1B boys basketball: Oakesdale boys return five starters, spurred by loss

All five Oakesdale starters are back to finish something.

As juniors, with one sophomore, they went 17-3 in the regular season and tied for first-place in the Southeast 1B league basketball standings with Pomeroy. A week later, their season was over, the Nighthawks upset by Touchet in the district tournament at Walla Walla under the igloo dome.

“Last year ended prematurely,” said fifth-year coach Carl Crider. “We didn’t play particularly well at playoff time. We’ll try not to let that duplicate itself.”

Practice began Nov. 12, after a summer of team camps at Soap Lake, Connell and Gonzaga. The...