Sports Archives - Page 18 of 54

Celebrating athletic accomplishment

By Micheal Rios, Tulalip News; photos courtesy Heritage H.S.

Tulalip Heritage High School faculty and coaches honored their Fall and Winter sports participants with a joint celebration and banquet-style potluck on Wednesday, March 29 in the Heritage Commons.

With friends and family in attendance, the players took center stage and received recognition for their dedication to practice, constant improvement and teamwork during the sports season.

Bringing cheer and halftime entertainment to every home and playoff game were the Heritage cheerleaders. They always kept a positive attitude, smiles on their faces, and were determined to keep the home crowds upbeat.

The Hawks football team was short on eligible players this past season, but that didn’t stop them from showing up come game day and leaving their all on the field. After a narrow 2-point loss in their opening game, the football program showed out the very next game for a 51-26 victory in front of the home crowd.

Lady Hawks volleyball had another productive season under coach Tina Brown. The girls opened the season with five straight victories on their way to a 9-6 regular season record and a trip to the postseason. At the 1B District playoffs, they dropped their first match before bouncing back with back-to-back Ws and earning a trip to Tri-Districts.

Coaches Marlin and Cyrus “Bubba” Fryberg made the best of a rebuilding year for their boys basketball program. With so many new faces on the team there was a steep learning curve. The Hawks opened the season 1-6, but soon after found their identity and went 7-5 down the stretch to clinch a playoff spot. In the postseason, the boys played their best basketball and defeated two teams with better records to earn a Tri-District berth.

The Lady Hawks basketball program achieved the most this year. The girls carried a stellar record all season long on their way to battling for the NW1B regular season crown. Led by their Big 3 (Aliya Jones, Keryn Parks, and Deandra Grant), they finished the regular season 16-3. With two decisive victories to open the playoffs, the Lady Hawks matched up with inner-league foe Cedar Park Christian for the third time in the NW1B championship game. Back and forth for nearly the whole game, Cedar Park pulled away in the final minutes. It was a heartbreaking game for the Lady Hawks, but they bounced back admirably to win two more games at Tri-Districts and clinched consecutive trips to Regionals.

Coach Bubba Fryberg was recognized as Coach of the Year in the Northwest 1B League, while three of his players (Aliya, Keryn, and Deandra) were named to the All-League 1^st Team. Additionally, Aliya earned All-State recognition with an honorable mention by the Associated Press.

Lady Hawks fall to Neah Bay rally, 38-42

By Micheal Rios, Tulalip News

After taking 2^nd at the District 1B Tournament, the Tulalip Heritage Lady Hawks (19-4) won their opening game in the Tri-District Tournament with a 40-27 win over Mt. Rainier Lutheran. In the 2^nd round they journeyed to Port Angeles High School to take on the Neah Bay Red Devils (18-3). Tulalip and Neah Bay were evenly matched on paper. The Lady Hawks came into the game ranked No. 13 in the WIAA’s RPI, while Neah Bay was ranked No. 10.

They were pretty evenly matched on the court, too. In the 1^st quarter, both teams were slow to get their offenses going and were notched up at 7-7 after eight minutes of play.

In the 2^nd quarter, guards Myrna Redleaf and Keryn Parks got going and put their team ahead. Myrna connected on two 3-pointers and Keyrn hit two jumpers. Thanks to forwards Deandra Grant and Cyena Fryberg the Lady Hawks were winning the rebound battle and not allowing second chance opportunities for the Red Devils. Entering halftime Tulalip led 20-14.

Starting the 2^nd half, Keryn found Deandra in the post for an easy bucket that gave them a 22-14 lead. From that point the Red Devils adjusted their game plan and started crashing the boards with extra effort. The Lady Hawks rebounding edge slipped away, and they got outscored 6-11 the rest of the quarter.

Leading 28-25 with only the 4^th quarter to play, the Lady Hawks went to their main stays for offense. Keryn hit a base line floater and Deandra powered her way for back-to-back buckets in the post. With 4:43 remaining, leading 34-31, Deandra picked up her 5^th foul on a very questionable blocking call. She led the team with 13 points when she fouled out.

