Tag: Hawks

‘Powerhouse’ in the making, Hawks destroy Kings 56-8

By Micheal Rios, Tulalip News

Tulalip Heritage High School is well-known for its basketball program. With a pension for putting out a plethora of athletic wings and forwards year after year who captivate home crowds and wow opposing audiences, Heritage basketball has been the shining star of our reservation’s athletic program for years now. However, a stellar evolution is currently underway.

“I went through four years of high school sports at Heritage. During that time, our basketball teams were always better than our football teams,” reflected Heritage alum and current Hawks offensive coordinator Willy Enick. “There were a few times we got our butts whipped by other tribal schools, like a Muckleshoot or Lummi, so to be coaching up this next generation and to see them grow in confidence and believe they can get these big wins, it feels amazing.

“As a coaching staff, we want to prove Heritage isn’t only good at basketball. We’re good at football, too. We’re building a program that will be a powerhouse for years to come.”

Speaking of power. The gravitational pull of physically strong and dynamically daunting skillsets condensing on the gridiron by this year’s Heritage footballers has created a protostar on the Tulalip horizon. It first became visible after a 30-18 win over Concrete. Initial observations were confirmed after a 34-4 trouncing of Crescent. Now, that protostar is fully ablaze after decimating a tribal rival, the Muckleshoot Kings, 56-8 in front of the Tulalip faithful.

“We are forcing teams to spread their defense out because we have five skill players who can hit a home run at any time,” explained O.C. Enick. “With a dynamic quarterback, like J.J., he’s able to keep opposing defenses guessing with his feet and arm. He can make all the throws and, if pressured, can make players miss and scramble for big gains. We’re just trying to perfect this offense by spreading teams out and forcing them to play man on man, which benefits our athletes.”

To his point, here is the breakdown of the Hawks six offensive touchdowns:

  • #15 Ziggy Myles-Gilford scores on a 70-yard pass from J.J. Gray.
  • #3 J.J. Gray scores on an 18-yard quarterback run.
  • #7 Nico Pablo scores on a 15-yard pass from J.J. Gray.
  • #15 Ziggy Myles-Gilford scores on a 10-yard pass from J.J. Gray.
  • #7 Nico Pablo scores on a 45-yard pass from J.J. Gray.
  • #15 Ziggy Myles-Gilford scores on a 25-yard touchdown pass from J.J. Gray.

That’s a combination of short yard, intermediate gains, and big play production that will prove difficult to stop when dealing with a collection of athletes who can all break down a defense with speed and agility.

Plus, that’s just on the offensive side of the ball. The boys did damage on the defensive side as well where they routinely pressured Muckleshoot’s quarterback, wreaking havoc in the backfield for sack after sack, and made the most of their few opportunities when Muckleshoot managed to throw the ball. Tulalip Hawk #5 Amare Hatch scored on a 45-yard interception return for touchdown and #15 Ziggy Myles-Gilford scored on a 65-yard interception return for touchdown.

“We practice our safeties being over the top to help combat the ‘home run ball’ attempts that teams like to try when they start getting desperate,” said Hawks defensive coordinator Deyamonta Diaz. “On Amare’s pick, he was in his drop back zone and just read the route and quarterback’s eyes well with good inside alignment from the pre-snap. He couldn’t have baited him, nor read the route any better. That speaks to the focus we’ve been putting in to the defensive side of the ball in practice.”

With the home fans filling in around the fence line and sitting on the hill closest to the junior cheerleaders, they were treated to an amazing 56-0 lead early in the 4th quarter. With such an ample cushion, Hawks coaches were able to get their 2nd and 3rd string players some reps that could pay dividends later in the season.

Following the game, J.J. Gray, the Hawks quarterback responsible for all six of Tulalip’s offensive touchdowns, shared, “The offensive line blocked so well tonight. They gave me time to pass, or run, when need be. I grew up playing basketball and football since I was 4, so that athleticism always been with me. I trust in my quickness whenever I have a defender one on one in the open field, but I’m also not afraid of being hit by a bigger player.”

When asked how it feels to be quarterbacking an undefeated, 3-0 Hawks team, he responded with, “It feels great. Hopefully, we can go 9-0. That’s the dream.”

For their next game, Tulalip will host Lummi at Friday, September 27, in another battle by the bay. Kickoff is scheduled for 7pm. It’s already been dubbed a neon glow game.

