(AARON VANTUYL/Centralia Chronicle)

Inchelium celebrated its first 1B State Girls Basketball Championship this year at the Spokane Arena. (Brandon Hansen photo)

Here are the changes happening to the WIAA postseason…

There’s two big stories coming out of the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA) headquarters this spring. (Or summer. Seasons don’t really register  in this Narnia-esque “School’s always out but it’s never summer” pandemic predicament.)

Will these moves drastically affect the way the game is played, independent of the changes likely coming post-COVID-19? No. Will they make a major difference in which teams win state championships in each team sports from here on out? Also no.

They will, however, change what playoff brackets look like and how we follow along with the leadup to, and the playing of, state tournaments for the foreseeable future: Everyone gets a seeding committee, and basketball gets a new format (again). The seeding committees are great, but a new basketball format is just rearranging the furniture when you can’t afford to move. More

Here are some shots taken by Editor Brandon Hansen from Selkirk’s 69-67 loss to Riverside Christian in the State 1B Boys Basketball Tournament.

More

(STAFF REPORTS/Chewelah Independent)

JUST SHORT: Lady Stags suffer one-point loss in first state appearance since 1980s…

Despite 17 points from Taylor Lyons, No. 13-seeded Deer Park fell to No. 12 seed Elma 39-38 in the regional round of the State 1A Girls Basketball Tournament at Tumwater High School.

Elma led 24-18 at halftime, but Deer Park pulled ahead 31-30 in the third quarter.

The Eagles came away with the victory in the fourth, and advanced to the State 1A Girls Basketball Tournament in Yakima.

Deer Park ended the season 18-7 overall, while Elma will face No. 4 seed and NEA League champ Freeman on Wednesday at 7:15 p.m.

(PRESS RELEASE/WIAA)

There have been no changes to the schedule of the 2020 WIAA State Basketball Championships in Tacoma, Yakima and Spokane. WIAA Staff is in communication with the Washington State Department of Health and will continue to receive guidance regarding our upcoming events. The safety of participants and fans is the primary focus of our organization and we encourage those planning to attend to follow the prevention guidelines distributed by the Center for Disease Control.

• The WIAA has been working with arena staff at each of the three sites to disinfect high-touch areas with EPA approved disinfectant

• Increased hand sanitizer stations will be made available throughout each site

• The Washington State Department of Health has encouraged attendees of large events to spread out when possible as an extra preventative measure

(STAFF REPORTS/Chewelah Independent)

MOVING ON: Northwest Christian downs higher-seeded Waterville/Manfield and will take on No. 6-seeded Adna on Wednesday…

Northwest Christian busted the bracket on Saturday at Wenatchee High School. Going into the regional round of the State 2B Girls Basketball Tournament, the Crusaders were seeded No. 14, while their opponent, Waterville/Mansfield had a virtual home game and a No. 11 seed.

Northwest Christian jumped out to a 15-8 lead after one quarter and had an 22-18 advantage at the half.

Waterville/Mansfield pulled to within 31-29, but NWC held onto the lead in the fourth quarter for the 45-40 victory.

The Crusaders improved to 17-10 on the year and have won four of their last five games. They will face No. 6 seeded Adna on Wednesday at 9 a.m. in the Spokane Arena.

(STAFF REPORTS/Chewelah Independent) 

Selkirk will play Wednesday at 12:15 p.m. against Riverside Christian in the Spokane Arena.

Link leads Rangers with 16 points…

Selkirk wanted to show that they were wildly underrated in the state RPI rankings and they may have just done that. Having to take a cross-state trip, the Rangers found themselves in Puyallup with a No. 13 seed, playing against Tacoma Baptist in the regional round of the State 1B Boys Basketball Tournament on Saturday.

While it took a little while to shake off the travel legs, Selkirk surged for a 64-46 victory and will play in Wednesday at the Spokane Arena at 12:15 p.m. against Riverside Christian. More

(STAFF REPORTS/Chewelah Independent)

Inchelium will go into the Spokane Arena with the No. 2 seed in the State 1B Girls Basketball Tournament.

Inchelium now winners of 12 straight…

It was a Ferry County matchup in the regional round of the State 1B Girls Basketball Tournament at West Valley High School as Inchelium and Curlew faced off in a defensive slugfest. The Hornets would prevail 30-28 and earn a first round bye in this week’s State 1B Basketball Tournament at the Spokane Arena.

No. 2-seeded Inchelium and No. 7-seeded Curlew were knotted at ten apiece at halftime. This tight scoring would continue as Curlew pulled ahead 16-15 at the end of three. More

(STAFF REPORTS/Chewelah Independent)

BOWING OUT: King’s pulls away from Deer Park in second half, despite 11 points from NEA League MVP Jobi Gelder…

No. 14-seeded King’s eliminated No. 11-seeded Deer Park in the regional round of the State 1A Boys Basketball Tournament on Friday at West Valley High School.

The Stags, fresh off their second-straight District 7 Tournament title, fell behind 26-19 at halftime and would end up losing 62-44 as King’s Tyler Linhardt poured in 20 points.

Deer Park finished the year 16-7 overall and was led by Hunter Dryden’s 11 points in the matchup against King’s. It was the second straight year King’s ended Deer Park’s season. More

(BRANDON HANSEN/Chewelah Independent)

Matthew Thompson and the Kettle Falls Bulldogs will be facing off against Darrington in regionals today after an impressive run in the district tournament. (Brandon Hansen File photo)

IN STATE 1B…
No. 13 Selkirk (15-8) vs. No. 12 Tacoma Baptist (18-8)
at Rogers High School in Puyallup, 4 p.m.

IN STATE 2B…
No. 7 Onalaska (20-6) vs. No. 2 St. George’s (19-4)
at Mt. Spokane High School in Spokane, 2 p.m.

No. 13 Darrinton (17-6) vs. No. 12  Kettle Falls (16-9)
at Mt. Spokane High School in Spokane, 4 p.m.

Today, three Northeast Washington will be playing in the state tournament for basketball with the same goals, but very different feelings in their regional matchups.
St. Georges, which is ranked No. 2 in the state’s RPI for 2B schools will be playing No. 7 Onalaska at Mt. Spokane High School at 2 p.m. Not only is it a short drive for the Spokane-based Dragons. but the team they’re facing has to cross the Cascades to get there.

The 19-4 Dragons have been a Top-5 team in the state all year and this game is for seeding purposes only for next week’s State 2B Hardwood Classic at the Spokane Arena. Due to the format change, the top eight seeds in the basketball tournaments play for seeding, where the bottom eight seeds play to get the right to play in the first round at the Arena. More

(BRANDON HANSEN/Chewelah Independent)

Dawson Youngblood is given All-League honors at the district tourney. (Courtesy photo)

BLUE BLOOD : Dawson Youngblood a key part of a powerful Deer Park squad that has advanced to the State 1A basketball tournament…

While he may be wearing a different colored jersey, Dawson Youngblood is be very familiar to those who have sat in Chewelah’s basketball gym the past few years.
Youngblood, who transferred from Chewelah to Deer Park after his freshman year of high school, was a standout Cougar and is now a key part of the Stags run to the District 7 1 championship for two years in a row.

“The season has gone overall really well,” Dawson told the Independent. “We’ve gone through some hard times that have built us and prepared us for post season for sure.” More