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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

One Chapter Remins In Tigers’ Tale

Bob Rickard was at the top of the Arena Stairs, reducing a heart full of boiling emotions to a single word.

“Destiny,” he said Friday night after his son, the coach, and grandson, the star, helped the Republic Tigers to a community first.

The Tigers came from behind to beat the Darrington Loggers 61-60 in the semifinals of the boys State B tournament, thanks to Jason Baldwin’s two free throws with 1.9 seconds left.

Baldwin’s clutch shooting sent the Tigers delegation - 15 Rickards and practically the whole town of Republic - into celebrations of unrestrained joy.

Although the Tigers girls team won the 1981 State B Championship, this is the first trip to the finals for the Republic Boys.

“I think I could go ahead and die now and be happy,” said Laura Rickard, mother of Republic coach Rory Rickard and the 68-year-old grandmother of Tigers star Mark Rickard, who had his third strong game Friday night in this 55th State B tournament.

“I don’t know who isn’t here,” said her husband, Bob. “I’ve seen guys I never would have believed I’d see here. Dick Perry is probably 83 years old. When he came up the aisle I said, ‘My gawd.’ I don’t know that I’ve ever seen him at a ball game.”

Perry, a Republic attorney, wasn’t alone. Others came to bask in the Tigers’ glory.

Bill Belling flew up from Yuma, Ariz. He plans to return after tonight’s game, Rickard said.

Walt Cornelius drove school bus for 18 of the 30 years he lived in Republic. At one time he drove the team bus.

“I sure would have loved driving the bus for those guys,” Cornelius said. “I love it.”

“It’s a great thing for Republic,” said Bob Rickard, who now lives in Spokane. “I’m really happy for the town.”

Even the ones left behind in the Ferry County community of 2,500 in the mountain and tree country 115 miles north of Spokane were tuned in.

Deanna Nichols, the county 911 dispatcher, followed the game on radio.

Kris Bauer had the night shift at the Hitch’In Post Tavern.

“We weren’t very busy tonight,” she said. “Most of the town is down there. My family is.

“We probably had 40 people in here tonight listening to it. Everybody was stressin’ pretty hard when we were behind late in the game.

“When those last shots went in everybody went crazy, yippin’ and yellin’.”

One catalyst of all the commotion is Mark Rickard, a versatile 6-foot-2 senior whose last 32 minutes of serious basketball tonight will go a long way in deciding a state championship.

To an 18-year-old who’s paid as much attention to the game as he has, that’s bittersweet. His biggest game is probably his last.

Rickard will leave Republic High in the spring with a resume of achievement - valedictorian of his class, leader on the first boys team in school history to come this far, promsing baseball player and football star.

Rickard ran with the changing seasons, the long haul of high school sped along by success. The next chapter of his life is playing baseball or football and keeping up with studies at “one of the lcoal colleges,” he said.

It’s an exciting and daunting time.

For Rickard there’ll be other games in other sports, but nothing will test him quite like playing his last game at state with friends for life. Never will the same dozen friends pointing for the same single objective be as close as they are today.

Rickard’s grade-point average, by the way, is even better than his 18.4 season scoreing average. It’s just under a perfect 4.0.

He made his family happy a long time ago. After all he’s done this is just the frosting. But how sweet it is.

“The kids never did quit,” Bob Rickard, Mark’s grandfather, was saying as he headed for the Arena exit. “They just keep going and going.”

Like it’s their destiny. , DataTimes