State 2B boys: Colfax charges past Columbia Burbank to win first state title since 2012

Every time the Columbia boys basketball team made a charge, Colfax had an answer Saturday afternoon.

The Bulldogs’ last answer was as stunning as it was emphatic.

Colfax finished on a 17-3 run, capturing its first State 2B championship since 2012 in a 65-52 triumph over the Coyotes of Burbank at the Arena.

In a game matching unbeaten teams, Colfax concludes its magical season at 29-0. Columbia ends 26-1.

Quincy Scott made a driving basket to give the Coyotes a 49-48 lead with 3 minutes, 45 seconds remaining.

It was all Colfax thereafter.

Colfax sophomore sharpshooter Adrik Jenkin made a 3-pointer to give the Bulldogs a 55-49 lead with 2:18 to go.

As soon as Jenkin released the shot, he started retreating as if he knew the shot was destined to go through the net. And it did.

“I usually have a pretty good feeling and I know it’s going in,” Adrik Jenkin said of his long-range shooting.

“That was definitely one of them.”

Reece Jenkin didn’t flinch when his son took the wide-open shot from 3-point range.

“He’s a pretty confident kid,” Jenkin said. “We made a couple of buckets where we had the tiniest cushion and I looked over at the my assistant coach and said, ‘Do we call that play or do we just run some clock and try to get to the rim and get to the free-throw line?’ And he’s stepped up and made huge shots for us all year. We were confident in that play call.”

It’s exactly what the Bulldogs needed.

“It was a huge momentum-shifting 3 to give us a little bit of space,” Reece Jenkin said. “I couldn’t be more proud of him, couldn’t be more proud of our team. Just a special, special day.”

Colfax’s 13-0 surge extended the Bulldogs’ lead to 61-49 with 1:05 remaining.

Free-throw shooting was pivotal in the fourth quarter.

With Columbia forced to foul, the Bulldogs made 14 of 15 shots. They were 24 of 27 for the game.

Seth Lustig led the near-flawless effort at the free-throw line, making 12 of 12, including 10 of 10 in the fourth period.

Lustig and Jenkin each scored 19 points, and Jenkin had six rebounds. Jaxon Wick came off the bench to add 13 points.

Reece Jenkin praised Columbia.

“They’re a good basketball team,” he said. “When they took the lead in the fourth quarter, they had a little bit of momentum. But our guys just don’t give up. No one panicked.”

Jenkin was surprised to learn of his team’s free-throw shooting in the final quarter.

“We’ve had a couple games where that’s not necessarily the case,” Jenkin said. “What a special way to close out an incredible season.”

Colfax had to beat two undefeated teams at state. In the semifinals, the Bulldogs turned back previously unbeaten Napavine.

“This was really tough,” Jenkin said. “You knew somewhere Columbia was going to make a run.”

Adrik Jenkin said the Bulldogs had to earn the win.

“They’re a super tough team, a great team,” he said. “This is something I’m never going to forget. The grind that we put in all season to get to the final destination – where we were expected to get to – we finished the job.”

Lustig said Colfax completed the journey.

“It means everything,” Lustig said. “It’s something all of us have been dreaming about since we were little kids. There were a few times when it got scary, but we had faith the whole game. We never lost faith.”

Scott led Columbia with 16 points and 12 rebounds, and Elijah Kinsey had 13 points and six rebounds.