Tulalip would struggle to find offense down the stretch without Deandra, while the Red Devils rallied with an 11-4 run of their own. In the super close game free-throws were a determining factor. On the game, Tulalip shot 7-22 from the charity stripe (and 0-5 in the 4^th quarter), while the Red Devils shot 13-24 on free-throws (10-17 in the 4^th quarter). The Lady Hawks battled valiantly, but just weren’t able to score in the clutch. They lost 38-42.

Keryn wound up leading the team in scoring with 14 points, Deandra had 13 points, and Myrna scored 7 points.

Tulalip bounces back with dominant 62-22 W

The Lady Hawks (19-5) once again traveled to Mt. Vernon Christian, this time to take on the Northwest Yeshiva 613s (15-10) out of Mercer Island. It was a loser-out game in the 3^rd round of the Tri-District Tournament.

Tulalip’s offense once again started out slow, but the defense was very active limiting the 613s to only contested jumpers. Forward Deandra Grant anchored the offense in the 1^st quarter with 6 of the team’s 8 points.

The same trend continued in the 2^nd quarter, with the Lady Hawks leading 8-3, they continued to feed Deandra in the post and she continued to feast. With 3:02 remaining in the 1^st half, Tulalip lead extended to 16-6 while Deandra had 12 of those 16 points.

At halftime the girls led 21-11 and had the dictated the game on the both ends thus far.

In the 2^nd half, guard Aliya Jones got hot and helped turn the game into a total blowout. Aliya scored 14 points down the stretch, while her team outscored the 613s 41-11 over the 3^rd and 4^th quarters. Deandra’s 21 points and Aliya’s 20 points led all scorers and were big factors in their team earning a 40 point victory, 62-22.

The win gave the Lady Hawks back-to-back 20 win season, secured them a spot to Regionals and meant they were only one win shy of consecutive trips to State.

Successful season comes to an end for the Lady Hawks

On Saturday, February 25, the Tulalip Heritage Lady Hawks (20-5) played a Regional non-conference playoff game versus the Clallam Bay Bruins (15-5) at Jackson High School in Mill Creek. The terms were simple: win and earn your spot in State, or lose and go home.

During practice earlier in the week, center Cyena Fryberg fractured her foot and was relegated to a walking boot, leaving the Lady Hawks shorthanded on bigs.

In the 1^st quarter, Tulalip got lots of point blank shot attempts. However, they weren’t converting. They only scored 3 points five minutes into the game, but luckily the Bruins were having their own difficulties scoring as well. The game was tied 3-3 with a little over two minutes to go in the opening quarter. The Lady Hawks failed to rotate on defense to defend the slashing Bruins players and gave up 8 quick points. Two Aliya Jones free-throws and a bucket from Deandra made the game 7-11.

Guard Keryn Parks hit a 3-pointer to open the 2^nd quarter and get her team with 1 point, 10-11. Trading baskets the Lady Hawks took their only lead of the game 14-13 midway through the quarter. Unfortunately, turnovers became costly for the Tulalip girls as several bad passes led to easy transition points for the Bruins. The Bruins went on a 16-4 run to close the half, leaving the Lady Hawks trailing 18-29.

In the 2^nd half, the Lady Hawks continued to turn the ball over, which ultimately spelled their doom. It’s incredibly difficult to win a game when you have nearly as many turnovers as shot attempts. To their credit, the Lady Hawks did a nice job of forcing a good amount of turnovers, too, except they weren’t turning those turnovers into points like the Bruins were.

Down 28-42 to start the 4^th quarter, the Lady Hawks did their best to keep attacking and got the opportunity to shoot lots of free-throws down the stretch. In fact, Tulalip shot 18 free-throws in the game’s final minutes, but only converted 6 of them.

The girls managed to outscore the Bruins 13-10 in the 4^th quarter, but it wasn’t enough as they would fall 40-52. The L marked the end of the season for the Lady Hawks. Keryn led all scorers with 15 points, Aliya scored 9 points, and Deandra added 8 points.

