Sunday, Mar. 01, 2009

4A roundup: Richland boys fall short of state

By Jack Millikin, Herald staff writer

KENNEWICK -- The song began almost inaudibly after the conclusion of the 4A boys Eastern Regional tournament Saturday at Toyota Center.

Then it grew, the voices spilling outside the small, dank locker room that separated the Richland boys basketball team from the rest of the world.

"Ain't no mountain high enough, ain't no valley low enough, ain't no river wide enough, to keep me from getting to you."

The Bombers had just been defeated by Gonzaga Prep 66-53 in a game that promised the winner the third and final berth in the 4A state tournament beginning Wednesday in Tacoma. The losing team got to deliver its final goodbyes.

It was, however, a fitting farewell for a young Richland team that had grown close after a season that certainly held no guarantee of a state berth. Still, the Bombers found themselves right on the brink of a second straight trip to state.

"It would be a lot tougher if I thought we didn't compete," said Richland coach Earl Streufert. "To be one of the last teams standing is a real accomplishment after returning only two players (Jamison Rowe and Calvin Douglas) from last year."

Eisenhower won the regional title for the first time since 2005, defeating Walla Walla 45-42 to avenge a loss in last week's CBBN district final.

Douglas was named to the all-tournament first-team after averaging 13.3 points and 11 rebounds through four games.

Douglas led Richland with 16 points and 10 rebounds, but he struggled to contain Prep's aggressive 6-foot-7 post Ryan Nicholas, who scored 14 of his team-high 16 points in the fourth quarter.

"He started doing what he wanted," said a tearful Douglas. "I shouldn't have let him have the baseline."

Richland never led in the game but stayed close for three quarters, trailing just 35-34 after Colton McCargar drove for a layup along the left baseline in the final seconds of the third.

But Nicholas scored six points during a 10-1 run to open the fourth quarter as the Bullpups jumped out to a 45-35 lead before Dylan Radliff hit a 3-pointer from the left wing to break the Bombers' drought.

Gonzaga Prep hit 15 of 18 free throws over the final 2:57 to keep Richland at bay.

Meanwhile, Rowe had to watch helplessly as the final minutes of his hoops career wound down until Streufert took him out with under a minute to go so fans could pay homage to the senior guard.

"I'd been thinking about how I would react when I came out for the last time. I didn't think it would be as hard as football," said Rowe, a two-time 4A all-state pick in football who will play baseball at Nevada. "I was wondering, 'Is (Coach) going to pull us all out at once, or will he do it one at a time?'

"As I was coming off, I looked at the bench, then at Coach and at the fans," said Rowe, who covered his face in a towel as the final seconds ticked down. "As soon as I sat down, it started to hit me."

Streufert, for one, won't forget the defensive fireball who became one of the league's top defenders under the fiery coach.

"He's probably the greatest competitor I've ever coached other than Travis Buck," Streufert said. "There's nobody in the league that wanted him checking them."

GONZAGA PREP (66)

Ryan Nicholas 16, Fischer 12, Stockton 4, Hanson 8, Long 13, Kelly, Sarbaugh 8, Nelson, Hellenthal 5. Totals 22-46 18-25 66.

RICHLAND (53)

Calvin Douglas 16, Jacobs 2, Rowe 6, Smith 12, Dunford, Radliff 6, McCargar 6, Hilty 2, Vedder 3. Totals 19-47 12-17 53.

Gonzaga Prep 17 6 12 31 -- 66

Richland 9 8 17 19 -- 53

Highlights -- GP 4x12 3pt, Ric 3x14; GP 25 rbs, Ric 33; GP 13 TOs, Ric 17; Nicholas 10 rbs; David Stockton 5 asts, 3 stls; Douglas 10 rbs; Jamison Rowe 6 rbs, 3 asts.

Ike 45, Walla Walla 42

Walla Walla trailed Eisenhower 43-42 with under 10 seconds remaining, and everybody knew who the ball was going to: Gary Winston.

The 6-foot Blue Devils guard, who scored 25 points in a semifinal win over Lewis & Clark, slipped a double team in the backcourt and slid into the lane, where he put up a 10-foot leaner that bounced off the front of the rim.

"We wanted the ball in his hand," said Wa-Hi coach John Golden. "He didn't get the best look, but you've got to give Ike some credit."

Spencer Hessler got the rebound for the Blue Devils, but Cadets guard Ryan Watson got a piece of it to force a jump ball with just four seconds remaining. The possession arrow went to Eisenhower, which held on to win the regional title and the No. 1 seed to state.

