the future is just as bright as the present. In fact, it’s widely assumed by his coaches that Garrett (33 wins) will break former M.P. icon Drew Hatch’s all-time wins record (42 wins) either this post season or early next year.
“The wins have been great, but for me the real highlights of this season have come in practice,” shared Garrett. “Our biggest and best competition is in this locker room because we know what’s on the line for us. Our practices have been full of blood, sweat and tears, and maybe a curb stomp or two, but that’s because iron sharpens iron and we’re always grinding to get better.”
One of the most thrilling moments of the season came when 106-pounder Javohn Henry executed a textbook cradle in the final seconds of a match that seemed up for grabs. The Tulalip senior secured a dramatic fall that sent the home crowd into a frenzy. Proving this team isn’t solely relying on talent, they have the grit to persevere and overcome as well.
“Most people have no idea how much discipline it takes for us to maintain our weight through an entire season. Every pound matters for us and you can miss weight just by weighing in a couple ounces heavy,” explained Javohn who in also known as the heart and soul of Tulalip Heritage’s defensive unit on the football field. He seamlessly transitioned from his bulkier safety/linebacker build to a lean, mean 106-pounder on the wrestling mat.
“Playing football for Tulalip and now wrestling for Marysville, it’s cool to see all the community and support who follow just sports in general. Of course, it helps when the teams are good, but I know for me I feed off that positive energy,” continued the dual sport 17-year-old. “I’m proud to be adding to this history of Tulalip tribal members who showcase their athletic talents as Tomahawks. We got a bunch of Tulalip representation on this team and now we’re a part of the greatest team in Marysville Pilchuck history. How great is that? It’s a legacy to proud of. That’s for sure.”
Seasons come and go, but undefeated records are forever. With the regular season over, the focus now shifts to the postseason where several Tomahawks intend to become State champs. Given what they’ve managed to accomplish to this point, there’s no telling just how much more history they are going to make.
Tulalip vs. Lummi. Hawks vs. Blackhawks. Round 3. For the Northwest 1B District championship.
First, a quick refresher. Round 1 went to Tulalip at home, 68-63, in a thrilling game that saw the Hawks overcome a 15 point 4th quarter deficit. Round 2 went to Lummi at their place, 74-79, in another instant classic. In that game, Heritage jumped out a 13 point lead in the 2nd quarter, then trailed by 17 points to start the 4th, before falling just short of pulling off another comeback.
Both early rounds went to the home team. Both also featured a Tulalip team digging themselves into double-digit deficits in the 4th quarter before going into high gear and producing incredible scoring barrages. But now, we’re in the championship rounds. What would round 3 have in store?
In front of an estimated 500 excited basketball fans filling a jampacked Lummi gymnasium, chants of “Tulalip power!” rang out early as the Hawks found themselves down 0-5 ninety seconds in. Trailing 0-7, Amare Hatch splashed a 3-pointer to put Tulalip on the board, 3-7.
After the offense was slow to produce, trailing 3-12, Heritage’s defense stepped up and forced four Lummi turnovers. Those defensive gems jump started the Hawks offense with high-speed transition buckets. With that infusion of easy buckets, Tulalip took a 15-14 lead into the 2nd quarter.
A figurative lid on the bucket resulted in the boys unable to knock down a 3-pointer after getting several quality looks and being unable to convert. Six minutes into the 2nd quarter, Tulalip had yet to score and trailed 17-24. Davien Parks finally broke the seal with a nifty elbow runner with ninety seconds to go until halftime. Lummi immediately responded with back-to-back buckets of their own. Another Heritage 3-point attempt clanged off the rim as the halftime buzzer sounded. Tulalip trailed 19-29 midway through.
On their second possession of the 3rd quarter, guard J.J. Gray pushed the tempo and found forward Davien in the corner who quickly shot and splashed a much-needed 3-pointer. Five minutes later, Lummi called a timeout to get their players a breather while leading 38-27.
All the missed 3-pointers from Tulalip allowed Lummi to settle into a 2-3 zone defense, which basically begged the Tulalip boys to keep shooting from outside. With the offense still struggling, it was again the defense the made for a highlight. J.J. managed to steal the in-bounds pass and took it coast to coast for a layup to cut the deficit to 10 points, 32-42.
Entering the 4th quarter down by 10 points marks the third straight game vs Lummi where our boys trailed by double-digits and looked to make an epic comeback over the game’s final eight minutes.
