Article and photos by Andrew Gobin, Tulalip News
After a great season the Tulalip Heritage Hawks dominate the District One 1B Championships, taking home the second trophy for Tulalip. Facing rival Blackhawks from Lummi in the final game, Tulalip played an intense game. The Hawks only lost one game this season, their first game this season against the Lummi Blackhawks.
The first game of the championship series was to be played against Providence Classical Christian February 8th, but was forfeit by Providence Classical advancing Heritage to the winner’s bracket. Game two pitted the Hawks against Grace Academy on February 11th, with the Hawks leading the game by 10 points, winning 61-48.
February 13th was game three, the final game for the championship title, was by far the most intense. The Hawks held a narrow lead throughout the game, and at times there was a fear of losing that lead. Driven by last year’s upset at this very game, the Hawks were not about to let their lead go without a fight.
Lummi won the tip off, then ten seconds into the game Bradley Fryberg with an amazing steal from the top of the key, ran the ball down the court for a lay up. Two points and Tulalip was in the lead. You can catch the replay on the Tulalip News Facebook page. The teams met as equals on the court, returning shot for shot keeping them neck and neck. It was a game decided by fouls, as are every rivalry game between the Hawks and the Blackhawks. The last three games of last year, including the championship upset, were lost within 2 points. This year, the Hawks prevailed, winning the title of District One 1B champions, advancing them on to Tri-Districts and hopefully the State Championships.
Senior Shawn Sachey said, “This is a great feeling. We worked hard as a team, Lummi was a hard team to beat, but we won. We have a good chance of going to state, but we’ll see. We haven’t played anyone from over the mountains yet.”
Brandon Jones, also a senior, said, “The game went excellent. Scoring first gave us a lot of momentum. I just want to thank God for the win.”
New addition to the team, sophomore Ayrik Miranda, said, “We came out with intensity, andwe kept that through the game.”
Head Coach Marlin Fryberg Jr. was very pleased with the way the team played, attributing the success of the game to crucial time outs he used to refocus his players.
“Anytime we lost momentum, I called a time out and regrouped the boys. We really played the way we wanted to, the way we practiced. The last four minutes of the game, three of their starters were on the bench. But it was really the foul shots, especially those last foul shots, that sealed the win.”
This is the second time the Tulalip Heritage Hawks have won the district championships, advancing to tri-districts starting February 18th.
For game times, stats, photos, and updates, checkout Tulalip News on Facebook or tulalipnews.com. Watch the games live on tulaliptv.com.
Andrew Gobin is a reporter with the See-Yaht-Sub, a publication of the Tulalip Tribes Communications Department.
Email: agobin@tulaliptribes-nsn.gov
Phone: (360) 716.4188