All in all, it was a very successful and entertaining season for the Lady Hawks and their fans. There were several riveting games that game down to the final few possessions, key players developed before our eyes, and a lengthy postseason run provided many memories for seniors Aliya, Myrna, and Cyena who are set to graduate this June.

Lady Hawks Take 2nd at Districts, Move on to Tri-Districts

By Micheal Rios, Tulalip News

After winning their first two games of the District 1B Basketball Tournament, the Tulalip Heritage Lady Hawks (18-3) earned the right to play in the District 1B championship game, held at Mt. Vernon Christian High School. Their opponents were the Lions of Cedar Park Christian (19-1).

These teams played twice during the regular season with the Lady Hawks giving Cedar Park their only L on the season with a 41-23 victory at Francy J. Sheldon gymnasium back on January 6. Then they played three weeks later, this time at Cedar Park’s home court, and the Lady Hawks succumbed to a 15-31 defeat.

The third matchup of these two teams was as intense as can be expected from a pair of league rivals playing with the District 1B championship on the line. In the 1^st half, Tulalip opened the game executing their offense and jumped out to a 10-4 lead. Back-to-back stolen passes led to two easy buckets for the Lions that shrunk the Lady Hawk lead to 10-8 to start the 2^nd quarter. Tulalip’s defense was making it very tough to score in the half court, while forward Deandra Grant was getting her looks from the post. At halftime, Tulalip led 18-13.

In the 2^nd half, the Lady Hawks turnovers changed the pace of the game. The Lions adjusted their own defense to press the Tulalip guards and not allow them to shoot from the perimeter. That adjustment led to the Lady Hawks forcing and sometimes telegraphing passes that were picked off by the Lions players and resulted in transition buckets off the turnovers. Having scored only 13 points in the entire 1^st half, the Lions scored 18 points in the 3^rd quarter and 13 points in the 4^th quarter.

Meanwhile the Lady Hawks offense just wasn’t able to pick up the pace. Guard Aliya Jones got aggressive and scored six straight points, but quickly fouled out to start the 4^th quarter. Tulalip fell to Cedar Park by the score of 36-44, resulting in a 2^nd place finish to the tournament and a spot in Tri-Districts.

The Lady Hawks (18-4) had three days to practice and prepare before hosting a Tri-District Tournament game versus Mt. Rainier Lutheran (13-10). Coming off the loss to Cedar Park Christian, the girls were eager to move forward and put that game behind them.

In front of a jam packed home crowd cheering them on the girls responded with a quality bounce back game. In a back and forth battle through the first two quarters, the Lady Hawks held a slim four point lead at halftime, 23-19.

Coming out of halftime, Tulalip’s defense clamped down and made nothing easy for Mt. Rainier Lutheran. In fact, the Lady Hawks held their opponent to just eight total 2^nd half points. Offensively, forward Deandra Grant was at it again bullying the smaller defenders in the post and commanding a double team. Led by Deandra’s game high 18 points and Myrna Redleaf’s 10 points, the Lady Hawks secured a 40-27 win and moved on to the 2^nd round of the Tri-District Tournament.

Hawks Take 5th at Districts, Play One at Tri-Districts

By Micheal Rios, Tulalip News

After an impressive second round 20 point win, 59-39, over rival Grace Academy, the Tulalip Heritage Hawks (9-12) faced off against the Orcas Christian Saints (10-7) in the 5^th place game at the District 1B Tournament.

The Hawks lost both previous matchups, 39-50 and 51-53, to the Saints during the regular season. However, with the boys’ recent offensive surge they were optimistic they could take down the interleague foe.

In the 1^st quarter, Tulalip jumped out to an 8-2 lead that was extended to 13-4 thanks to well executed offense and guard Josh Iukes setting up his teammates. The Saints responded with a 11-4 run, capitalizing off of Hawk turnovers, that saw Tulalip’s lead shrink to 2 points, 17-15. After a Hawk bucket to go up 19-15, the Saints again went on a run, this time 8-2, to take a 23-21 lead going into halftime.

