RICHLAND — Defending state medalist Patrick Azevedo from Othello had his sights set on going low on Wednesday after finishing the first round in a tie for 10th at the 2A Boys State Championships at Columbia Point Golf Course in Richland.

The Huskies sophomore didn’t dive into the mid-60s like he planned, but he did find his groove with an even-par 72 on the second day to finish in a tie for fifth. Azevedo, who came out of nowhere to win last year as a freshman, didn’t have the luxury of sneaking up on the 2A golf world like he did a year ago. But he played consistent on a day where numbers flew around the leaderboard.

“There is a ton pressure at the state tournament. I really felt it today trying to chase down Chase (McIntosh) and Dylan (Apodaca). They played great and I just couldn’t quite get there. But it was fun,” said Azevedo, who had a one-in-one on the 194-yard, par-3 eighth hole during his practice round. “It wasn’t the outcome that I wished for, but I gave it my all. Today I improved. My putter was felt great and I’m glad I played better.”

Chase McIntosh of Liberty shot 69-70-139 to win it with 139. First-day leader Dylan Apodaca of Selah couldn’t keep the magic of the first day 69, shooting 74 on Wednesday to place second at 143. Jack Hultquist of Liberty had the round of the tournament, rebounding from Tuesday’s 77 to shoot 68 and move up into the tie for third with a two-day total of 145 with Cooper Franklin, White Swan and Jack Hultquist, Liberty.

Azevedo burned the lip with birdie attempts on holes 9 and 10, before losing a tee shot in the water on No. 12. He managed to get a couple of birdies back on the 280-yard, par-4 14th hole and another on No. 16 to get back into the top five in just his second 2A state tournament.

Jacob Rawley of Ephrata finished 27th (79-81-160) and teammate Jayce Moore was 31st (80-81-161) for the Tigers, who finished ninth in the team scoring.

Team scores - 1. Liberty (Issaquah) 107. 2. Sequim, 72. 3. Archbishop Murphy 52. 4. Columbia River, 50.50. 5. Ridgefield, 48. 6. Tumwater, 33. 7. RA Long 31. 8. Pullman, 22.50. 9. Ephrata, 21.5. 10. Fife, 9.

Top 10 - 1. Chase McIntosh, Liberty, 69-70-139. 2. Dylan Apodaca, Selah, 69-74-143. 3. (tie) Cooper Franklin, White Swan, 72-73-145, Jack Hultquist, Liberty, 77-68-145. 5. (tie) Patrick Azevedo, Othello, 75-72-147, Ryan Park, Sammamish, 75-72-147. 7. (tie) Conrad Brown, Burlington-Edison, 71-77-148, Ian Hakeman, Sehome, 71-77-148. 9. Zach Leonen, Archbishop Murphy, 79-70-149. 10 (tie) Thomas Baycroft, Cheney, 78-72-150, Troy Parrish, RA Long, 75-75-150, Blake Wiker, Sequim, 74-76-150.