"Winston put on a show, but (Jordan) Gaut did a great job hanging with him," said Ike coach Pat Fitterer.

Taylor Elmo led the Cadets with 19 points and 11 rebounds, and hit a pair of free throws in the final three seconds to ice the win. Hessler got a look at a potential game-tying 3-pointer at the final buzzer, but he couldn't get the shot off in time.

"Walla Walla's a great team. They're the only team that has beaten us," Elmo said. "Everybody was so upset after that loss. We really had to do some soul searching."

Winston led Walla Walla with 12 points, six rebounds and three assists.

EISENHOWER (45)

Taylor Elmo 19, Gaut 7, Watson, Lopez 10, Berman 3, Bonser 6. Totals 19-44 5-6 45.

WALLA WALLA (42)

Gary Winston 12, Heitzmann, Richards 7, Hessler 8, Weisner 7, Clothier, James, Arias 8. Totals 15-45 10-14 42.

Eisenhower 13 8 9 15 -- 45

Walla Walla 15 9 7 11 -- 42

Highlights -- Ike 2x11 3pt, WW 2x9; Ike 27 rbs, WW 25; Ike 10 TOs, WW 7; Elmo 11 rbs; James Lopez 4 asts; Spencer Hessler 9 rbs; Winston 6 rbs, 3 asts.

Richland 69, Pasco 62

Clint Smith and Calvin Douglas combined to give Richland an advantage inside the paint, combining for 31 points to offset 28 points from Pasco's Robert Montano to end the Bulldogs' season in a loser-out contest.

Pasco started strong, as Andre Griffin hit a 3-pointer on the Bulldogs' opening possession and Montano followed with a steal and a bucket for a 5-0 lead. But that lead quickly dissolved after a 14-4 Bombers run gave them a 14-9 first-quarter lead.

"We definitely came out flat," said Pasco coach Chad Herron. "When we cut the lead to 54-53 and they got a bucket, I felt we went back into panic mode and threw up a couple quick 3s.

"Calvin and Clint controlled the game."

PASCO (62)

Robert Montao 28, Griffin 13, Scales 4, Uvay 7, Streicher 7, Negron 1, Reid, Villafan 2, Wilborn. Totals 25-63 7-11 62.

RICHLAND (69)

Clint Smith 17, Jacobs 13, Rowe 5, Dunford 5, Douglas 14, Radliff 7, McCargar 8, Hilty, Vedder. Totals 23-44 20-31 69.

Pasco 9 14 17 22 -- 62

Richland 14 16 16 23 -- 69

Highlights -- Pas 5x29 3pt, Ric 3x6; Pas 22 rbs, Ric 44; Pas 11 TOs, Ric 24; Montao 6 rbs, 3 asts, 4 stls; Andre Griffin 5 stls; Calvin Douglas 14 rbs; Brett Jacobs 10 rbs, 3 asts; Jamison Rowe 4 asts, 4 rbs, 3 stls.

G-Prep 49, Lewis & Clark 34

Sean Fischer led all scorers with 21 points to lead Gonzaga Prep over Lewis & Clark to reach the consolation final.

Prep used a 13-3 fourth quarter to seal the victory.

GONZAGA PREP (49)

Sean Fischer 21, Stockton 9, Kelly, Sarbaugh, Hanson 3, Nelson, Nicholas 11, Long 3, Hellenthal 2. Totals 19-35 5-89 49.

LEWIS & CLARK (34)

Austin Ehlo 15, Livingston, Eglet 3, Poland, Taylor 3, Lenz, Bond, Hoffman 13. Totals 14-34 3-6 34.

Gonzaga Prep 13 14 9 13 -- 49

Lewis & Clark 10 15 6 3 -- 34

Highlights -- Ryan Nicholas 8 rbs.

All-tournament team

First team -- Taylor Elmo, sr., Eisenhower (MVP); Gary Winston, sr., Walla Walla; Ryan Nicholas, jr., Gonzaga Prep; Calvin Douglas, soph., Richland; Robert Montao, sr., Pasco.

Second team -- James Lopez, jr., Eisenhower; Clint Smith, sr., Richland; Robert Bonser, jr., Eisenhower; Sean Hoffman, sr., Lewis & Clark; Jordan Gaut, sr., Eisenhower; Sean Fischer, sr., Gonzaga Prep; Michael Weisner, jr., Walla Walla.