During the halftime intermission, the team talked over some 2^nd half adjustments and were determined to not let this game slip away. There was an added emphasis on pushing the ball offensively and taking advantage of the Hawks’ superior quickness.

In the 2^nd half, Tulalip responded to the in-game adjustments and took complete control of the game. After being down 21-23 to start the half, the Hawks outscored the Saints 36-12 down the stretch. The offense was clicking on all cylinders and the defense did its job. When the final buzzer sounded, the boys had come away with a decisive 57-35 win to claim a 5^th place finish in the tournament and secured a berth to Tri-Districts.

The Heritage Hawks (10-12) entered the 1B Tri-District Tournament as the #12 and final seed, as such they traveled to Tacoma Baptist to play the #6 seed Crusaders (15-8).

Tulalip found themselves trailing 0-9 early and then 7-21 at the end of the 1^st quarter. The offense got going in the 2^nd quarter, but there were no answers on defense to slow the Crusader attack. At halftime the boys trailed 23-45 and went on to lose the game 56-83.

With the loss, the season came to an abrupt end for the younger Hawk squad who managed a very respectable four-game postseason. After turning their play around mid-season for the better, the Hawks found an identity and got very valuable experience for the younger players. If everyone returns to play next year, then expectation has them poised to contend for the league title.

Lady Hawks soar with 66-35 playoff win

By Micheal Rios, Tulalip News

The (16-3) Tulalip Heritage Lady Hawks entered the District 1B Tournament as the #3 overall seed, and as such earned the right to host a first round home game. They hosted the Grace Academy Eagles on Tuesday, February 7, at Francy J. Sheldon gymnasium.

The Lady Hawks had beaten the Eagles twice during the regular season, both games were 21-point victories. However, the postseason always brings a new level of competitive play in a pressure filled environment. It’s what the Lady Hawks have been waiting for all season.

After coming out of halftime with a 27-18 lead, Tulalip caught fire from 3-point territory and whenever the long ball wasn’t there, a simple post pass to Deandra Grant got her in position to score down low. Led by their own version of a “Big 3”, guard Keryn Parks (22 points), guard Aliya Jones (16 points), and forward Deandra (18 points) combined to score 56 points on route to a 66-35 victory over Grace Academy.

Hawks fall to Mt. Vernon Christian, 30-66

By Micheal Rios, Tulalip News

The (8-11) Tulalip Heritage Hawks entered the District 1B Tournament as the #7 seed, and as such traveled to Mt. Vernon to take on the local Hurricanes of Mt. Vernon Christian on Tuesday, February 7.

The Hawks were never able to get their offense going in this one. In fact, the 30 points scored was the second lowest scoring output on the season. On the defensive side, they had no answer for the Hurricanes best player, #15 Bryson Smith, who was able to get to the rim whenever he wanted. When the Hawks adjusted their defense to pack the paint, the Hurricanes responded in kind by making 3-point shots. It was just one of those games for the Hawks where the matchups weren’t in their favor.

Guard Paul Shay, Jr. led the Hawks with 10 points, while Nashone Whitebear and Josh Iukes both added 6 points.

Following the loss, Tulalip will now play in a loser-out game with their opponent to be determined.

Lady Hawks finish regular season 16-3, will host playoff game

By Micheal Rios, Tulalip News

The (14-2) Tulalip Heritage Lady Hawks basketball team were riding a 10-game win streak when they played at Grace Academy to face the (5-8) Eagles on Tuesday, January 24.

In the 1^st quarter, the Lady Hawks offense was slow to get going before senior center Cyena Fryberg scored back-to-back baskets. A basket by Georgie Randall and free throws by Aliya Jones put the Lady Hawks ahead 11-5.

The 2^nd quarter was back and forth with the two teams trading baskets. At halftime, Tulalip was ahead 21-17 in a game they had yet to break loose in. That all changed when the Lady Hawks came out of halftime with their foot on the gas pedal.

