It’s so hard to say goodbye.
Certainly, the nine seniors who played on the Snohomish High School boys basketball team will see each other in class and hang out over the next three-plus months, until they graduate. Many of them will stay in touch for years to come.
But these young men will never again put on their Snohomish uniforms, never cram onto a bus and bond during a long road trip, and never sweat it out through an intense practice in preparation for a big game.
There’s no way around it: One of the most rewarding periods of their lives is over.
That’s why after winning the fifth-place trophy Saturday at the Class 4A state tournament in Tacoma, most of Snohomish’s seniors wept. It was an impromptu tribute to the relationships they developed during a remarkable season that ended with 25 victories in 28 tries and the program’s best placing since 1987.
Snohomish’s only better finish came in 1970, when it won its only state title.
“It’s been such a great season. They’re all your best friends. You spend every day with them. For it to be over, it’s hard. It’s hard to take it all in,” senior Mike Low said Saturday after Snohomish beat Kentwood 50-41.
“This is our last game together and we’ve been playing together since we were little,” said senior Kegan Bone. ” … We love each other like family.”
The team’s other seniors are Kellen Hansen, Stacey Cox, Stuart Shilling, Tim Diederichs, Chris Jorve, Tanner Jenkins and Tory Jelinek. Low, Bone, Diederichs and Jenkins were starters, and Hansen and Shilling were key reserves for a squad known for height but acclaimed for passing. Guards, forwards, posts – it didn’t matter, they all moved the ball well.
“That’s maybe the biggest thing, is the way they look for each other and then go and make a good pass. … We’ve got a lot of guys that are unselfish,” Snohomish coach Len Bone said.
In four games at state, Snohomish had 50 assists, 20 coming from the 6-foot-8 Diederichs, a Loyola Marymount University-bound forward who was the Panthers’ season leading scorer. His team-first mentality summed up what made this group unique.
Diederichs , who transferred to Snohomish from Shorewood before his junior year, is relatively new to Snohomish’s program. But instead of disrupting things, he enhanced Snohomish’s teamwork.
“He’s fit in perfectly,” Kegan Bone said. “We all just jelled.”
“This year,” Bone added, “everything just clicked perfectly.”
Sharing the limelight
Some coaches wouldn’t dare try it, but for Len Bone it was the only option. With a fifth-place trophy on the line Saturday, Bone stuck to his pre-game plan and made sure all 12 Snohomish players got into the game against Kentwood.
“All these guys have made contributions all year long and we decided that we’re a team and everybody is deserving of playing in this game,” Bone said. “I mean, I wish it was more.”
The approach led to some rare court time for seniors Cox, Jorve and Jelinek, and junior Brad Low. The foursome combined to play nearly 11 minutes and score six points.
“They don’t get the limelight during the year,” Bone said, “and even this isn’t what I wish it could be and what they really deserve for their effort.”
Kingma makes all-tournament team
Jackson guard Kristi Kingma, who helped the Timberwolves place eighth Saturday at the 4A girls state basketball tourney, was named to the all-tournament second team. The teams were selected by media who covered the event. Kingma, a junior who verbally committed to play for the University of Washington, averaged 19.3 points, 4.8 rebounds and 2.3 steals. She played 123 of a possible 128 minutes.
In 2B action, Julia DeKoekkoek of Shoreline Christian received all-tournament recognition. Shoreline Christian placed fifth.
For a complete list of 4A, 1A and 2B all-tourney teams, see the Scoreboard on Page D5.
Mike Cane, Herald Writer
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