黑料福利社

Had you polled basketball aficionados prior to the Class 2A state basketball tournament what might be expected from a game between gritty, undersized Wapato and top-ranked, tourney-favorite River Ridge, the expectation might well have been a lopsided contest.

Which is why the Wolves were so disappointed after their Saturday game for fourth and sixth places: Because it almost was lopsided 鈥� but not the way most observers would have expected.

The Wolves controlled the game throughout, leading by as much as a dozen points, before back-to-back turnovers in the final two minutes gave River Ridge enough momentum to squeak out a 67-62 victory.

鈥淭his one hurts. We let this one slip,鈥� said junior Hunter Jacob, who led Wapato (20-6) with 28 points, eight rebounds and three assists. 鈥淏ut at the end of the day it feels good to compete with a great team like River Ridge.鈥�

The undersized Wolves 鈥� who gave up four inches a man in their first-round loss to No. 2 Lynden and about half that against River Ridge 鈥� earned a lot of statewide respect en route to their first state trophy since 2001.

鈥淚鈥檓 proud of my team and the way we were playing this whole tournament,鈥� senior guard Jordan Blodgett said. 鈥淟ynden was a good team, but we were hanging around with them, but people weren鈥檛 thinking we鈥檇 be doing that at all.

鈥淎nd after the game I had people coming up and telling me how much respect they had for us; before the game they didn鈥檛 have any, and after the game they had lots. All three days we鈥檝e gotten respect.鈥�

Blodgett鈥檚 21 points capped a remarkable season and a career spent primarily as a role player. As a senior, he became the team leader and, at a slender 5-foot-8, an electric game-changer.

鈥淚t was his turn,鈥� Wapato coach Derek Birley said. 鈥淲e were senior-dominated last year, and it was his turn to kind of step up from underneath the shadows, and boy, he did it 鈥� more so than I ever could imagine.

鈥淚 mean, I knew what I had in him, but I don鈥檛 think I really knew until he was freed up to, I guess, to be him.鈥�

With Blodgett and Jacob leading the way and Rodrigo Campos knifing down the baseline for layups, Wapato had the Hawks (24-3) on their heels throughout. Even after a 10-0 River Ridge burst in the third quarter cut the Wolves鈥� 41-29 lead to just two, they quickly regained control.

They led 59-56 with 21/2 minutes left when the tide turned when Kobe Key stripped the ball from Wapato ballhandler Manuel Delgadillo 鈥� knocking Delgadillo to the floor in so doing 鈥� and went the other way for a layup.

River Ridge forced another turnover on Wapato鈥檚 next possession, leading to Kolton Knox鈥檚 3-pointer and, just like that, the Hawks had the lead for the first time since the opening quarter.

鈥淭o turn the ball over a crucial times, that was the hard part,鈥� Birley said. 鈥淚f you take care of the ball, that gives us obviously the best chance to win.鈥�

Noah Patterson tied the game on a timely dish from Jacob, but a Kolton Knox basket put River Ridge up 63-61 with a minute remaining. Jacob made one of two free throws at :47, and following a Hawks basket by Lebrandon Price, Blodgett pulled up at the top of the key for a potential game-tying 3-pointer 鈥� that barely missed the mark.

And that, the two meaningless free throws with a second remaining notwithstanding, was that.

鈥淲e did exactly what we came to do, and that鈥檚 to trophy,鈥� Birley said. 鈥淚 think we all thought, sitting in the locker room before the game, either way it鈥檚 a win-win, and it really is.

鈥淏ut I just think we鈥檙e such competitors 鈥� as a staff, as a team, as players, as a program 鈥� that 鈥� we still lost. It kind of leaves a bad taste in your mouth.鈥�

That Wapato鈥檚 two tournament losses came to the top two ranked teams in Class 2A, though 鈥� and were both still up in the air in the final two minutes 鈥� shouldn鈥檛 be forgotten by anyone in the CWAC or the 黑料福利社.

鈥淥ur exhibition at this state tournament,鈥� Jacob said, 鈥渟hows that we can play with anybody.鈥�

WAPATO -- Cordova 0-0 0-0 0, Hunter Jacob 9-16 9-14 28, Campos 3-5 0-1 6, Jordan Blodgett 8-19 3-4 21, Patterson 1-7 1-2 3, Vela 0-0 2-2 2, Acosta 0-0 0-0 0, Degadillo 1-1 0-0 2. Totals 22-49 15-23 62.

RIVER RIDGE -- LaBrandon Price 9-13 1-4 19, Kobe Key 4-7 2-4 10, Armstrong 1-8 2-4 4, White 3-10 2-3 9, Issiah Scott 4-11 0-1 10, Coleman 0-0 2-2 2, Dorfner 0-1 0-0 0, Paige 0-0 0-0 0, Knox 2-3 1-2 6, Sangers 3-9 1-2 7. Totals 26-62 11-22 67.

Wapato 聽18 聽16 聽14 聽14 聽-- 聽62

River Ridge 聽19 聽8 聽18 聽22 聽-- 聽67

3-Point Goals--Wapato 3-9 (Blodgett 2-7, Jacob 1-1), River Ridge 4-14 (Scott 2-5, Knox 1-1, White 1-6). Fouled Out--Armstrong, White. Rebounds--Wapato 35 (Jacob 8), River Ridge 40 (Price 8). Assists--Wapato 8 (Jacob 3), River Ridge 13 (Key 5). Total Fouls--Wapato 18, River Ridge 23. Technicals--Scott.