Pateros’ Title Was No Shocker Hate To Tell You We Told You So, But We Told You So

“Based on talent coming back, Pateros would have to rank as a strong favorite for next year’s tournament.”

So read these pages one year ago - not to gloat about our prescience, or anything like that.

Face it, the Billygoats of 1995 had no challengers when it came to young talent. Anybody in possession of a state tournament program could see that Garrett Zwar, Pat Hunter, Parker Barth and Adam James would return to cause problems.

Some of us just look wiser because we have access to a printing press.

When Pateros manhandled St. George’s 77-51 on Saturday to win the championship of the 54th boys State B high school basketball tournament, the temptation might have been to say, “But of course.”

Truth be told, however, the Billygoats (29-1) needed some breaks at state to reach the title game. More to the point, a week earlier Pateros was in serious jeopardy of missing the tournament altogether.

A loss to Manson at the District 6-B Tournament - the Billygoats’ first defeat this year in football or basketball - meant Pateros had to come through the losers bracket with three wins. The final two wins, on back-to-back nights, came against dreaded Manson.

That obstruction removed, Pateros drew the always-scary late game on the first two nights at state. A year before, defending champion Northwest Christian had fallen into the late-night chasm, swallowed up by Summit.

Pateros looked every bit the champion during its 63-39 opening-night win over Mabton. That set up a quarterfinal against Almira/Coulee-Hartline, which had lost to Pateros by 13 during the regular season. In what many considered the best game of the tourney, Pateros survived 53-52 when ACH couldn’t seal the game at the freethrow line.

The semifinal, versus Garfield-Palouse, nearly slipped away when Pateros stopped scoring late in the game. Zwar rescued the Billygoats with a crucial layup, assisted by Hunter. After the Gar-Pal win, relieved coach Mike Hull said it was time for Pateros to relax and cut loose. Unfortunately for St. George’s, Hull’s players did just that.

Zwar’s 15 points in the first quarter, and foul trouble to Dragons point guard Meng Tseng, set the tone.

“The ball came just too me and it bounced my way,” Zwar said matter-of-factly. “I just put the shots up and they fell. That’s just the way it happened.”

When St. George’s paid more attention to Zwar, Hunter and James guided a 30-point fourth quarter that displayed how powerful Pateros could be. The Billygoats’ 77 points were the most in a title game since Brewster’s 87 in ‘75.

The ‘75 championship was the first of three consecutive titles won by Brewster. The final two titles - proving the “uneasy lies the head that wears the crown” adage - proved much more difficult.

Asked about his team’s sense of relief, Zwar at first took a different tack.

“It’s more of a sense of satisfaction for me and my teammates,” he said. “To have not won would’ve been a letdown.”

Then, after a brief pause, Zwar said, “Actually it is relief; a good relief.”

So who will be the Pateros of 1997? Of the teams that placed at state, ACH, Clallam Bay and Gar-Pal would appear to boast the top returners. Yet several young teams that didn’t make state, including Reardan, Republic and LaCrosse-Washtucna, could prove just as strong.

A couple of final notes about state (and thanks to the people who offered suggestions): Eleven of the 26 games were settled by four points or less. Like Pateros, St. George’s had two stiff challenges before the title.

The Tri-District had its shining moment, placing Clallam Bay (third), Summit (fifth) and Tacoma Baptist (eighth). The district has been much maligned in the past - deservedly so, in most cases - but proved its worth this season.

Hull and Lorin Carlon of girls state champion St. John Endicott are both former players at their schools.

The first tournament at the Arena, which was also the first combined boys and girls tournament, drew 12,916 on its final day for a four-day total of 56,056. Last year’s combined attendance at the Coliseum (boys) and Spokane Falls Community College (girls) was 59,188.

Girls final: Tricia Lamb and Andee Schmick combined for 41 points and top-ranked St. John-Endicott (28-0) over-whelmed Sunnyside Christian 73-42, for the title at the 19th girls State B high school basketball tournament.

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: 2 photos (1 color)

MEMO: Cut in the Spokane edition.