Sizing Up The Boys

Tacoma Baptist Crusaders

Record: 19-6, champion of Sea-Tac League.

Coach: Bill Lemke, first year.

First-round opponent: Almira/CouleeHartline.

Route to state: Defeated Neah Bay 83-45 at Tri-District to clinch berth.

Top players: Ivory Crittendon III, 6-1 jr., guard, 15 ppg, 5.5 apg; Adrian Russell, 6-6 soph, post, 13 ppg, 10 rbg; Wiebe Van Der Hoek, 6-10 sr., post, 11 ppg, 12 rbg, 5 blocks per game.

Fast fact: Since replacing Gary Anderson in early January, Lemke has led the Crusaders to 16 consecutive wins. The team has won 17 straight.

Outlook: The transfer of Russell from Franklin Pierce has taken pressure off Van Der Hoek and made Tac-Bap the district’s best hope for a medal; Lemke has promised to walk home if the Crusaders win it all.

Almira/Coulee-Hartline Warriors

Record: 20-6, champion of Bi-County

League West Division, ranked seventh.

Coach: Jim Wacker, third year.

First-round opponent: Tacoma Baptist.

Route to state: Defeated Curlew 54-51 at Northeast District to clinch berth.

Top players: Cameron Carstensen, 5-10 soph., guard/wing, 11 ppg; Pat Andersen, 6-2 sr., center, 11 ppg; Ryan Slahtasky, 6-2 sr., wing/post, 7 ppg.

Fast fact: The last Warriors team at state (1991) won the title.

Outlook: Win or lose its tough opener, ACH should play for a trophy on Saturday. The guess is that ACH will lose to Dayton in the quarterfinals.

Adna Pirates

Record: 22-1, champion of Central League

Northern Division, ranked second.

Coach: Jeff Beasley, third year.

First-round opponent: Kittitas.

Route to state: Defeated Naselle 64-44 at Southwest District to clinch berth.

Top players: Jeff Ellis, 7-0 jr., post, 16 ppg, 7 rpg; Joel Humphrey, 5-11 sr., guard, 11 ppg; Mike Brown, 6-0 jr., forward, 11 ppg, 8 rbg.

Fast fact: Humphrey is the lone holdover from the ‘92 team that finished seventh at state. Adna jumps to Class A next year.

Outlook: For Adna to make the semifinals, as expected, it must shake off Saturday’s 15-point district final loss to Toutle Lake. Fatigue may play a role in the final two days.

Kittitas Coyotes

Record: 20-4, second place South Central

League.

Coach: Tim Ravet, first year.

First-round opponent: Adna.

Route to state: Defeated Sunnyside Christian 60-58 at Yakima Valley District to clinch berth.

Top players: Kelly Smith, 6-1 jr., forward 17 ppg; Jimmy Hill, 6-3 jr., guard, 17 ppg; Reece Brown, 6-0 sr., point guard, 13 ppg.

Fast fact: Kittitas clinched its berth with a basket at the buzzer in a game it trailed by 16 points. “This is kind of a shock to them, because in other sports we haven’t done well,” said Ravet, Kittitas Class of 1989.

Outlook: Kittitas could place, but its projected Thursday loser-out matchup could be tougher than any game it would have on Friday. The trophy will come probably next year.

Pateros Billygoats

Record: 19-5, third place of Central

Washington League.

Coach: Mike Hull, 10th year.

First-round opponent: Neah Bay.

Route to state: Defeated Waterville 52-49 at North Central District to clinch berth.

Top players: Garrett Zwar, 6-4 jr., 23 ppg, 10 rbg; Robert Alvarez, 5-7 sr., guard, 8 ppg; Parker Barth, 5-8 soph., point guard, 9 ppg.

Fast fact: Pateros, the State B-8 football runner-up, is making its first appearance at the big basketball show. The Billygoats would have been even stronger had junior Patrick Hunter not had shoulder surgery after the Kingbowl.

Outlook: Bagging a trophy will apparently depend on bouncing back from a quarterfinal loss to Dayton. The hunch here is no Saturday game for the Billygoats because first-timers must pay their dues.

Neah Bay Red Devils

Record: 15-7, first place in North Olympic League.

Coach: Ron Johnson.

First-round opponent: Pateros.

Route to state: Defeated Mount Vernon Christian 66-55 at Tri-District to clinch berth.