The high school’s booster club shares the following, “Tulalip Heritage students, families, and fans are invited to a night of unity as they rally behind their team for a big game against Lummi. Wear bright neon colors and glow sticks and bring lots of energy to the stands to create a glowing atmosphere and show unwavering support. Let’s glow out the field in a sea of Tulalip pride!”

Hawks get routed by Darrington, then blowout Providence by 50+

By Micheal Rios, Tulalip News

The Tulalip Heritage boys basketball program is coming off of back-to-back years in which the team won at least 20 games and made it past District, Tri-District and Regional playoffs, all the way to State. An historic achievement for any program. 

Now, entering the 2019-2020 season, the Hawks look to repeat past success with its current roster of rez ball hoopers. Gone are four seniors from last season, but in their place are five current seniors including standout guards Leno Vela, Josh Miranda and Isaac Comenote. They took to the court on Saturday, December 7 in their season opener. A home game versus the Darrington Loggers.

Tulalip struggled mightily from the jump. Shots weren’t falling, no one was rebounding and meanwhile Darrington took advantage of every opportunity afforded to them with a taller, heftier lineup.  The score was 4-19 after the opening quarter, and that deficit ballooned to 11-40 at halftime. 

In the 2nd half, the home crowd was anxious for some kind of spark to ignite their team’s offense. It never happened. Instead, the lack of shot making and rebounding continued. Tulalip ended up on the wrong side of a lopsided 32-68 loss. It was the lowest scoring output from a Tulalip Hawks team in nearly 3 years; a December 28, 2016 defeat to Lummi, 31-65.

With only two days between games, the boys had to make use of some selective amnesia and quickly forget about everything that went wrong vs. Darrington and focus on their next opponent. Tulalip hosted the Highlanders from Providence Classical Christian on Monday, December 9.

What a difference a game makes. The Hawks came out firing on all cylinders offensively, while relentlessly locking up Providence defensively. Jumping out to a 25-9 lead at the end of the 1st quarter, the boys kept the pedal to the metal and took a 39 point lead into halftime, up 52-13. 

During one stretch, senior point guard Leno Vela went on a 16-0 run all by himself. He caught fire from downtown hitting four consecutive 3-pointers and then came up with back-to-back steals that he converted into layups. His scoring barrage fired up the home crowd and his fellow teammates who cheered him on.

“My shooting felt really good and my teammates found me when I got hot,” said Leno afterwards. “They trusted me and I was able to come up with buckets.”

The Hawks defense continued to feast on a Providence team that struggled with ball handling and routinely coughed up the ball via steal or bad pass. And with every turnover forced came the accustomed run-and-gun offense Tulalip is known for. All the starters scored multiple buckets in transition and hit a 3-pointer. 

At the end of the 3rd quarter, Tulalip led 73-18. With the result no longer in doubt the bench came in to finish the game. The final score was 81-27. Leno led all scorers with 33 points, while Josh Miranda added 13 points.

A 54 point victory over Providence is a good way to wash away the stain from their opening loss to Darrington. 

“We played our style of basketball tonight. I wanted them to be aggressive and attack the basket because we really didn’t do that in our last game,” explained Coach Fryberg after the blowout win. “Their aggressiveness resulted in lots of looks close to the basket and got them to the free-throw line. Defensively, we locked in early and pressed the issue throughout.”

Tulalip basketball is on the road for their next 3 games. They’ll return home on Thursday, December 19 for a matchup with Grace Academy. 

Heritage Hawks take care of business at Tri-Districts, move on to Regionals

By Micheal Rios, Tulalip News

After an impressive regular season showing, the Tulalip Heritage Hawks took 2nd at the 1B District Tournament. Now, with an (18-3) overall record, the boys earned the right to host an opening round game of the Tri-District Tournament.

On Thursday, February 14, Tulalip hosted the Mustangs of Rainier Christian at Francy J. Sheldon gymnasium. It was a sluggish start for the home team, as the Hawks fell behind 0-8 in the early going. Coach Cyrus “Bubba” Fryberg called a 1st quarter timeout to fire up his team and they responded in a big way. Led by guards Leno Vela and Paul Shay Jr., Tulalip righted the ship and went on an impressive 29-10 scoring run to take a 29-18 lead midway through the 2nd quarter.

