Now that the Lummi Nation boys basketball team has made it to the Class 1B state tournament, it’s time to start all over again.
And the third-seeded Blackhawks will restart with the opponent they just finished with, Muckleshoot Tribal School, in the regional round of state on Saturday, Feb. 29, at 6 p.m. at Mount Vernon High School.
“You have to be ready to play,” said Lummi Nation coach Jerome Toby. “Records, rankings … you can throw them all out the window. You have to bring effort and energy for 32 minutes. Every team has earned the right to be here.”
The Blackhawks certainly have. They are the tournament’s third seed with a sparkling 23-3 record, having won 18 of their last 19. Their only losses this season were to much larger schools that also made their playoffs — 3A Stanwood and 1A Meridian (twice).
The Lummi leader is senior guard Caleb Revey, who can take over a game on offense and inspire a team with his pressure defense. But the maturation of youngsters like sophomore post Tyran Lane and guard Duncan Toby has turned Lummi Nation into a well-rounded team.
“We’ve got a great group, a fun group,” said coach Toby. “They’re excited to be moving on in the playoffs. They want to be challenged.”
They will be challenged on Saturday, when the Blackhawks again meet sixth-seed Muckleshoot Tribal School (19-7). The two teams faced off in the Tri-District 1/2/3 championship game last Saturday, a hard-fought contest the Blackhawks won, 74-56.
“They’re going to bring it; we have to be ready for a battle,” said coach Toby. “But I like where we’re at. We know there’s some things we need to clean up (from the last game). But we’ll continue to be us. I like us.”
Win or lose, the Blackhawks are guaranteed a berth in the state tournament in the Spokane Arena next week.
If they win Saturday, Lummi Nation will get a bye into the second round and play on Thursday, March 5, at 12:15 p.m. The Blackhawks’ opponent would be the winner of an earlier game between the Selkirk-Tacoma Baptist winner and the Riverside Christian-Naselle loser.
If the Blackhawks lose Saturday, they would play Wednesday, March 4, at 9 a.m. against the winner of the regional game between Garfield-Palouse and Chief Kitsap Academy.
LUMMI NATION BLACKHAWKS
Record: 23-3
State seeding: #3, No.1 seed out of Tri-District 1/2/3
Starters: Caleb Revey, G, Sr., 6-0; William Hetland, G, Jr., 5-10; Jaie Leighton, F, Jr., 6-3; Tyran Lane, F, So., 6-5; Duncan Toby, G, So., 5-10.
Reserves: Patrick Sturgeon, F, Sr., 5-8; Moses Seymour, F, Jr., 5-8; Franklin Whiteman, G, Jr., 5-5; William Kinley, G, So., 5-8; Richard Wilson, F, Fr., 6-1; Tobias Francis, G, 8G, 5-4; Dezmond Bailey, F, 8G, 5-5.
CLASS 1B BOYS STATE TOURNAMENT
Regional round
Friday, Feb. 28
#2 Yakama Nation Tribal vs. #7 Rainier Christian, 6 p.m., at Davis HS in Yakima
#9 Taholah vs. #16 Mount Vernon Christian, 6 p.m., at Tumwater
#10 Almira-Coulee-Hartline vs. #15 Sunnyside Christian, 8 p.m., at Wenatchee
Saturday, Feb. 29
#1 Odessa vs. #8 Oakesdale, noon, at West Valley (Spokane)
#4 Riverside Christian vs. #5 Naselle, 4 p.m., at Eisenhower HS in Yakima
#11 Garfield-Palouse vs. #14 Chief Kitsap Academy, 4 p.m., at University HS in Spokane
#12 Tacoma Baptist vs. #13 Selkirk, 4 p.m., at Rogers (Puyallup)
#3 Lummi Nation vs. #6 Muckleshoot Tribal School, 6 p.m., at Mount Vernon
