Serving Whitman County since 1877
Serving Whitman County since 1877
Before the game, the Sunnyside Christian boys basketball team walked into the Eisenhower High School gym in “2013 WIAA State Championship” sweatshirts, including two players with the height to see eye-to-eye with Dalton Patchen.
At gametime the defending state champs took the floor in orange, red, yellow and green shoes.
At the final buzzer, the colors bled, 67-44 Colton.
“That tops last week’s game,” said Jake Straughan with a smile, referring to Colton’s 66-60 win over Gar-Pal to get the last slot into regionals. “We’re playing at a high level, the best we’ve played all year. Our ball movement was impeccable.”
In a regional matchup in Yakima, the Wildcats, with the No. 2 seed from the Southeast 1B District Nine, met the No. 1-seed from District Five.
Sunnyside Christian had graduated their big man from last year, Brandon Broersma, but there were two more in his wake. They also still had dangerous guards Brant Bosma and Wyatt Hoff.
The game began with Patchen on.
With a quick 8-2 lead, the Wildcats built from there.
Patchen hit a three-pointer for 13-9 while Straughan was missing.
Sunnyside Christian led at the end of the quarter, before Patchen hit another three-pointer for 17-14, on an inbound from Straughan.
Then, a Straughan fast-break, score and free-throw put it at 20-14 Colton.
Colton’s Austin Meyer then made a strong move underneath for a score and a foul and keep a six-point Colton lead.
On their next possession, Straughan found Meyer with a pass for a two-footer.
Then he found Carter Dahmen for a three-pointer and 29-20 lead.
Nearing the end of the second quarter, Sunnyside Christian’s Brant Bosma got a big steal off of a Straughan pass for a fast break and score to put his team back within seven.
The Knights’ Hoff then scored on a drive across the lane to cut it to five.
Patchen answered with a three-pointer.
On Colton’s next time down the floor, Patchen hit two free throws for a 10-point Wildcat lead.
The Knights quickly scored to put it back at eight when, as the last 30 seconds ticked off of the half, Colton cleared it out for Straughan.
He stood near halfcourt, dribbling, while Bosma guarded him. With under 10 seconds Straughan made a move, drove the sideline, leaped and threw the ball back to Patchen. Bosma stole it, and took off, bolting down the floor for a running three-pointer at the buzzer.
He downed it and Colton left the floor with just a five-point lead at halftime.
In the third quarter, though, they quickly built it back.
Off of a missed Jordan Druffel three-pointer, Patchen tipped the ball in and Sunnyside Christian coach Brian Bosma called time out.
In his customary sun-punished jeans and button down shirt, the coach addressed his players.
“You’ve got to get a body on him and back him off the glass!” he implored to his two big men, regarding Patchen.
The players yelled “Defense!” at the break.
With the two teams back on the floor, Straughan drove and sent the ball to Meyer for an open lay-up.
“You start to look up at the scoreboard and think; this is real,” Druffel said later.
Colton again led and Sunnyside Christian was looking like all it had was guards.
Straughan hit a three-pointer, Patchen blocked a Cooper Liefke shot and S.C. big man Darren Broersma missed two two-footers and with 1:14 left in the third, Colton led by 16, 48-32.
The Knights were riding broncos from Denver. A blowout was forming.
“This game’s over, dude,” said one Sunnyside fan to another in the crowded Knights’ bleachers.
By 22 seconds left in the third quarter, these same fans were discussing what could be done, saying they were going to go into the game themselves.
“I’ll guard Straughan,” one kid said to the other.
Into the fourth quarter, Colton led by 18 and took it to 20 with 6:36 left on a Druffel turnaround six-footer.
The Knights’ big men still couldn’t get a shot to fall and Druffel soon put the Colton lead back to 20 with a three-pointer from the corner.
By the time Patchen hit a two-footer for 61-39 the gym was as quiet as the Eisenhower White House.
All told, Patchen scored 26 points with 16 rebounds while Straughan added 17, Druffel had nine and Meyer scored eight.
Brant Bosma led Sunnyside Christian with 17 points in his final game.
“We knew all along they were beatable,” said Druffel, who will play at state for the first time. “This is going to be a brand new thing for me.”
Meanwhile, Straughan and Patchen return to state action for the first time since their freshman year.
“We played amazing as a team tonight,” Patchen said. “When the ball’s moving around, we’re pretty dangerous… All year, my No. 1 goal was to get to state. I want it to end on a bang.”
Meyer had that goal in mind too, and has been carrying around a picture of Spokane Arena for weeks.
“Our goal was to turn Sunnyside Christian into jump shooters,” said Paine. “And I think you saw that… I think we’re on a really good run right now.”
STATE FIRST ROUND GAME: Colton will play Cedar Park Christian at 12:15 p.m. Thursday at Spokane Arena. If they win, they advance to play the winner of Three Rivers Christian and Shorewood Christian in the state semifinals.
Garth Meyer is a former Whitman County Gazette reporter.
Reader Comments(0)