State 1B boys: Reece Isaak lifts Almira/Coulee-Hartline past Rainier Christian in first-round game
Reece Isaak didn’t bring just a lunch pail to work. He brought a garbage can, too.
Isaak finished with 19 points and 10 rebounds to anchor the post, and Almira/Coulee-Hartline advanced to the quarterfinals of the State 1B boys basketball tournament with a 62-30 victory over Rainier Christian in an opening-round, loser-out game Wednesday at the Arena.
The Warriors (17-8) will face off with top-seeded Odessa (24-0) at 10:30 a.m. on Thursday for a berth in the semifinals.
Isaak opened the game with three offensive rebounds and a putback on the Warriors’ opening possession, and he added another layin on ACH’s next trip down the floor for a quick 4-0 lead. Isaak needed to return to the bench at the next whistle, however, and he spent several minutes hunched over, emptying the contents of his stomach into a garbage can.
“It must be nerves,” Isaak said. “I actually felt pretty good going in, but then I started going up and down the court. The good news is that I made it off (the floor).”
ACH coach Graham Grindy said this wasn’t the first time Isaak needed to find a garbage can during a game. He isn’t interested in making it a tradition, either.
“He did it last year, too,” Grindy said. “I’ve been giving him a hard time about that. It must be nerves or something. I don’t know. He just has to get it out of his system, I guess.”
Isaak, a sophomore, returned to the floor and finished the first quarter with eight points as ACH built a 16-2 lead through 8 minutes. Isaak had 10 points at the half, and the Warriors enjoyed a 33-14 advantage at the break. Isaak’s presence in the post opened opportunities for teammates, and eight Warriors scored in the first half.
“That’s been a common theme,” Grindy said. “We’ve been working so hard on their skills and their confidence. … Our younger guys have the green light to shoot the ball.
“Our coaches are always talking about getting the ball inside and how it opens things up for everyone else,” added Isaak.
Isaak missed the first half of the season with a broken hand, and Grindy said the ACH standout still is working on his conditioning. The Warriors will need Isaak on the floor as much as possible if they expect to knock off Odessa and its prolific shooter, Ryan Moffet, the all-time career scoring leader in state history.
“I expect us to come out and set a tone and play our style of basketball,” Grindy said. “They’re a very good team, and they’re more than just one kid. … We’ll play the best defense we can. We have to be efficient, and we have to knock down shots.”
ACH boasts enough size in the post to generate easy buckets with putbacks and layups. Thomas McWalter, a 6-foot-5 senior, collected 11 rebounds against Rainier Christian. Brayton Schafer, a 6-2 senior, scored 11 points. Chase Gerard added a pair of 3-pointers from the perimeter and scored 10 points.
Landen Bruce scored 12 points and Mason Homolka added 10 for the Mustangs, who ended their season 20-8.
Muckleshoot Tribal 62, Garfield-Palouse 58: Carlos Bennett scored 19 points and the sixth-seeded Kings (20-8) eliminated the 11th-seeded Vikings (17-8).
Blake Jones led Garfield-Palouse with 16 points.
Riverside Christian 69, Selkirk 67 (OT) : Levi Rivera scored 19 points and the fourth-seeded Crusaders (21-2) eliminated the 13th-seeded Rangers (16-9)
Ryan Zimmerman led Selkirk with 25 points. Riverside Christian shot 42% from the floor.
Oakesdale 65, Taholah 58 (2OT): Matthew Hockett scored 17 points and the eighth-seeded Nighthawks (19-5) eliminated the ninth-seeded Chitwhins (19-4).
Izaiah Mowitch led Taholah with 20 points. All five Oakesdale starters finished in double digits.