Top Teams Meet Head-On Ritzville’s Girls Champs Begin State B With Tekoa-Oakesdale

Ritzville girls assistant coach Steve Wellsandt had this premonition.

Wouldn’t it be bizarre, Wellsandt mused, if we drew Tekoa-Oakesdale in our State B opener.

Not bizarre enough, apparently, because that’s just what happened to the top-ranked Broncos during Sunday morning’s drawings for the girls and boys state basketball tournaments at the Ridpath Hotel.

The announcement drew a buzz from the crowded room, as did the later news that top-ranked Pateros (23-1) and second-ranked Curlew (21-6) would square off in a boys opener. The latter matchup has lost some luster the past two weeks because Curlew, which had forfeited three league games, lost three times on the court in postseason play.

Ritzville, the defending girls state champion and winner of 35 consecutive games, will play Tekoa-Oakesdale’s third-ranked Nighthawks (24-3) at 8 p.m. when games begin Wednesday at the Arena. T-O placed fifth last year, losing to eventual state runner-up Wilbur-Creston by two points in its opener.

The Broncos-Nighthawks matchup became possible when T-O lost to Waitsburg at the District 9-B tournament. The Nighthawks had to fight back to earn the district’s No. 2 seed, meaning they were etched in to open against a No. 1 such as Ritzville.

“They’re much like we are,” Ritzville coach Howard Manke said of T-O. “We both feed off our defenses.

“We’ll probably set an attendance record for the first night of the tournament.”

The opening day’s other top girls attraction should be fourth-ranked St. George’s (21-5) against No. 10 Waitsburg (18-6) at noon.

The Dragons, state champions in 1994, will be faced with a District 9 title team that boasts 6-foot-2 Anne Bickelhaupt and 6-0 Kynde Kiefel inside and quickness outside.

Waitsburg, on the other hand, hasn’t played at state before, joining Napavine, Cascade Christian, Sprague-Harrington and Cedar Park Christian as tourney first-timers.

Valley Christian, new to the boys state field, landed an interesting opening assignment. The sixth-ranked Panthers (22-2), District 7 champs and winners of 10 straight, begin against Darrington (16-9).

Darrington finished third at state last year with much the same group, and joins North Beach as the lone state returners from 1997.

Darrington was originally pegged into the 9 a.m. boys opener, but tourney officials made a switch because Darrington’s girls are playing at 9.

“I looked at the five possible teams in the draw that we could open against, and Valley Christian wasn’t one of those that I wanted,” said Darrington boys coach Jeff Bryson.

Pateros boys coach Mike Hull won the state title in ‘96 with a veteran group that entered as big favorites. The Billygoats are just one of the good teams entered this time, Hull said.

“I don’t think there’s a favorite up there,” Hull said, pointing to a poster board listing qualifiers. “My feeling is it’s wide-open.”

Besides VC, Cascade Christian, DeSales (although the school qualified in ‘54 as St. Patrick’s) and Chief Leschi are new to the boys field.

Odessa (18-9) drew fifth-ranked Leschi (22-3) for a noon opener. The Tigers, fresh off a district win over Curlew, will scramble to scout the Puyallup-based Warriors.

“You know you can’t prepare for what you want to do and what you want to take away,” said coach Myron Kramer, who returned to Tigers basketball this season after a generation-long hiatus.

, DataTimes MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: State B tournament Boys pairings At the Arena, beginning Wednesday Snohomish Co. Christian (14-12) vs. St. George’s (20-7), 9 a.m. Napavine (17-9) vs. St. John-Endicott (20-5), 10:30 a.m. Odessa (18-9) vs. Chief Leschi (22-3), Noon Cascade Christian (16-13) vs. North Beach (19-4), 1:30 p.m. Curlew (21-6) vs. Pateros (23-1), 5 p.m. Pe Ell (18-6) vs. La Conner (20-3), 6:30 p.m. Darrington (16-9) vs. Valley Christian (22-2), 8 p.m. DeSales (18-5) vs. Lyle (19-2), 9:30 p.m. Girls pairings At the Arena, beginning Wednesday Wahkiakum (17-6) vs. Darrington (20-5), 9 a.m. Shoreline Christian (20-6) vs. Wilbur-Creston (17-7), 10:30 a.m. St. George’s (21-5) vs. Waitsburg (18-5), Noon Cedar Park Christian (21-7) vs. Manson (18-5), 1:30 p.m. Orcas Island (18-5) vs. Sunnyside Christian (17-4), 5 p.m. Sprague-Harrington (17-10) vs. Napavine (20-3), 6:30 p.m. Tekoa-Oakesdale (24-3) vs. Ritzville (25-0), 8 p.m. Morton (18-7) vs. Cascade Christian (18-6), 9:30 p.m.