Junior guard Keryn Parks led the offensive onslaught with 9 points in the quarter, while each other starter got in on the action. Not only did the girls score a game-high 17 points in the 3^rd quarter, but their defense couldn’t have been better. They held the Eagles scoreless in the 3^rd and took a commanding 21-point lead, 38-17, into the final quarter of play.

Deandra Grant scored four field goals for 8 points in the game’s final minutes to secure a 52-31 victory. Keryn led all scorers with 17 points, Deandra had 12 points, and Aliya added 11 points. The win made it eleven Ws in a row for the now (15-2) Lady Hawks.

A few days later, the Lady Hawks traveled to Mountlake Terrace to take on their biggest competition in the Northwest 1B League, the Cedar Park Christian Lions. These two teams previously met on January 6 at Tulalip, where the Lady Hawks won 41-23 and gave the Lions their only L on the season.

In the 1^st quarter, Tulalip trailed 0-7 before Deandra got her team on the board with a bucket. That would be the team’s only points in the quarter as the guards weren’t able to knock down any of their 3-point attempts. As a team, the girls shot 0-8 from 3-pt territory and 0-2 from the charity stripe in the opening quarter.

In the 2^nd quarter, trailing 2-12, Myna and Aliya both hit a 3-pointer and Deandra added two more buckets from the painted area. The defense did its job and held Cedar Park to only four points in the quarter, putting the Lady Hawks right back in the game and trailing by only four points, 12-16 at halftime. It was the lowest score half for both teams on the season with defense being played at a high level and no offense coming easy.

The 3^rd quarter was much more defense and very little offense. In fact, the Lady Hawks were held scoreless and Cedar Park only scored three points. With the game still very much in reach, trailing 12-19, the Lady Hawks weren’t able to respond and go on that scoring run we’re used to seeing. The girls were content to pass the ball around the perimeter because no one was eager to put a shot up.

Over the game’s final few minutes, Cedar Park knocked down a few more jumpers while Tulalip struggled to execute. On this day, Cedar Park was just plainly the better team by being able to out execute the Lady Hawks on both ends of the floor. When the game ended, the Lady Hawks had been held to their lowest offensive output of the season in a 15-32 loss.

Deandra led her team with 7 points, while Alyia and Myrna both had 3 points, and Keryn Parks added 2 points.

The loss cost the Lady Hawks the #1 seed in the upcoming District 1B playoffs, but they will still host a home game as the #3 seed. They host the Grace Academy Eagles on Tuesday, February 5 at 5:45 p.m. at Francy J. Sheldon gymnasium.

Hawks qualify for postseason

By Micheal Rios, Tulalip News

Coming off their best stretch of the season, a three-game win streak, the (6-9) Tulalip Heritage Hawks basketball team played at Grace Academy on Tuesday, January 24, to take on the (4-9) Eagles.

The Hawks came out like a team on a win streak as everything was going their way early. The offense was clicking and the defense was wreaking havoc. Tulalip took a 15-5 lead that they extended to 19-8 at the end of the 1^st quarter.

In the 2^nd quarter, the game dramatically changed when junior guard Josh Iukes, the primary playmaker for the Hawks, hit the deck and injured the wrist on his shooting hand. With Josh on the sidelines getting his wrist attended to, his team was out of sorts. Tulalip wasn’t able to muster any offense and got outscored 0-14 in the quarter.

Trailing 19-22 at halftime, the Hawks looked to get their offense going by playing through their big man, junior center Rodney Barber. Rodney quickly scored back-to-back buckets to give his team a 23-22 lead. Both teams traded two buckets each, tying the game up at 27-27 with one quarter to play.

In the 4^th quarter, with Josh Iukes out of the game with the injured wrist, freshman guard Joshua Miranda did his best to provide offense. He hit two 3-pointers to give the Hawks a slim lead, but it wouldn’t be enough as the Eagles continued to execute their offense. Tulalip did their best to hold their own without their primary playmaker, but it was just too much to overcome. The Eagles won 41-38, ending the Hawks win streak.

Joshua Miranda led the Hawks in scoring with 12 points, Rodney had 9 points, and Josh Iukes and Nashone Whitebear each scored 6 points.