With the defense clamping down and forcing turnovers left and right, Heritage was able to transition into their fast-break offense and score easy buckets. Being at the Tri-District stage, every team was more than capable of game changing scoring barrages to shift momentum. Early in the 3rd quarter the boys took a 42-29 lead only to watch it slowly fade away. Rainier Christian didn’t buckle and starting knocking down contested shots. What was once a 13 point lead was whittled to only 4 points, 46-42, with two minutes to go in the 3rd. 

In a pressure filled situation, in front of a raucous home crowd, the boys responded yet again. Shay, Jr. caught fire from long range to hit three consecutive 3-pointers, while Alonzo Jones was attacking the rim and finishing multiple acrobatic shots. A 27-11 run gave the Hawks a 20 point lead, up 73-53, with only four minutes remaining. The big lead allowed Coach Bubba to sub in his bench and let the team’s youngsters get a taste of the Tri-District playoffs.

Tulalip won 84-65. The team was led by Shay, Jr.’s game-high 20 points, while Alonzo and Isaac Comenote scored 17 points each.

“Our defense sparked on our offense in both halves,” reflected Coach Fryberg postgame. “Sometimes we get too comfortable shooting 3-point shots when we could be driving more and feeding our post players. When we force turnovers and are playing aggressive defense it carries over and allows us to be aggressive and attack the basket, like we did in the second half.”

Due to the snow days and resulting school district closures, Tulalip didn’t get any days rest like the Tri-District Tournament usually calls for. Instead, they hit the road the very next day and travelled to Port Angeles for a highly anticipated matchup with Neah Bay. 

The Hawks offensive momentum carried over from the day before, as they took a 15-13 lead after the 1st quarter. But everything changed in the 2nd quarter. One foul call after another quickly mounted and threw Heritage off their game. They only managed to score 6 points in the quarter and trailed 21-26 at halftime. 

In the 2nd half, Tulalip bounced back early. Alonzo Jones and Josh Iukes combined to score 13 of the team’s 17 points in the 3rd quarter. They held their team afloat but still trailed 38-45 going into the final quarter. Neah Bay took complete control in the 4th, while Tulalip struggled again to put up an offensive fight. The Hawks were outscored 6-21 in the game’s final minutes, resulting in a 44-66 loss. The 44 points marked a season-low in scoring for the Hawks. 

The loss to Neah Bay pitted Tulalip in a high-stakes matchup with league foe Cedar Park Christian in a 3rd round Tri-District game. A high seeding and berth in Regionals was at stake. The game took place Saturday, February 16 in Mount Vernon. 

Knowing the stakes and having confidence from beating Cedar Park decisively three times this season already, the Heritage Hawks (19-4) steamrolled for big time victory in front of a large Tulalip crowd that made the journey to cheer them on.

In the 1st quarter, Heritage jumped out to a 15-4 advantage thanks in part to a patient offense that probed Cedar Park’s zone defense. The patience led to uncontested jumpers from the outside or easy buckets at the rim. Leading by 11 points at the halftime, Tulalip hosed Cedar Park in the 3rd quarter by holding their opponent to a measly 2 points. Meanwhile, Paul Shay, Jr. once again caught fire from deep and made three triples to push his team’s advantage to 51-20. 

With a comfortable lead, Coach Bubba was able to get his bench players some run in the 4th quarter en route to a 61-31 blowout victory. Tulalip was led by Shay, Jr.’s game high 16 points, while Alonzo Jones scored 15 and Rodney Barber added 14.

“My team’s season is going great so far,” said senior guard Shay, Jr. following the win. “In the middle of the regular season we did struggle a bit with our mindset by letting little stuff get us down, but now that playoffs are here we’ve been playing really well again. We took a tough loss to [Neah Bay] that has us more than ready to chase a State title. We’ve come together as a team and a family. The mindset of us seniors is getting back to State and winning it all this time!”

The quality showing at Tri-Districts has boosted the Hawks to the #4 spot for all 1B schools in the state, according to the WIAA rankings. Next up, the Hawks will matchup with fellow tribal school Muckleshoot in a Saturday showdown at Jackson High School in Mill Creek.

High octane Hawks soaring over competition

By Micheal Rios, Tulalip News 

Buckets, buckets and more buckets. The Tulalip Heritage boys’ basketball team exceeded expectations last year by advancing all the way to the State tournament in Spokane. This season, with nearly every player returning and joined by several talented playmakers, the expectations are not only to get back to State, but to win-out this time and earn the coveted title of State Champion. 

In the early stages of the 2018-2019 season, the Heritage boys are displaying a level of play that warrants such lofty expectations. In their season opener, they made quick work of Shoreline Christian by playing at a scorching offensive pace that resulted in an 80-27 win. Heritage newcomer, sophomore guard Leno Vela scored a game-high 22 points, Alonzo Jones added 17 points and Isaac Comenote chipped in 14 points.

Two day later they didn’t shoot the ball nearly as well, but still easily outpaced Concrete, 58-22. Alonzo led the team with 17 points, while Isaac added 12 points.

With four days off between games, the team not only got in quality practice time but also saw their already deep roster get deeper with the return of guard Josh Iukes and forward Sam Fryberg. 

Providence Classical Christian had no idea what was in store for them, as the Hawks put on an offensive clinic on Tuesday, December 4. The boys drained 3-ball after 3-ball when they weren’t scoring easily at the rim. Tulalip finished only points shy of hitting the century mark in the blowout, winning 94-14. The scoring touch carried over days later when the Hawks traveled to Lopez Island and put a hurting on the Lobos. Behind a high octane offense, the boys cruised to a 92-45 victory. 

Undefeated at (4-0), the Heritage buzz was growing in anticipation of the always competitive rivalry game with the (2-0) Lummi Nation Blackhawks played on Saturday, December 8. Francy J. Sheldon gymnasium was jam-packed with spectators and rowdy fans representing both teams. 

In the opening minutes, the Hawks found themselves in an unfamiliar position as they trailed 0-6. They responded by finishing the 1st quarter on a 23-9 run behind timely outside shooting by Isaac and Sam Fryberg bulling defenders in the post.  As they often do, Tulalip and Lummi both raised their play especially on the defensive side to tighten the game through the 2nd and 3rd quarters. 

With four-minutes to go in the 4th quarter, the Hawks had a slim 63-60 lead. Chants of “Tulalip power!” echoed through the gym as the home crowd did their best to pump up their Heritage team. The boys responded by finishing the game on impressive 12-6 run fueled by a series of made jumpers by the team’s go to one-on-one scorers, Alonzo and Leno.

The decisive run sealed a 75-66 win over a quality Lummi team and kept the Hawks’ undefeated record intact. Leno had a game-high 18 points, while Alonzo and Isaac scored 14 points each. 

At (5-0), Tulalip has soared over all their opponents thus far by making full use of their roster’s rare combination of speed, shooting and pure athleticism. Their blistering pace has made it extremely difficult for teams to keep up with, let alone make it a close game. Through their first five games, the Hawks are scoring 80 points per game while only giving up a measly 35 per to their opponents. That differential makes for a whopping 45 point average margin of victory, domination at its finest.

Memorable season comes to a close for Tulalip Hawks

By Micheal Rios, Tulalip News

The (21-6) Tulalip Heritage Hawks basketball team earned their spot in the State Tournament after a strong postseason showing, culminating with a convincing 66-57 win over Pope John Paul II in the Regional round. The victory propelled Tulalip to Top 12 status among all division 1B schools in Washington and gave them the #11 seed at State.

Spokane Arena was home to the deciding tournament, where the winner would be crowned Washington State 1B Champions. For the Tulalip Hawks, their path to glory began with an all too familiar foe, the Lions from Cedar Park Christian. During the regular season and subsequent postseason games, the Hawks and Cedar Park had played each other four times, with the Hawks losing each of those games by an average margin of 21 points.

And so the Tulalip boys and their coaching staff took to the Spokane Arena court on February 28th looking to upset the #3 ranked Cedar Park in the 1st round of State.

Heritage started the game playing a zone defense in the hopes of keeping Cedar Park from the rim and attacking the hoop. Cedar Park countered that defense by shooting red hot from outside, to the tune of making five 3-pointers in the opening minutes. Midway through the 1st quarter the Hawks trailed 3-18.

When the Hawks went to a man-to-man defense to close out on shooters and not give up uncontested jumpers, Cedar Park countered by playing through their bigs in the post. After only scoring 6 points in the 1st quarter, Tulalip’s offense got going in the 2nd, led by senior guard Josh Iukes. The boys scored 20 points in the 2nd, but were unable to slow down Cedar Park on the defensive end. At halftime the Hawks trailed 26-49.

After trailing by as much as 30 points, 28-58, the Hawks would rally in the 4th quarter, but it wouldn’t be enough as they lost 72-88. There’s no shame in getting beat to a team that’s simply bigger and better. The Hawks kept their heads held high and kept firing away even after going down big. Sophomore guard Josh Miranda showcased the fighting spirit well as he entered the game late in the 1st half and from the point on made six 3-pointers, including a half-court buzzer beater, to lead his team with 18 points. Paul Shay, Jr. scored 17 points, and Samuel Fryberg added 13 points.

Tulalip finished the season with a (21-7) record, the 21 Ws being the most since the 2013-2014 season, a well-earned showing at State, and made many exciting memories during the season for their graduating senior players.

Heritage Hawks come up clutch with 66-57 win at Regionals

By Micheal Rios, Tulalip News 

In the biggest game of the season, with a trip to State on the line, the Heritage Hawks overcame an early deficit, managed their foul trouble, and rode the flaming hot-hand of Jr. Shay for an emphatic victory.

The game was played on a neutral site, Jackson High School in Mill Creek, on Saturday, February 24 between the Tulalip Heritage Hawks and the Eagles from Pope John Paul II. These two team previously played two weeks prior, with the Hawks earning a hard fought 50-44 W.

During the 1st quarter, the Hawks came out lethargic and found themselves in an early 2-8 hole. After making a couple substitutions to shore up the defense, Tulalip got engaged on both ends of the floor and tied the game at 10-10.

Trailing 15-18 entering the 2nd quarter, Hawks senior guard Jr. Shay started to make his imprint on the game in a big way. Jr. bailed out back-to-back possessions late in the shot clock by knocking down 3-pointers. The outside shooting was contagious as Josh Iukes and Alonzo Jones both got buckets from perimeter shooting as well. At halftime Tulalip led 31-28.

In the 3rd quarter, with the score tied at 36-36, center Rodney Barber picked up his 4th foul, sending him to the bench. As a team, Heritage collected its 7th team foul with 1:15 remaining, meaning their opponent would be in a bonus free-throw situation for the remainder of the 3rd and entire 4th quarters. For their part, the Hawks navigated their foul trouble admirably by playing straight-up defense and contesting jump shots without fouling.

The game turned when Jr. Shay knocked down his fourth 3-pointer of the game, followed by Josh Iukes and Isaac Comenote both connecting on 3-pointers of their own. The offensive spurt put Tulalip ahead 49-39.

Down the stretch of the 4th quarter, Jr. Shay hit two more 3-pointers, giving him a season-high six 3-pointers made in the game. The Eagles from Pope John Paul II intentionally fouled to slow the game down, but the Hawks were hitting their free-throws to keep their lead in the double digits. When the final buzzer sounded, Heritage came away with the 66-57 win.

Jr. Shay led all scorers with 27 points, Alonzo had 13 points and team high 8 rebounds, and Josh Iukes added 12 points and 3 steals.

“My team was drive-and-kicking me the ball a lot because I was getting open, and I executed with six 3-pointers,” Jr. Shay stated with lots of energy following the W. “Me and Isaac were knocking down threes right off the bat and the team did a good job of riding the hot hand. If it wasn’t for the hustle of the guys down low, Rodney, Sammy, and Nashone getting into position and then kicking the ball back out to the guards, we wouldn’t have the outside shooting setup like we did.

“Honestly, as a senior today knowing this could be my final high school game, I had to take over at times because I wasn’t ready to go home. Now, we’re moving on to the Dome, to the State Tournament in Spokane. We’re going to try to make something special happen now.”

Heritage Hawks finish 4th at Tri-Districts,  on to Regionals

 

By Micheal Rios, Tulalip News 

After defeating Pope John Paul II in the opening round of the Tri-District Tournament, the Tulalip Heritage Hawks (20-4) had two days to prepare for the #1 ranked Muckleshoot Kings. The game was played at Evergreen Lutheran H.S. in Tacoma on Thursday, February 15.

Muckleshoot entered the game riding a 15-game winning streak and had earned the #1 seed in the tournament. Meanwhile, Tulalip was coming off an exciting home win, but they would be without two key contributors in Nashone Whitebear (ankle) and Paul Shay, Jr. (personal).

In the early going, the Hawks held their own especially on the defensive end where they did a stellar job of keeping the high-octane Muckleshoot offense at bay. Muckleshoot averages 90 points per game and has hung a 100+ on five teams during the regular season. At the end of the 1st quarter, Tulalip trailed 7-14.