Top players: Michael Johnston, 6-4 sr., center/forward, 14 ppg; Nick Brunk, 6-1 sr., forward, 12 ppg; Bobby Akin, 5-10 jr., guard, 10 ppg.

Fast fact: Six previous trips to state have netted nothing higher than a sixth-place trophy.

Outlook: If somebody has to be out in two games, Neah Bay looks like a prime candidate.

Dayton Bulldogs

Record: 24-1, first place in Blue Mountain Conference, ranked fourth.

Coach: Jay Webber, seventh year.

First-round opponent: Naselle.

Route to state: Defeated Garfield-Palouse 73-69 at Southeast District to clinch berth.

Top players: Will Hutchens, 6-3 sr., forward, 22 ppg; Jeff Skeeter, 6-3 jr., center, 8 ppg; Mike Gembala, 6-0 soph., forward, 10 ppg.

Fast fact: Catch the Bulldogs while it’s possible; next year Dayton leaps to Class A.

Outlook: Look for Dayton to use its balance and speed to reach the championship game. All five starters are back from a team that won three of four here last season.

Naselle Comets

Record: 15-13, fourth place in Pacific League Southern Division.

Coach: Lyle Patterson, 30th year.

First-round opponent: Dayton.

Route to state: Defeated Mossyrock at Southwest District to clinch berth.

Top players: Lamar Wirkkala, 5-11 jr., guard, 17 ppg; Sean Eastham, 6-0 sr., forward, 10 ppg; Travis Pakenen, 6-3 jr., post, 8 ppg.

Fast fact: Naselle started the year 4-7, when top returner Ryan Torpa couldn’t play because of a shoulder injury and Pakenen caught pneumonia.

Outlook: Naselle’s tourney-high 31st appearance probably won’t last until Saturday. But the Comets have been written off plenty of times this year.

Mabton Vikings Record: 19-4, champion of South Central Washington League.

Coach: Andy Affholter, sixth year.

First-round opponent: SpragueHarrington.

Route to state: Defeated Kittitas 68-58 at Yakima Valley District to clinch berth.

Top players: Robert Garza, 5-10 sr., guard, 19 ppg; Mike Roettger, 5-8 sr., guard, 14 ppg.; Sam Rios, 5-10 sr., forward, 10 ppg.

Fast fact: Garza is the tallest starter, but Mabton doesn’t shrink from playing man-toman defense.

Outlook: The Vikings played well against second-place Waterville and fifth-place Dayton last year, but the draw doesn’t seem favorable. Friday’s loser-out game would likely be against tourney powers Gar-Pal or Toutle Lake.

Sprague-Harrington Falcons

Record: 26-1, champion of Bi-County League East Division, ranked second.

Coach: Jay Aune, fifth year.

First-round opponent: Mabton.

Route to state: Defeated St. George’s 61-53 at Northeast District to clinch berth.

Top players: Ryan Floyd, 6-0 sr., guard, 20 ppg, 9 rbg; Nick Colbert, 6-3 sr., post, 14 ppg, 6 rbg; Ray Schmitt, 6-1 sr., forward, 7 ppg.

Fast fact: Floyd, Colbert and Schmitt made this trip before - drawing eventual champion Tekoa-Oakesdale in an opener that saw Floyd go down with a knee injury.

Outlook: The Falcons have the easiest shot at the semis; from there, they could meet a tired team from the toughest bracket. One thing about S-H is it knows how to win close games. Aune just wishes there weren’t so many of them.

Snohomish Co. Christian Lions

Record: 17-6, co-champion in Northwest League upper division.

Coach: Steve Hudson, 10th year.

First-round opponent: Pe Ell.

Route to state: Defeated Summit 86-71 at Tri-District to clinch state berth.

Top players: Ben Swetman, 6-2 sr., forward, 25 ppg, 9 rpg; Jason Hudson, 6-0 sr., guard, 10 ppg; Kyle Davis, 6-2 sr., forward, 6 ppg.

Fast fact: The Lions have benefited from transfers: Swetman moving in as a sophomore and Davis coming back after transferring out during his sophomore year.

Outlook: The Lions’ only state appearance, in ‘92, ended 0-2. This group has more depth but likely won’t place.

Pe Ell Trojans

Record: 17-9, third place in Pacific League Southern Division.

Coach: Brent Moon, third year.

First-round opponent: Snohomish County Christian.

Route to state: Defeated Rainier 79-69 at Southwest District to clinch berth.

