State 2A/1A: Pullman places second after losing to Lynden
YAKIMA – It was a most unfortunate reversal Saturday afternoon for the Pullman boys basketball team.
A day after scoring 26 points in the fourth quarter to take down tournament top seed and defending champion North Kitsap, the Greyhounds’ offense sputtered, scoring just 29 points in the final three quarters.
Lynden senior Dawson Adams matched teammate and tournament MVP Anthony Canales for team-high honors with 15 points and keyed a defensive effort that stifled Pullman in a 51-34 victory in the State 2A championship Friday afternoon in the Yakima Valley SunDome.
It was the Lions’ 11th state championship and third in the past four tournaments. The Greyhounds were playing in the title game for the first time since the second of back-to-back championships in 2014.
“Making shots was a difficulty for us today and we didn’t shoot it good from 2s or 3s,” Pullman coach Craig Brantner said. “Probably nobody thought we could be in the championship game this year. I was just very happy with how our kids did it. I think we earned a little more respect throughout this tournament.”
Adams was tasked with guarding Pullman’s 6-foot-8 center Grayson Hunt, who was coming off a 22-point, 22-rebound semifinal performance against the Vikings. Despite giving up more than half a foot, the Lynden senior limited Hunt to a respectable 10 points on 5-for-10 shooting and eight rebounds.
Hunt’s teammates, though, were 6 of 32 from the field. Jaedyn Brown scored nine for Pullman, hitting 2 of 8 on 3-pointers while the rest of the team was 0 for 7.
“For me as a coach in the moment, I’m not thinking about gold balls or things like that, I’m thinking about how our kids played with unbelievable effort for 32 minutes on the defensive end to hold a team like that to 34 points,” Lynden coach Brian Roper said. “I’m just in awe of our kids’ effort”
Canales, a sophomore, is the youngster in the lineup, but the SunDome is nothing new to him. He was there in 2018 and ’19 when the Lions (22-2) added won their ninth and 10th titles.
This time, however, he had a starring role rather than one of support, and averaged 21 points in the three Lynden victories.
“Growing up as a little kid after coming here for the back-to-back championships, it’s been amazing,” he said. “To live out one of my dreams – it’s really special.”
Lions senior Jordan Medcalf, the reigning Northwest Conference player of the year who fed Canales for the winning layup in Friday’s semifinal, was his normal steady self, scoring 13 points and adding six rebounds and seven assists.
Pullman finished the season 23-3.
Boys 1A
(4) Freeman 83, (6) Zillah 77: Quin Goldsmith scored 29 points and the fourth-seeded Scotties (24-3) topped the sixth-seeded Leopards (18-5) in the fourth-place game at the SunDome.
Girls 1A
(9) Wapato 64, (6) Freeman 60: Kayana Bass scored 25 points, Trinity Wheeler added 18 points and 10 rebounds and the Wolves (21-5) edged the Scotties (16-6) in the fourth-place game at the SunDome. Jaycee Goldsmith led Freeman with 21 points and 11 rebounds. Sydney McLean added 19 points.