It wasn’t enough for the Lummi Nation girls basketball team to qualify for state by reaching the regional round. The Lady Blackhawks wanted to go all the way to the state tournament in the Spokane Arena.
Well, mission accomplished as Lummi Nation defeated Muckleshoot Tribal, 61-39, in their loser-out state regional contest on Friday, Feb. 28, at Mount Vernon High School, thereby advancing the Blackhawks to Spokane for the second year in a row.
“Spokane has been our goal right from the beginning of the season,” said Lummi Nation coach David James, whose team improved to 23-4. “What makes this team special is how hard they work every day. Each one wants it as badly as the other.”
Ninth-seeded Lummi Nation now advances to Wednesday’s round of 12 and will play a loser-out game in Spokane at 2 p.m. against the loser of Saturday’s Neah Bay-Pateros regional contest.
Lummi Nation has lost to both — to Pateros, 48-46, during the regular season and to top-ranked and two-time defending state champion Neah Bay in the District 1/2/3 championship game, 48-37.
On Friday, the Blackhawks started slow as the 16th-seeded Kings (14-9) used an 11-0 run to take the lead in the first quarter. But it didn’t take the Blackhawks long to soar back in front.
They finished the first half on a 22-4 run and then started the second half on a 13-2 run to go up by 25 and end any doubt as to where they’d be going next week.
“We knew they’d run and gun and we were ready for them,” said James. “We changed up our defense a little and sped the game up.”
Doing most of the damage for the Blackhawks was junior Alina Rabang, who had 23 points and three 3-pointers. Sixteen of her points came in Lummi’s blitz in the second and third quarters.
“We knew we had to win, and I knew I’d play real well … I always seem to play well here,” said Rabang, who had 34 points in last year’s regional victory in the Mount Vernon gym.
Two other juniors had big games. Kashlyn Mack had 13 points, and Brianna Metteba had 12 points and a pair of 3-pointers. Freshman Celestine James added 7 points.
Now that Lummi Nation has reached its goal of going to Spokane, the Blackhawks can set their sights on earning a state trophy for the first time since 2009’s fourth-place finish. That is the school’s highest placing in its seven previous state appearances.
“It’s going to be great,” said Rabang of the Spokane Arena. “It’s really exciting. It’s big. It’s loud. It will be a whole new experience for some of them.”
Metteba went for the first time last season and can’t wait to return.
“The lights are brighter and everything is bigger,” she said. “This year, we had the mindset that we’re going to make it.” When asked what made this team special, she said, “Our bond and connection. We’ve learned to love and to grow together.”
Muckleshoot, meanwhile, only has one senior and was looking to make school history Friday. The Kings have made it to state four times, but have yet to advance past the loser-out regional round.
On Thursday, the Northwest 1B League handed out its end-of-the-season honors. Sophomore Jemma James was named the NW1B player of the year, Rabang was named to the first team, and Metteba and freshman Laraya Dennis were named honorable mention.
Lummi Nation 61, Muckleshoot Tribal 39
Muckleshoot Tribal 11 4 10 14—39
Lummi Nation 14 15 15 17—61
Muckleshoot Tribal: Aniah Jewelz 20, Jaleyah Williams 1, Hilary Penfield, Natalia Riklon,T’Nessa Starr, Makayla Courville 2, Sierra Nelson 5, Mor’Deicia Lester 9, Rianna Thompson, Delight Vaomu, Alexis Deason, Madison Loggins 2.
Lummi Nation: Jemma James 4, Graciela Kapuni-Lopez, Laraya Dennis, Ailina Rabang 23, Brianna Metteba 12, Kashlyn Mack 13, Celestine James 7, Madelyn Williams, Robyn Jones 2.
CLASS 1B GIRLS STATE REGIONALS
Tuesday, Feb. 25
#16 Muckleshoot Tribal 53, #17 Mary M. Knight 44 (loser out)
#15 Taholah 58, #18 Evergreen Lutheran 35 (loser out)
#14 Almira-Coulee-Hartline 58, #19 Willapa Valley 22 (loser out)
#13 Wilbur-Creston-Keller 61, #20 Summit Classical Christian 15 (loser out)
Friday, Feb. 28
#5 Wellpinit 55, #4 Yakama Tribal 44 (both to state tournament)
#9 Lummi Nation 61, Muckleshoot Tribal 39 (winner to state tournament, loser out)
#3 Garfield-Palouse 47, #6 Inchelium 43 (both to state tournament)
Saturday, March 1
#7 Pe Ell (21-0) vs. #2 Waterville-Mansfield (20-3) at Wenatchee HS, noon (both to state tournament)
#8 Pateros (19-5) vs #1 Neah Bay (20-1) at Mount Tahoma HS, 2 p.m. (both to state tournament)
Taholah (18-6) vs. #10 Oakesdale (18-5) at Cheney HS, 4 p.m. (winner to state tournament, loser out)
Almira-Coulee-Hartline (14-11) vs. #11 Sunnyside Christian (19-5) at Davis HS, 4 p.m. (winner to state tournament, loser out)
Wilbur-Creston-Keller (15-7) vs. #12 Crosspoint Christian (17-7) at Mount Tahoma HS, 4 p.m. (winner to state tournament, loser out)