Three days later, the (6-10) Hawks traveled to Mountlake Terrace to take on the league’s top team, the (13-3) Lions from Cedar Park Christian.

It was a highly entertaining game as Tulalip refused to be intimidated by the bigger Lions squad. Even with Hawks big man, Rodney Barber, in foul trouble seemingly the entire game, the Hawks were undeterred. The guards kept attacking the rim and the forwards did their best to grab rebounds.

The Hawks never led outside of the 1^st quarter, but even so they kept themselves within striking distance. The size advantage and Rodney’s foul trouble were factors, but just a couple more makes and the Hawks could have scored a big upset over Cedar Park. Tulalip lost a close one, 58-65.

After a forfeit by Arlington Christian, the Hawks (7-11) hosted the (3-9) Providence Classical Christian Highlanders at Francy J. Sheldon gymnasium. The game marked the end of the regular season.

In their final home game, Tulalip fans came out and cheered loudly for their Hawks team. Center Rodney Barber had the game of his life as he started out red hot from the field. Recognizing Rodney’s huge height advantage over the smaller Highlander team, the Hawks ran their offense through their big man and he did not disappoint. He scored 13 points in the opening quarter. With guard Josh Iukes’ wrist on the mend, he added a few jumpers that gave his team a 20-8 lead.

The Hawks continued to light up the scoreboard in the 2^nd quarter, outscoring the Highlanders 18-6, and taking a commanding 38-14 lead into halftime.

Rodney continued to take advantage of his mismatch and scored three more quick buckets to start the 2^nd half. That would be all that was necessary as Tulalip went on to win a decisive one, 68-43. Barber finished with a season high 24 points, while Josh Iukes and Nashone Whitebear each added 9 points.

The victory upped the Hawks record to (8-11) and ends the regular season on a high note. Winning five out of their last seven games secured the Hawks a spot in the District 1B playoffs. They will travel to Mt. Vernon Christian on Tuesday, February 7 to play the hosting Hurricanes at 8:00 p.m.

Lady Hawks flying high, retake #1 in standings

By Micheal Rios, Tulalip News

The (10-2) Tulalip Heritage Lady Hawks basketball team hosted the (2-8) Orcas Christian Saints at Francy J. Sheldon gymnasium on Wednesday, January 18. It would be the first game of a four games in six days stretch for Tulalip.

The Lady Hawks came out firing, behind the hot hands of guards Keryn Parks and Aliya Jones, and outscored the Saints 33-14 at halftime. The hot shooting continued in the 2^nd half as the girls seemingly couldn’t miss and built their lead to 55-23 going into the final quarter.

With the 30-point lead, the bench players got plenty of run in the 4^th quarter. At games end, Tulalip won in dominant fashion 67-34. Keryn led all scorers with 22 points, Aliya had 19 points, and Georgie Randall added 9 points.

Two days later, the girls hit the road and traveled to Lopez Island to play the (6-2) Lobos. Offense was hard to come by in the early going, with both teams playing top notch defense and contesting every shot. Finally the Lady Hawks broke through and went on a decisive scoring run made possible by good ball movement and not settling for long jumpers. The Tulalip girls went on to win 47-26.

Tulalip Lady Hawks host Darrington Loggers

Playing on the shortest rest possible, the Lady Hawks hosted the Darrington Loggers the very next day. In the 1^st quarter, Aliya hit two 3-pointers as part of a strong offensive attack for Tulalip. They led 14-7 going into the 2^nd quarter. The defense let up a little and allowed the Loggers to go on a run and get back into the game. At halftime the home team led by only four points, 24-20.

The Lady Hawks aren’t used to being up by so little going into the 2^nd half and used that as extra motivation to play lock down defense over the game’s final sixteen minutes. They held the Loggers to only 5-points in the 3^rd quarter and then only a measly 3-points in the 4^th quarter. Meanwhile, the Lady Hawks were executing their offense led by Keryn down the stretch.

When the final game buzzer sounded, Tulalip had turned their 4-point halftime lead into an 18-point victory, 45-27. Aliya and Keryn each scored 13-points to lead all scorers.

