SPOKANE – They met twice in the regular season. Once for the district championship, one again for the tri-district championship and one last time for the 1B state championship. It was never easy, but Lummi Nation left zero doubt that it was the best team in the state by defeating Tulalip Heritage for the fifth time this season, this time for the championship, 61-56.
The Blackhawks came into the game rolling with a 24-game winning streak after starting the season with a tie at Lakewood, a win at Sehome and a loss at Lynden Christian, who just won the 1A state championship in convincing fashion just 45 minutes before the Blackhawks repeated as the 1B champs.
With the familiar foe, every strength and weakness was already known for both squads, it was just about rolling the ball out there on the hardwood and getting after it, and that’s exactly what both teams did.
The Hawks led 31-26 at the half, but Lummi Nation was able to tie it up at 43-43 going into the final period.
Last season it was Jerome Toby‘s steal that helped clinched the state championship, and his late game heroics came into play once again as his steal with under a minute to play helped pave the way to the victory.
Toby finished with a game-high 26 points, seven rebounds, four steals and three assists.
Junior guard Dyson Edwards dialed in 12 points, and junior guard Landon LaFontaine chipped in with 11 points, including a trio of three-pointers.
Senior center Chayce Waite-Kellar fought through double-teams and scored seven points, but his biggest contributions were his 14 rebounds and five blocked shots.
The Blackhawks finished the season with a record of 26-1-1, and be sure to look for the documentary about the Blackhawk’s season which is scheduled to be released in May by Cascadia Daily.
Lummi Nation 61, Tulalip Heritage 56 TUL 11 20 12 13 - 56 LUM 14 12 17 18 - 61
Tulalip Heritage: N/A. Lummi Nation: Toby 26, LaFontaine 11, Edwards 12, Revey 0, Yrizarris 2, Hawk 0, Jones 0, Waite-Kellar 7, James 3, Toby-Williams 0.
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