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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Washington State 2A basketball: Bantams surge past Seahawks for first title; EV girls take fifth

Michael Anderson Correspondent

YAKIMA – Clarkston made the most of its first state championship basketball game appearance in 90 years on Saturday, knocking off Anacortes, 59-48, for the State 2A title at the Yakima SunDome.

Clarkston’s last appearance in the title game was 1925 when it dropped a 19-17 nail-biter to Yakima. 

Saturday in Yakima, the Bantams (26-1) got 19 points from Trevon Allen and 13 from tourney MVP CJ Johnson and just had too much firepower for the Seahawks to handle.

The win was the third straight 2A title for the Great Northern League. Pullman won the 2013 and 2014 titles.

“This just means so much to us,” an emotional Johnson said. “We had come this far and we didn’t want to do anything different than what got us here. We got our ultimate goal.”

The Bantams closed the first half on a 10-0 run, five points each by Davian Sobotta and Johnson, to lead 28-19 at the break. It was the first time either team led by more than four points.

Three point shooting had been crucial to both teams advancing to the title game, but in the first half, the two squads combined to hit just six of 24. But Allen hit two 3-pointers in the third period – one from each wing – as well as a a pair of free throws as the Bantams opened up a 43-28 lead.

After Clarkston opened a 47-31 lead a minute into the final period, Joe D’Amelio tried single-handedly to bring the Seahawks back. The fiery guard scored 13 of his 20 points in the quarter but Anacortes couldn’t get any closer than 47-38.

Girls

Ellensburg 48, East Valley 45: A 17-9 first period deficit doomed the Knights in the 2A girls third-fifth game at the SunDome.

The Knights (21-5) outscored the Bulldogs over the final three periods but it was not enough to close the deficit.

Jordan Phelan led the Knights with 15 points and 11 rebounds. Hannah Burland chipped in 12 points and grabbed 9 rebounds.