The fighting spirit took hold early in the 4th as freshman Peyton Hatch showed his touch with a beautiful up and under reverse layup, followed by his brother Amare converting an and-1 on the very next possession. With the brothers cutting the deficit in half in mere seconds, 39-44, the crowd was electric and chants of “Defense!” roared from fans who did their best to fire up the Hawks. After forward Ziggy Miles cleaned up a miss with a well-timed offensive rebound and put back layup, he tightened the game at 41-44 with only four minutes left to play.
Unfortunately, that aforementioned lid on the bucket continued to stymy Tulalip who kept shooting away from deep and just couldn’t buy one when it mattered most. The game was all but over with 11 seconds to go when a 3-pointer by J.J. finally found nothing by nylon. His bucket made the final score 48-52. The 48 points marks a season-low in scoring for Heritage.
With the loss, Tulalip can still take solace in a 2nd place finish at Districts and an automatic advancement to the Tri-District tournament. Early odds makers predict Tulalip and Lummi will meet again at Tri-Districts. Round 4?! Get your popcorn ready.
After routing Grace Academy by 42 points, 69-27, in the opening round of the District 1B boys basketball tournament, the Tulalip Heritage Hawks (16-1) hosted Providence Classical Christian (7-7) on Saturday, February 8.
Dawning their white home jerseys in front of the Francy J. Sheldon gymnasium faithful, the Tulalip boys put on a clinic in game plan execution. On offense, they wanted to prioritize their speed and athleticism to force an up-tempo game. While on defense, they wanted to hound the only Providence ballhandler and prioritize gang rebounding to keep Providence’s 6’4 behemoth from easy buckets in the paint.
From the opening tip, the boys stuck to their priorities. Guards J.J. Gray and Amare Hatch put constant pressure on Providence’s primary ballhandler, making him uncomfortable and forcing him to commit turnover after turnover. Their pressure ignited the offense with one transition bucket after another. The Hawks commitment to gang rebounding kept Providence’s big off the glass and denied him any clean looks. Remarkably, Tulalip’s defense didn’t allow a single bucket in the 1st quarter. A quarter in which they dominated to the tune of a 22-3 lead.
The Hawks extended their lead to 42-13 at halftime, 57-22 by the end of the 3rd quarter, and led 70-24 midway in the 4th quarter when coach Shawn Sanchey put his bench players in. With the W all but secured, freshman Deveyon Wells splashed a 3-pointer to the excitement of his friends and family watching from the stands.
The boys 73-28 trouncing of Providence including the most well-rounded scoring output of the season. All five starters scored in double figures. Davien Parks led the way with 21 points, J.J. scored 13 and Ziggy, Amare and Davis each added 10+.
“Our energy and effort output on both sides of the ball really stood out this game,” said coach Shawn post game. “We played Providence twice during the regular season. That experience allowed us coaches to come up with a game plan to take away their strong suits. Our boys executed that game plan and you could see how much Providence struggled to get into their offense sets.
“I trust our boys to be able to full court press a team for four quarter of playoff basketball because we worked all season to develop that constant defensive intensity and energy. Now, it’s time for all that hard work to show when it matters most,” he added. “Looking forward to our matchup with Lummi and even beyond, to Tri-District’s and Regional’s, our success is going to come from having the mental discipline to stick to the game plan and to continue executing the way we’ve done all year.”
There was popcorn. There was Coca-Cola. There was Sprite. And of course, there was some Pepsi, also fondly known as ‘bepsi’ on reservations all throughout the nation. The salty snack and sugary beverages provided an opportunity for the Tulalip Police Department to connect with the future of the Tribe on the evening of January 29, at this year’s first Pop with a Cop gathering.
Nearly 20 local youth participated in the event at the Teen Center, which made for some fun and unforgettable interactions with Tulalip’s finest. Following a motivational speech by Sergeant Jira, the kids got to play some one-on-one against him, as he was the only one to step up to protect the rep of TPD. While a handful of kids faced off with Jira on the court, the remaining kids excitedly cheered on their friends from the sidelines while also taking the chance to ask the other officers about their day-to-day duties as a tribal police officers.
