Among Bulldogs’ Top Brass Teammates Trumpet Allmaras’ Clutch Play

Tanya Allmaras isn’t likely to toot her own horn. Except when it comes to making music.

And the sweet sound of the national anthem resonating from the Sandpoint High School senior’s trumpet brings tears to her volleyball and girls basketball teammates.

Tonight, Allmaras, a first-chair Idaho All-State band member, will be the soloist before the Bulldogs play their final regular-season home basketball game.

Trumpet put away, the 5-foot-8 Allmaras will join Sandpoint’s starting lineup at wing.

“With sports, there’s always seasons for all of them, but with music, it’s always there constantly,” explained Jenna Verby, Allmaras’ senior teammate and best friend.

“Every time she plays the National Anthem at our games, someone always cries. The definition of Tanya is she always tries her best, and her heart is always in the right place.”

Defensively, Allmaras has sparked Sandpoint (14-2 overall, 6-0 in league) to its first outright Inland Empire League title since 1982.

One week ago, Allmaras intercepted an in-bounds pass with 2.6 seconds left to preserve a 60-58 win at Lake City and give the Bulldogs a sweep over the defending State A-1 champions.

On Saturday at tough Booth Hall in Lewiston, she held star guard Andrea Gomez to two points, 14 below her average. Allmaras, meanwhile, scored 15 in a 58-42 win.

“It was one of those things (where) if we could beat Lewiston down there, that would make our season even sweeter,” Allmaras said. “Last year, they beat us by one point (in the final game of the season).

“With 6 seconds left (last year), I had the ball underneath. I’d gotten a rebound and the ref called traveling. With the whole Lewiston team around me, I don’t know how they could have called that. I’ll never forget that game.”

She laughs while reminiscing about her move from Bismarck, N.D., to North Idaho as a seventh-grader.

She is the eldest daughter of a football-coaching dad, Tony, who was a three-sport athlete at Jamestown (N.D.) College, and a music-teaching mom, Tami. She started to run track in the second grade.

“When I was a little kid, I loved football; basketball was second,” Allmaras said.

She also wanted to play the trombone, but her extended maternal family already had three trombone players. “Grandma always wanted a trumpet player to fulfill a family band,” Allmaras added. “They’re all really musically talented. We spend hours in the music room just playing and singing.”

Allmaras’ athletic reputation spread quickly among the Sandpoint junior high girls.

“It was pretty funny,” senior Alli Nieman explained about meeting Allmaras. “We were playing AAU basketball in the sixth grade and we had a pretty good team. All day in school I was trying to find (Allmaras). Then I saw her, she was at a pop machine. I didn’t talk to her.

“Tanya was really, really shy,” Nieman added. “We’d all eat lunch together, but she’d never eat with us.”

Verby was the first to befriend Allmaras.

“I could tell they had already been friends and played a couple years of basketball,” Allmaras said. “Through high school, I knew we’d be able to stick together, which is pretty neat about a smaller town.”

After Allmaras developed her volleyball game, the outside hitter helped Sandpoint win its second straight State A-1 title this past fall.

Now, she is one of seven seniors helping the Bulldogs bid for the school’s first state basketball title. A three-year starter, Allmaras averages 12.2 points per game on 50 percent field-goal shooting.

“I think we’ve matured a lot from last year to this year,” Allmaras said. “If we see Alli (27.3 ppg) being covered, we can step it up and we can shoot. I think my role varies from game to game.”

Allmaras is always tracking the ball, and she puts in extra practice time to improve her shot. “She’s really strong,” Nieman said. “She’s a really good offensive rebounder; she sneaks in behind all the tall trees. She hustles; she goes all out, all the time. She always has the most bruises on her knees.”

Nieman’s father, assistant coach Jim Nieman, has coached the seniors since they were in grade school.

“I think (Allmaras is) a little more under control with her body, a little more full-court and offensive,” he said. “A lot of teams double- and triple-team Alli; (Allmaras) reads the gaps, just plays smarter. Defensively, she’s played a consistent game.”

Allmaras comes late to practice on Wednesdays, when music comes first.

“I go home right after basketball (other days) and try and get in (music) practices. Sometimes it doesn’t happen because of homework,” Allmaras said. “It becomes a long day and a busy day trying to do everything.”

Music will either be her major or minor in college. There will be basketball, too.

The 3.4 student may even return to Bismarck, home of Mary College (NAIA) and Bismarck Junior College. Her family already spends summers there making music and farming potatoes.

“One of the best rewards is to go to a game and play your best,” Allmaras rationalized. “Even if you lose, but you try your hardest, sometimes the other team is better.

Sports and music are important to Allmaras, but they also provide perspective:

“I take things seriously, but I know there’s always going to be a tomorrow.”

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Photo