In the 2nd quarter, the Hawks would get to within five points, 9-14, but then the defense that had been doing such a good job containing Muckleshoot finally gave way. In only a matter of minutes the Kings went on a 24-3 tear to end the 2nd quarter. Tulalip didn’t have the fire power to mount a comeback and without a full squad it was difficult enough to keep players from exhausting themselves on defense. Tulalip would lose the game 51-88. Josh Iukes led his team with 13 points, while Isaac Comenote added 9 points.

Nothing helps a team forget a loss like returning to the court and getting a W, and the very next day, February 16, the Hawks played Mt. Rainier Lutheran in an epic clash. After a back and forth 1st quarter that saw the teams go bucket for bucket, the score was tied 15-15.

Mt. Rainier got the Hawks in foul trouble and was knocking down their free-throws. The Hawks repeatedly sending their opponent to the free-throw line had put them in a 33-40 hole entering the final quarter. But in the 4th quarter, when it mattered most, the Hawks responded with one of their best stretches of basketball. They were contesting everything on defense and did it without fouling, while on offense Josh Iukes was controlling the tempo and finding his guys for in rhythm buckets. The Hawks won the 4th quarter 19-7 to pull off a crucial 52-47 comeback. Josh led all players in scoring with 17 points.

The victory over Mt. Rainier Lutheran put the Heritage Hawks in the 3rd/4th place game where they would once again play the Lions from Cedar Park Christian. On the year Tulalip had only lost four games and of those four, three had come at the hands of Cedar Park. The inside presence of two strong post players and a highly talented guard had been too much for the Hawks to handle in their previous matchups. Would the fourth time be the charm?

The answer would be no. The Hawks put up a good fight in the 1st half, matching the intensity of Cedar Park. The boys played their best quarter in terms of defense against Cedar Park standout Erwin Weary, holding him to zero buckets in the 1st quarter. That being said, Tulalip still trailed 21-31 at halftime. Then Erwin and Cedar Park got hot in the 3rd quarter to put the game away. Tulalip was outscored 12-25 in the 3rd quarter and went on to lose the game, 50-68.

Even with the loss, the Heritage Hawks had finished 4th in the Tri-District Tournament and clinched a berth in Regionals. They will play on Saturday, February 24, at 2:00p.m. at Jackson High School in Mill Creek. Their opponent is Pope John Paul II, a team the Hawks have already beaten once this year. If they win again, then they’ll be on to State.

Two dominant playoff Ws give Hawks chance at 1B District crown

By Micheal Rios, Tulalip News 

The Tulalip Heritage Hawks basketball team ended the regular season with a (17-3) overall record, which included a (12-2) record in league play. Both those two inner-league losses came at the hands of a Cedar Park Christian team that finished their season undefeated. When the NW1B District playoff bracket was announced, many expected Tulalip and Cedar Park to meet in the Championship game.

Tulalip entered the tournament as the #2 seed, which allowed them to host an opening round game. Francy J. Sheldon gymnasium was jam packed with friends and family who came out to root on their team on February 1st, when then hosted Shoreline Christian.

These two teams had faced off twice during the regular season and in each the Hawks came away with 30+ point victories. Because of the lopsided nature of those wins, the Hawks started the game sluggish. The defensive rotations weren’t there and the boy just weren’t playing hard. At the end of the 1st quarter, the home team only led by 1 point, 17-16.

During intermission, the Hawks coaching staff lit a fire under the team to get them playing their usual brand of up-tempo, aggressive basketball. The whole squad responded, but none more so than senior guard, Jr. Shay. He was absolutely on fire in the 3rd quarter, scoring 18 points on 7/8 shooting. His intensity was contagious and defensively the Hawks only allowed 16 points the entire 2nd half.

Heritage ended up routing Shoreline 70-39 in front of a crowd of cheering fans. Jr. Shay led all scorers with 21 points, Alonzo Jones added 14 points, and Rodney Barber chipped in 12 points.

Moving onto the 2nd round of the tournament, the Hawks traveled to Lummi where they played the Grace Academy Eagles on February 3rd.  During the regular season Tulalip had defeated Grace by 20+ in both their matchup. This game would mirror those previous ones.