One day’s rest is all the girls got before returning to the court on Monday, January 23 to host the Lopez Lobos. The game also marked Senior Night for Aliya Jones, Myrna Redleaf and Cyena Fryberg.

It was a back and forth game in the 1^st quarter with both teams trading baskets. Tulalip held a slim 12-8 lead going into the 2^nd quarter before Keryn caught fire from deep and knocked down three consecutive 3-pointers. After hitting a couple jumpers, Aliya added a 3-pointer of her own. Cyena added three the hard way by sinking three free-throws. The Lady Hawks defense was playing at its peak hustling for all loose balls and contesting every shot. As a team they corralled nearly every possible rebound and held the Lobos scoreless in the 2^nd quarter. The girls used a 19-0 run to take a 31-8 halftime lead.

The scoring barrage continued into the 3^rd quarter with Keryn adding two more 3-pointers and Deachae Jones hitting two 3-points as well. The Lady Hawks won the 3^rd quarter 18-7 on their way to another dominant victory, 59-22. Keryn led all scorers with 18 points, Aliya added 12 points and Deachae had 11 points.

The win marked the 10^th W in a row for the girls and keeps them unbeaten in league play. Also, the latest W puts them back into 1^st place in the Northwest 1B league with a (14-2) record. Another big matchup is upcoming with #2 seed Cedar Park Christian this Friday in Mountlake Terrace.

Hawks take flight, go on winning streak

By Micheal Rios, Tulalip News

The (3-9) Tulalip Heritage Hawks basketball team were coming off a stunning loss at the hands of Orcas Christian, a game in which the Hawks led by 14-points with five minutes remaining, when they hosted the (5-4) Lopez Lobos on Friday, January 20. The boys were in a hurry to put that last loss behind them and hopefully get another much needed W.

The game couldn’t have been gone any better for the Tulalip boys. The defense was forcing many turnovers and everybody was crashing the boards. Offensively though, they were playing on a level not before seen this season. Everything was going in. The stellar shooting lasted the entire game. When it was over the Hawks had earned their most lopsided victory of the season, 80-46.

Less than twenty-four hours later, the Hawks were still basking in that huge W when they hosted the (3-11) Darrington Loggers. The game was as evenly matched as you can get with both teams being able to counter the other basket for basket. Nashone Whitebear carried the offense early on by doing damage from the elbow area and taking advantage of the zone defense. At halftime the Hawks trailed 19-23.

In the 3^rd quarter, both teams came out firing. The Hawks got six more points from Nashone, five from Paul Shay, Jr. and six from Rodney Barber. All together the boys put up twenty points in the quarter to tie the game up at 39-39 with eight minutes to go.

Both teams continued to play basket for basket, each team scored nine points in the 4^th quarter, and were tied 48-48 at the end of regulation. Meaning overtime was necessary.

In the OT, guard Josh Iukes shined brightest. He broke down the defense off the dribble for two baskets and was clutch from the free-throw line, converting five of six attempts. His nine points in OT was more than enough to seal the deal for the Hawks. They won 57-52. Josh’s 16 points led all scorers, Nashone added 13 points, and Paul had 10 points. The win marked two in a row for the boys, their first win streak of the season.

On Monday, January 23, they again played the Lopez Lobos. This time at home. The Tulalip offense came out sluggish, but luckily Samuel Fryberg was able to pick up the slack. He scored all six of the Hawk’s points in the 1^st quarter to give his team a 6-4 lead.

The offense snapped out of their early funk and everyone chipped in to outscore the Lobos 45-26 over the 2^nd and 3^rd quarters. The Hawks led 51-30 going into the final quarter of play. When the game ended, the Hawks had secured their third W in a row 60-39. All Hawk players scored in this one with Nashone leading all scorers with 17 points, Josh Miranda and Samuel Fryberg both scored 11 points, and Josh Iukes added 10 points.

The three game win streak improves the Hawks’ record to 6-9 and breathes new life into their season. There’s now a good chance they can earn a spot in the league playoffs.