The first day of the Class 1B Boys Basketball Tournament didn’t treat the Christian Faith Eagles very well. But the final day couldn’t have gone any better.
The Eagles won a back-and-forth game over the Taholah Chitwins Saturday to finish in fourth place at the Class 1B State Boys Basketball Tournament. Christian Faith won the game at the Spokane Arena, 43-42.
Taholah’s Keanu Curleybear hit a 3-pointer with a minute left in the game to put the Chitwins up by two points, 42-40. But the Eagles tallied the final three points of the game to pick up the win.
Taholah took a 21-14 lead at halftime before Christian Faith battled back in the third quarter to take a one-point lead into the final eight minutes. Ignatius Medani led the Eagles with 20 points. Afari Stinson-Richardson finished with 12 points.
The game featured seven ties and eight lead changes. Christian Faith finished with only 12 field goals during the game.
Saturday’s win over Taholah was the Eagles’ second in a row after losing to Pomeroy on the opening day of the tournament Thursday.
Pomeroy High School handled the Federal Way-based Eagles in the state quarterfinal game Thursday evening, 60-55. Christian Faith was making its first state tournament appearance since 1994.
The loss meant the Eagles (23-4) wouldn’t win the 1B state title. Christian Faith went on to beat Columbia Adventist Friday in a loser-out matchup, 52-45.
Against Columbia Adventist, Christian Faith dominated the first three quarters of play, taking a 46-28 lead into the final eight minutes. But the Kodiak’s attempted a comeback in the fourth quarter, outscoring the Eagles, 17-6. But it wasn’t enough.
Christian Faith’s 6-foot-6 Segun Amosun led the way with 18 points and 11 rebounds and Medani finished with 15 points and 17 rebounds.
Against Pomeroy, the Eagles’ had trouble stopping Riley Bolt, especially in the second quarter. Bolt, a 6-foot-6 center, finished with 19 points and 10 rebounds.
After Christian Faith jumped out to a 13-9 lead after the first quarter, Pomeroy (20-6) outscored the Eagles, 22-11, in the second quarter to take control of the game.
Christian Faith closed to within three points in the fourth quarter, but couldn’t get any closer. Pomeroy’s Tanner Feider hit two free throws with 14.2 seconds left to put the Pirates ahead by seven.
The Eagles were led by 18 points from Vick Toor and got 13 points each from Stinson-Richardson and Amosun.
Amosun, Toor, Stinson-Richardson and Medani all came into the 1B Tournament averaging in double figures. Amosun and Toor lead the way, both averaging 18.1 a game, Stinson-Richardson follows close behind at 17.2 and Medani is chipping in 11.8 a game.
