Highline faces a tall task, as they will take on the No. 1 seeded Wenatchee Valley Knights.
The T-Birds finished the regular season 9-5 in conference play and 12-15 overall, making them the only team in the tournament with a sub .500 record. They finished fourth in the NWAC West, meaning they had to face a No. 1 seed in the first round.
The NWAC championship is a 16-team single-elimination tournament and takes place in Everett, March 17-18, and March 26-27.
In their final game vs Centralia, the Thunderbirds took care of business, beating the Trailblazers 105-63.
“I was most proud of how we won: 32 assists in a game when it would have been easy to justify not playing together as much as we did was impressive,” said Head coach Che Dawson.
The T-Birds dominated from the jump, going into the break leading 53-38. Guard Micah Jessie led the T-Birds in first-half scoring with 19 points on 8-9 shooting. Forward Jalen Fayson and guard Bradley Graham pitched in 12 points on efficient shooting. Jessie finished as the scoring leader with 23 on 10-12 shooting.
“Micah let the game come to him. That’s when players are usually most efficient. Play hard defensively and move without the ball offensively,” said Dawson.
The T-Birds kept their foot on the gas in the second half, outpacing the Trailblazers 52-25. Forward Luke Brower led the team in second half scoring with 14 points, three rebounds, and three assists on 7-8 shooting.
Wenatchee Valley finished their season 15-1 in conference, however they are 16-13 overall. This is due to an ineligible player appearing in their first 10 games, which forced them to forfeit.
The Knights are led by the dynamic duo of guard Anthony Roy and forward Issac Jones. Jones led the NWAC in scoring with 25.7 ppg and finished second in rebounds per game with 12.1. Roy averages 23.4 points per game on 55 percent shooting, and 40 percent from three-point range.
“We played Highline early and the difference I would think is the size that Wenatchee has. Not many teams can match up with their big and their guard,” said Columbia Basin Head Coach Anthony Owens.
“Wenatchee is big and they have a talented guard with some efficient role players. We will have to play harder and smarter than them,” said Dawson.
The Thunderbirds take the court against the Knights in the sweet 16 on Thursday, March 17 at 10 a.m.
If Highline wins, they will take on the winner of the Mt. Hood and Skagit Valley game in the second round.