Top players: Matt Justice, 6-3 sr., post, 13 ppg; Bobby McCalden, 6-0 sr., forward, 12 ppg; Donny Elliott, 6-0 sr., point guard, 11 ppg, 10 rpg.

Fast fact: Moon played at state in ‘82 and ‘84 for Adna. Pe Ell hasn’t made the trip since 1967. Or any year before ‘67, for that matter.

Outlook: The Trojans, who have won 13 of their last 15, boast five seniors who have played together since sixth grade. Whether that means a trophy depends on beating teams with state experience.

Toutle Lake Ducks

Record: 22-1, champion of Central League

Southern Division, ranked fifth.

Coach: Eric Swanson, fifth year.

First-round opponent: Garfield-Palouse.

Route to state: Defeated Rainier 79-43 at Southwest District to clinch berth.

Top players: Nick Andrew, 6-5 sr., forward/ post, 19 ppg; Kevin Grabenhorst, 5-11 jr., guard, 16 ppg; Greg Kilponen, 6-0 sr., forward, 13 ppg.

Fast fact: After a 24-point loss to Adna during the league season, Toutle Lake proved its point Saturday at the district title game. Andrew jammed on Ellis right from the start.

Outlook: Fourth last year with the same group, the Ducks are in the hunt for their first title appearance. The guess here is they’ll do it.

Garfield-Palouse Vikings

Record: 22-3, champion of Whitman County League, ranked sixth.

Coach: Tim Coles, 12th year.

First-round opponent: Toutle Lake.

Route to state: Defeated LaCrosseWashtucna 57-40 at Southeast District to clinch berth.

Top players: Beau Hilty-Jones, 6-2 sr., guard, 17 ppg; Rob Tiegs, 6-5 sr., forward/ post, 15 ppg; Steve Cofield, 6-1 sr., forward/ post, 10 ppg.

Fast fact: Coles has taken nine teams to state during his dozen years.

Outlook: The draw couldn’t be much harsher, but the Vikings are playing much looser than last year when they entered as favorites. Gar-Pal has finished third three times since consolidating.

Northwest Christian Crusaders

Record: 22-4, champion of Panorama League South Division, ranked ninth.

Coach: Danny Beard, first year.

First-round opponent: Summit.

Route to state: Defeated SpragueHarrington 71-64 at Northeast District to clinch berth.

Top players: Adam Rapelje, 6-3 jr., post, 9 ppg; Jason Iverson, 6-1 sr., guard/wing, 9 ppg; Nate Dunham, 6-0 soph., guard, 11 ppg.

Fast fact: The defending state champs rolled on despite the transfer of two top players and a nagging leg injury to Rapelje.

Outlook: Discounting NWC at tournament time would be folly. The Crusaders’ defense and balanced scoring should mean a top-five finish. Few would be shocked if NWC repeated.

Summit Invaders

Record: 20-6, second place in Sea-Tac League Upper Division.

Coach: Brett Smith, second year.

First-round opponent: Northwest Christian.

Route to state: Defeated Orcas 52-48 at Tri-District to clinch berth.

Top players: Doug Sims, 5-9 jr., guard, 9 ppg; Aaron Rogers, 6-3 sr., center, 14 ppg, 9 rbg; Pablo Schreiber, 6-4 sr., forward, 13 ppg.

Fast fact: Smith, who backed up receiver Paul Skansi at the University of Washington, is a Seattle policeman who patrols downtown at night. He earned an English degree in ‘87, which, he said, helps him write good reports.

Outlook: Win or lose, the Invaders will play their first two games against teams that placed last year. Coming in with 20 wins may not be enough to place.

MEMO: These are two sidebars that appeared with the story:

Sidebar 1: Players to watch 1. Will Hutchens, 6-3 forward, sr., Dayton 2. Nick Andrew, 6-5 forward/post, sr., Toutle Lake 3. Ivory Crittendon III, 6-1 guard, jr., Tacoma Baptist 4. Ryan Floyd, 6-0 guard, sr., SpragueHarrington 5. Jeff Ellis, 7-0 post, jr., Adna Sidebar 2: Predicted placings 1. Toutle Lake 2. Dayton 3. Sprague-Harrington 4. Northwest Christian 5. Garfield-Palouse 6. Adna 7. Almira/Coulee-Hartline 8. Tacoma Baptist -Chris Derrick The following fields overflowed: SECTION = 1995 STATE B BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT