Tomahawks’ tip-in makes SportsCenter

Published 9:41 pm Monday, January 12, 2015

One of the top plays of Cole Grinde’s life was good enough to make another top-10 list.

The Marysville Pilchuck senior’s dramatic tip-in at the buzzer gave the Tomahawks boys basketball team a 61-59 victory over Arlington on Friday night at Marysville-Pilchuck High School.

Saturday evening, Grinde saw his work on ESPN, with the basket making SportsCenter’s Top 10 Plays of the Night.

“Right as it came on I was driving and I looked at my phone and it was just blowing up,” Grinde said. “Everyone was like, ‘You got put on SportsCenter!’ I was like, ‘No way.’ It was pretty surreal. People from other states were seeing it too.”

On the 8 p.m. PST show, Grinde’s game winner was No. 10 on the nightly recap of top plays.

“It’s amazing. For every athlete it’s a milestone to be put on that big of display,” Grinde said. “To be in front of the world, that’s pretty cool. I don’t know a lot of people, besides pro athletes that can say, ‘I’ve been on SportsCenter’s Top 10.’”

The win was a big one for Marysville Pilchuck (7-2). The contest was the Tomahawks’ Wesco 3A North opener, and it came against an Arlington squad (8-3) that’s one of the prime contenders for the division crown.

“That basket meant a lot to us,” Grinde said. “Last year we got demolished by Arlington and we wanted to make a statement for our first conference game. … That basket was huge for us.”

For Grinde, it was especially nice sharing the moment with his teammates. The guard said the players are incredibly close, and we’re all thrilled to see him on ESPN.

“Seeing my team make it on something like that means something to a lot of people. It was a cool experience for me,” Grinde said. “They’re all appreciative and happy for me. … I haven’t had a game like that — ever — in my life.

“I just want to praise my teammates. They’re like my family. I love those guys so much.”

For video of Grinde’s basket, visit cmg-northwest2.go-vip.net/heraldnet/prepzone.

Kamiak goes for milestone

The Kamiak boys swim team is shooting for triple digits this afternoon.

The Knights have won 99 consecutive regular-season meets — their latest a 119-66 victory over Shorewood last Thursday — and have a chance to tack on Nos. 100 and 101 with meets against Meadowdale and Lynnwood.

The competition starts at 3:15 p.m. at the Lynnwood Pool.

“Certainly a lot of hard work and a little bit of luck,” said Kamiak head coach Chris Erickson. “I’ve had a lot of hardworking and dedicated athletes and that’s the biggest thing.”

Erickson believes the last time Kamiak lost was to Snohomish in January of 2008.

“It’s just exciting when you get an undefeated season,” Erickson said. “It sounds nice – 100. But you just keep doing the best you can and eventually somebody’s going to stand up and go toe-to-toe with you. You probably can’t do it forever.”