By Aaron Coe
Herald Writer
DARRINGTON – Those traveling through Darrington shouldn’t be alarmed to find the town even less populated than usual this week.
The boys and girls basketball teams both qualified for the Class B state basketball tournament for the first time since 1998. As big as basketball is in Darrington, the small town at the base of Whitehorse Mountain could turn into a ghost town for a few days.
“The kids are excited. The whole town is,” said boys coach Jeff Bryson, whose 20-3 team will face Tekoa-Oaksdale at 6:30 tonight in a first-round game at Spokane Arena. “Tradition is a powerful thing. Spokane and Darrington is a great tradition. There are people who go to the tournament even if Darrington doesn’t make it.”
Maybe that’s because it’s a pretty safe assumption one of the teams will be there every year. It’s been 10 years since at least one of the two teams didn’t make it to state.
Both the boys and the girls have become regulars in the tournament. The boys are making their 21st trip since 1950 and fifth in the past six years. The girls, who finished seventh in the 2001 Class A tournament, are going to state for the 12th time since 1983.
Whether they win or lose today’s 10:30 game against Willapa Valley, the 16-7 Darrington girls will face a brutal opponent Thursday. Strange things can happen at the WIAA draw, and this year was no different. What could have been a potential championship game will actually be the very first tournament contest. Top-ranked Pateros will face No. 2 Valley Christian at 9 a.m., just before the Darrington game.
The Loggers will worry about that later.
First, they must get past a tough Willapa Valley team that likes to rattle opponents with a pressing defense. The Loggers will rely on sophomore Amy Jones, a quick guard who coach Cameron Ross hopes can dribble around and through the Vikings.
“I don’t think it will be easy, that’s for sure,” Ross said. “If you look at the top half of the bracket, there are going to be a couple of pretty good teams going home without trophies. We just need to come out and hit some early shots to get our confidence up.”
Darrington’s regular rotation tops out at 5-foot-10, so the Loggers will often rely on the 3-point shot.
Jones, team captain Michelle Meece, Amber Bryson, Becky Nations and Kelsey Padgett are all solid threats from 3-point range for the unranked Loggers.
The boys team is in a much different situation than the girls. They’ve got the solid 6-foot-4 center that most Class B team lack. Boyd, a junior, averages 18 points and 8.5 rebounds.
“He very steady,” Bryson said. “He’s patient and has great footwork. He’s a nice weapon to have.”
Teammate Ronnie McCoy will be called upon to guard Tekoa-Oaksdale guard Adam Ellis, who Bryson said is one of the best at the Class B level.
“Ronnie is a bulldog,” Bryson said. “If you put him on a mission, he’ll do his best.”
Only one top five team is in No. 6 Darrington’s half of the bracket. That team, however, is No. 2 Sunnyside Christian (22-1), which would be the Loggers’ quarterfinal opponent should both teams win today.
If the Loggers beat Sunnyside Christian on Thursday, they’ll stand a strong chance to get to their first championship game since 1957.
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