Grace had no answer for the length and athleticism of the Tulalip boys. Center Rodney Barber was corralling rebounds on both ends of the floor and scoring at the rim over the shorter Grace players. After the 1st quarter, the Hawks led 17-12 and would balloon their lead from there.

Hawks players continued to move the ball well offensively, leading to all five starters finding their groove and knocking down shots. Defensively, the Hawks hounded the Grace ball handlers into committing several turnovers. In the 2nd quarter Grace would only score 8 points because of the defensive pressure.

When the buzzer sounded signaling end of game, the Hawks had notched a 67-46 victory, advancing them to the Championship round. Rodney led the Hawks in scoring with 15 points, Nashone Whitebear added 14 points, and Alonzo chipped in 11 points.

Next up, the Hawks will face off against Cedar Park Christian tonight for the NW1B crown. The Hawks nearly beat them the last time they matched up and are looking to ride their recent momentum to an upset victory over the undefeated Cedar Park.

After suffering first L, Hawks bounce back with three Ws

By Micheal Rios, Tulalip News 

The Tulalip Heritage boys basketball team opened the season undefeated with a (9-0) record. As they powered through the NW1B league, so did league foe Cedar Park Christian (11-0). This set up a battle of the unbeaten on January 5 at Francy J. Sheldon gymnasium.

Cedar Park proved during the game that their bigger, stronger backcourt was able to keep Heritage off the boards and prevent them from attacking the basket. The Hawks had lots of difficulty manufacturing points in the 1st half and trailed 13-34 at halftime. In the 2nd half, the Hawks got back to running and playing their style, but their deficit was too large. Their winning streak was snapped with a 43-60 defeat.

Coming off their first loss of the season, the Hawks responded by putting up a season-high in points when they whooped Shoreline Christian, 87-53. They followed that up with a 70-32 blowout win over Providence Classical Christian.

Next up was rival Lummi Nation, in a home game played on Tuesday, January 16. With the gym packed full of fans for both sides, the environment was prime for a competitive game. Lummi came out with a solid game plan of slowing down the pace of play to throw the Hawks off their game. It worked over the first three quarters. The Hawks are so accustomed to playing up-tempo and using their combination of speed and athleticism to get transition buckets that Lummi’s slow, methodical pace gave them fits.

At the end of the 3rd quarter, the game was tied at 34-34. In the 4th quarter, the Hawks were finally able to bust the game open with their senior players leading the offensive charge. Josh Iukes hit two clutch 3-pointers and Nashone Whitebear scored 8 points in a four-minute frenzy, giving Tulalip the momentum to take home victory. Up by several baskets, Tulalip focused in on Lummi’s key scorer and prevented him from scoring down the stretch.

When the final game buzzer sounded, the Hawks had earned a hard fought 52-40 W. Josh led the Hawks in scoring with 13 points, while Nashone, Jr. Shay, and Rodney Barber each added 10 points.

The Hawks look to keep getting better in their half-court sets, as a looming matchup with Cedar Park on January 26 will surely go a long way to dictating who wins the NW1B crown. Next up for the Hawks is a road game at Lopez before returning home on Tuesday, January 23, for Senior Night versus Grace Academy.

Heritage Hawks remain unbeaten and atop NW 1B standings

By Micheal Rios, Tulalip News 

Seven games played, seven games won. The Tulalip Heritage Hawks basketball team (7-0) opened their season with three straight wins versus class 2B schools, then entered league play where they have been crushing it on both ends of the floor.

Their last four opponents have all been within the NW 1B league and the Hawks came away with convincing victories in each game. They defeated Providence Classical Christian 70-32, Orcas Christian 62-46, Lummi Nation 60-43, and Lopez 78-34. That’s a whopping margin of victory by 29 points per game during that span.

Coach Cyrus “Bubba” Fryberg points to two key factors for the Hawks success on the hardwood. First, is defensive hustle; with a team full of athletic wings who can switch at several positions, the Hawks are putting much more emphasis on man-to-man defense instead of zoning up. This defensive intensity makes it difficult for opponents to get into a groove. Secondly, the Hawks consistently play all-around team ball on the offensive end; the ball movement is solid with players routinely making the extra pass to an open teammate. This has led to several Hawks averaging double-digit points.

On the calendar for early next month is a home showdown with also unbeaten Cedar Park Christian (6-0) on Friday, January 5. The matchup will be a barometer for both teams to see who has the advantage for taking home the NW1B crown.