Succeeding On The Edge Republic’s Never-Say-Die Attitude Reaps Biggest Trophy At State B

Republic didn’t enter the 55th boys State B basketball tournament as the favorite.

Heck, Republic almost didn’t enter the tournament.

Yet there was something almost spooky about the way the Tigers insisted to their detractors that they would keep winning.

The final win came Saturday night, 38-36 over Reardan, but many impossibilities led up to the title.

During a tense nine-day period, Republic found an answer to every obstacle thrown in front of it.

Republic trailed Curlew by seven points with 4 minutes left in a District 7 winner-to-state game. Didn’t matter. Mark Rickard scored six points to guide a rally and David Hanks hit a pair of free throws with 10 seconds left.

Republic 49, Curlew 48.

Republic trailed Tacoma Baptist 45-42 after three quarters of their state opener. No problem. Rickard scored eight of the Tigers’ final 12 points, including two 3-pointers in the final 2 minutes, and Jason Baldwin hit a shot with 2 seconds left.

Republic 58, Tacoma Baptist 56.

“I knew as a coach, … although I tried to keep it from the kids … that the win was over perhaps the most talented team,” said Republic coach Rory Rickard. “That might have given us two-thirds of the momentum there.”

The Tigers struggled against Manson in the quarterfinal, down 19-14 with 4 minutes left in the half. Here’s a remedy: Baldwin and Rickard hit 3 pointers to guide an 11-4 run and two-point halftime lead that grows to eight after three quarters.

Republic 50, Manson 42.

Before the semifinal, Republic players visited Lidgerwood Elementary to conduct a clinic for nearly 150 kids. After the clinic, one lady in the office got Rory Rickard aside and said, “Coach, I just know you’re going to win this thing.”

“It sent shivers down my spine,” Rickard said.

Republic was nearly spent by the other tourney Cinderella, Darrington; facing a 58-53 deficit with 1:50 left. Hey, here we go again. Foul-plagued Kris Kuchenmeister hits a baseline turnaround, Rickard misses a 3-pointer but follows with a steal and layup, and Baldwin sinks two free throws with 1.9 seconds left.

Republic 61, Darrington 60.

By then, Reardan should have figured something was up. But after winning three state games by an average of almost 25 points, the Indians were a solid bet to win their seventh state title.

The matchups looked poor for Republic. If defensive-minded guard Hanks shadowed Reardan 3-point threat Travis Titchenal, wouldn’t that leave Rhett Soliday open? Maybe Kuchenmeister could slow down Reardan post James Kiger, but wouldn’t that open up the middle for either Nathan Graham or Peter Eastman?

Again, Republic laughed at such trifling notions.

Through one half of the title game, the Tigers shot 11 percent from the floor, 0 of 10 from 3-point range. Soliday (6.4 ppg) had burned Republic for three 3-pointers. Rickard and Baldwin were a combined 1 for 14 from the floor. Kiger, establishing position inside, powered the Indians to a 20-13 lead.

When Titchenal hit a pair of 3-pointers in the third, for a 26-17 lead, Destiny’s Darlings looked whipped.

Yet there’s no explaining, or stopping, a team with magic behind it. In the final 12-1/2 minutes, Kiger made one more basket; Titchenal was limited to two free throws; Graham and Eastman didn’t score at all; Soliday hit two more 3-pointers, but fouled out with 22.5 seconds left.

Meanwhile, Baldwin, Lonnie Grimm and Chad Dinkins hit 3-pointers in a span of 2-1/2 minutes to lead a 12-3 run. The Tigers were 0 of 19 on 3’s otherwise. Dinkins had one other 3 in the tourney. Grimm hadn’t attempted a 3-pointer all year.

“It gave me a rush when Reardan went to a zone and we went to four on the perimeter,” Rory Rickard said. “I wanted to get as much in as I could.”

Mark Rickard, limited to three free throws on the night, tied the game with his first field goal, with 2:29 left. Normally an 86-percent free-throw shooters, Rickard missed 3 of 5 attempts in the final 1:15. Yet, weird but true, those were the winning points.

So Republic, the fourth seed out District 7, finished No. 1 in the state. The oft-maligned Panorama League won its third state title (Northwest Christian, 1989 and ‘94) in nine years.

The Tigers celebrated with 200 friends until 1 a.m. Sunday. They slept until 10:30, then returned to Republic for a ceremony in their gym.

“It’s strange,” Mark Rickard said Sunday. “I was telling one of my teammates last night that it was like we couldn’t lose. That’s what we thought.”

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