NWC tastes best of old, new
They are now the final true State B champions and the first State 2B champions.
Once again, they did it with their bread-and-butter defense.
In a game in which both teams had trouble holding on to the ball – and finding the bottom of the net – defending state champion Northwest Christian prevailed to take down surging Wahkiakum 46-38 in the boys State 2B championship game Saturday night at the Arena.
“We work a lot on defense and that has been the staple of our program,” NWC coach Ray Ricks said. “Our offense hasn’t been too consistent, but our defense is what really got it done for us.”
The Crusaders (28-1) pulled ahead early, taking a 10-5 lead after the first quarter.
NWC sophomore Matt Zandbergen scored first in the second quarter, and the Crusaders took a 12-5 lead before the Mules (25-2) went on an 8-0 run to tie the game at 13-all.
NWC’s Chase Ramey and Joe Grewe picked up their third fouls before the half, but the Mules couldn’t take advantage of free-throw opportunities.
Tournament Most Valuable Player Ramey sank a 3-pointer and John Graham added a layin to give NWC an 18-15 lead at half.
In the end, it was the Crusaders’ stifling defense that allowed NWC to overcome 21 turnovers in the game.
Senior Derek Iranon shut down Mules leading scorer Toby David, who managed to finish with 12 points.
“Iranon got right on Toby and never came off him,” Wahkiakum coach Bill Olsen said. “Our guys tried to get him open a number of times. If you’re looking for a sleeper MVP, it would be him.”
“Grewe and Iranon played physical, intensive defense and they really got the job done on defense tonight,” Ricks added.
In the third quarter, Zandbergen made two straight buckets to give the Crusaders a 29-20 lead.
Wahkiakum’s Romeo Savant and Toby David made respective buckets and Savant scored once more to keep the Mules within range at 29-26.
Ramey joined the State B 100-point club on a pull-up jumper just inside the free-throw line with 5 minutes to go in the third quarter. He finished with 102 points total in eight games played at state tournaments.
Wahkiakum closed the gap to 29-28 on a Ty Briscoe reverse layin with less than 6 minutes to go.
The Crusaders managed to pull away after that, making five trips to the line and hitting 9 of 12 free throws down the stretch.
Joe Grewe was 3 of 4 and Ramey and Iranon both went 2 for 2 to clinch the victory. When bench player James Richardson made 1 of 2 free throws with less than 10 seconds to play, the NWC crowd erupted.
“They were better than I expected,” Olsen said. “I don’t think I saw the real NWC until tonight. I was real comfortable going into tonight, they did what they had to do, they played very good defense.”
Sophomore Zandbergen led the Crusaders with 13 points while Ramey, also a sophomore, added 10. Grewe, a senior, finished with 10.
“(Winning state) feels just as good as the last time,” Ramey said. “It’s really a reflection on our program and our coaches, and I couldn’t ask for better teammates. To do it with these guys, I just couldn’t ask for more.”
Ricks, who was a player on NWC’s 1989 State B championship team, acknowledged his team’s inconsistent offensive performance.
“I didn’t feel we played our best offensively,” Ricks said. “But we really buckled down on defense and got the job done. It feels awesome. It feels great to know that we won the last of the old State B and won the first of the new one.”
“This was so great for us,” Iranon added. “We started last year with a bang, and ended this year with a boom. We’re just really stoked right now.”