As the laughter and playful smack talk ensued, TPD Officer and Tribal member, Alyshia Ramon dished out bags of freshly popped popcorn as well as activity bags to the kiddos. Taking a moment to speak with Tulalip News, Alyshia shared, “We teamed up with the Tulalip Education department and what we wanted to do was have some fun interaction with the kids and have some positive engagement with them. Sergeant Jira rounded up the kids today and talked to them about excelling in sports and getting good grades at the same time, so they can be really productive and successful when they go to college. And we just wanted to let them know that we are here to support them and that we want to be here with them.”
Alyshia stressed that they felt it was important to reiterate to the teens that they are here to serve and protect them. Which is something that tends to get lost in today’s political climate, as the women and men in blue are often times painted in a negative light.
Said Alyshia, “When you see all the stuff that’s happening on the news today, we thought it was really important for the kids to know that we are here for them. We want to support them and hopefully inspire them to take up a career in law enforcement. Because to me, this is the best job in the world – ever. It’s the only place where you’re going to learn three types of law; federal law, state law, and tribal law. And at the same time, engage with your community.”
She continued, “When they see someone who comes from the same community, grew up in the same neighborhoods, knowing my path doesn’t look any different from theirs, that we can choose the choices we make, they can do whatever they want in life. And that’s what I hope to inspire these kids to do – one, use your voice, and two, they can do anything and be whoever they want to be. And whatever they choose, they got us behind them to support them 100%.”
It can often be challenging to get teens to speak on feelings and about how they are affected in a positive manner during certain events. That could be said about the three teens who we caught up with, following the Pop with a Cop event. Actions and expressions often speak louder than words, and for Enrique Shrock, Hailey Craig, and Emma Barnes, the big smiles and hearty laughter were very telling.
After catching his breath following an intense battle with Jira, Enrique exclaimed, “Yeah, I had fun. Today, I played one-on-one with a cop, and I was shooting threes to try to win a prize. I think this was important so we could make new friends.”
Once Hailey and Emma got their picture with two officers, they gave quick statements before returning to their conversations with the policemen.
Hailey stated simply, “It was awesome and a lot of fun!”
Emma echoed, “Today was amazing. All the officers are really nice and they’re fun too. And they have cool haircuts!”
Although the event’s duration was only a brief hourlong, it is safe to say the youth had a blast at Pop with a Cop. Alyshia shared that there will be two more gatherings at the Teen Center on February 12 and 26, from 4:30 p.m. to 5:30. She also mentioned that she is in talks with the Tulalip Boys and Girls Club to create a similar event to help build and foster relationships with the younger kiddos as well.
For the uninformed, Archbishop Murphy girls basketball is one of the best programs going right now. They are currently 17-1 and ranked #18 in the State of Washington. Their only loss was a 54-58 nail biter to the #11 ranked Lynden Christian.
Carving out a role for herself on Archbishop’s varsity team is 15-year-old Tulalip tribal member Kyla Fryberg. She’s normally a featurette on the junior varsity team, but because of her prowess as a defensive stopper and someone who can knock down the corner 3-ball, Archbishop head coach Ebany Herd has promoted Kyla into the big league rotation.
During a recent matchup with Arlington High School, Kyla received playing time in the 2nd half and, in doing so, shared the court with fellow Tulalip tribal member Kierra Reese who balls for Arlington. It may be the first time ever two Tulalips shared the court while playing for the Archbishop Wildcats and Arlington Eagles. If not the first time, it’s definitely one of the only times, making it a noteworthy story in the long lineage of Tulalip hoopers.
Following the matchup, Kyla was gracious enough to sit down with Tulalip News for a quick Q&A.
Q: How excited are to be getting Varsity run in your sophomore season?
A: “It’s an amazing opportunity. Playing on both JV and Varsity is letting me get to know so many of my teammates and to develop new skills. My time practicing and playing with Varsity is really making me better. I’m having fun.”
Q: What is your role when playing with the Varsity team?
A: “My role, specifically, is to bring energy and be a defensive threat. I’m comfortable picking up full court and using my speed [and agility] to stay with the player I’m guarding.”
Q: There was a lot of community support in the gym. Do you get nervous playing in front of so many friends and family?
A: “No, not really. When I’m playing, I don’t really pay attention to who’s watching or what’s happening off the court.”
Q: Last question. If you could have the game of any basketball player, NBA or WNBA, who would it be?
A: “LaMelo Ball. He just doesn’t care about what anyone says or is doing to try to stop him. He knows that he’s the best player on the court and doesn’t bother with all the stuff that doesn’t matter. Two years from now, I hope be leading Archbishop to a deep playoff run and be balllin’ like LaMelo.”
