MARYSVILLE — Adiya Jones wanted the chance to play with her sister, Aliya, for her senior season, so she transferred to Tulalip Heritage from La Conner.
The move has benefitted both sisters — and the Hawks.
The Jones sisters shoulder the bulk of the scoring for the Hawks, who are 21-0 this season and were ranked third in the final 1B Associated Press poll.
It’s been quite the turnaround for the Hawks after finishing 2-18 a year ago — but that was without the Jones sisters.
Aliya, a junior, wasn’t on last year’s team, but when her sister enrolled at Tulalip Heritage she decided to play this season.
“That’s ultimately why I wanted to come back and finish my senior year here,” Adiya Jones said. “It’s really exciting because if I’m not doing it or I’m not playing to my full potential, then she is doing it.
“Or if we’re both doing it, it’s amazing.”
The impact both players had on their teammates was immediate.
“The numbers show themselves,” head coach Cyrus Fryberg said. “One day Aliya will have a good game and the next day Adiya will have a good game. When they both have a good game, you’re going to be in trouble. They execute really well together. They know where one girl is and where the other girl is. That’s sister love. They just kind of go back-and-forth.”
The familiarity the sisters have with each other gives them an advantage over almost any opponent.
“Me and her have a good connection,” Aliya Jones said. “I know when to pass her the ball. Our teamwork is really good together because we’ve played past years together. It’s really fun to play with her and it’s a good bond to build.”
In order to find success, the sisters had to form a bond with their teammates, which didn’t take long either.
“We have a bigger bond than we had last year,” daughter of head coach Cyrus Fryberg and junior player Cyena Fryberg said. “A lot of the girls last year, we were all newbies. We knew the game of basketball, but it wasn’t the same as this year. This year, our friendship is a lot stronger.”
Adiya Jones has been a force inside for the Hawks, but her wealth of knowledge has made her an asset to her teammates also.
“Adiya, she’s been playing longer than any of us,” Cyena Fryberg said. “It’s really helped me personally because I play her spot a little bit. She helps me with my moves and she teaches me things. For someone that has already done those things for years, it’s a lot of help.”
The Hawks have a lot of players that can score from the perimeter, but coach Fryberg doesn’t shy away from the fact that he wants the ball to go inside — and that starts with Adiya Jones.
“We’re going to power the ball inside as much as possible,” coach Fryberg said. “If they can’t stop it, that’s on them. That’s our game. We’re going to go inside.”
Because it was clear both sisters had a clear understanding of the game and how to win, their teammates had no problem letting them become the leaders of the team.
And of course better players leads to more excitement within the team.
“The big difference from last year and this year is just the enthusiasm within the group,” Cyrus Fryberg said. “More players came in to play this year and they’re all leaders.”
Another secret to the Hawks success this season has been the closeness of the team. The girls share a bond that wasn’t there a year ago.
The wins started piling up — and most of them weren’t close.
But with the playoffs starting recently, the Hawks figure to find themselves in more competitive games like their recent 39-38 district victory over Mount Vernon Christian.
It was the closest game the Hawks have played all season.
“What we took away from that game is that it’s not going to get handed to us,” Adiya Jones said. “Every game we have to go in there and we have to play our hardest because teams are going to be, ‘OK, here Tulalip here’s the (win).’ They’re going to fight.”
Though the Hawks beat Mount Vernon Christian, they didn’t handle the pressure of the situation as well as Adiya Jones would have hoped, but she was thrilled that they fought through the adversity and ended up coming away with a win.
“Running into a team like that, we were like, ‘OK, we’ve never faced this type of pressure and we’ve never faced this type of defense,’” Jones said. “Some of our players were like a deer in headlights.”
The narrow margin of victory served as a wake-up call for the Hawks. Most of their players seem to have a better understanding of what it will take to win in the playoffs and advance to state after that game.
“We can’t just assume or expect that we’re going to win,” junior Myrna Redleaf, also a daughter of coach Fryberg, said. “I went in kind of thinking that we have this game, but it wasn’t as easy as I thought it would be.
“I feel like it prepared us a lot,” Redleaf added. “With our league games, it kind of felt like it was handed to us. With these games, these girls are actually coming to fight and they want it, so it’s a really big challenge.”
Despite the obvious pressure from being undefeated, the Hawks have tried to keep their focus on the next game on their schedule.
“The coaches tell us all the time that they’re coming after us and we’re the team to beat,” Cyena Fryberg said. “To us, it doesn’t feel that way. Tomorrow is just another game and we get our butterflies and stuff, but it’s just going to be another game and we just have to pull through.”
The Hawks get a big boost from their fans. Win or lose, the Tulalip Heritage faithful are a spirited bunch that stays behind their team through its successes and failures.
“It’s an excellent feeling,” coach Fryberg said. “With all the crowd and the fans, they’re really excellent. They really, really love the game.
“I think the more support we get, the further we’ll go.”
And the fans make the experience that much more special for the players.
“I love the support from our fans,” Aliya Jones said. They go everywhere. Every game they come and support us. I just love it. I love how they’re behind us through everything. Win or lose, they’re still there.”
Aaron Lommers covers prep sports for The Herald. Follow him on Twitter at @aaronlommers and contact him at alommers@heraldnet.com.
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