MATTAWA — The Grant County Red Tails (6-5) are the Basin’s newest professional basketball team. Part of The Basketball League, the Red Tails aren’t only focused on hoops, they’re also driven by community service.

“We came together because we saw the need, number one, that we could revitalize the mentorship and the leadership things that are missing in this community, with touch points, with kids and families and family engagement, being in such a rural area, and we wanted to really take advantage of that and be the answer,” Co-Founder Antonio Williams said.

Alongside Doug Foodies and Ryan Purdie, the trio has brought another option for entertainment to Mattawa and Grant County as a whole. Williams pointed to a new jail being built in the area as motivation for pursuing this endeavor, he said.

“We got tired of people saying there’s nothing for us to do, there’s nothing for families, there’s nothing for kids, but then yet, Grant County is getting a new jail. We don’t want our kids to be the recipients of that new location, so we want to jump in and provide some mentorship and leadership qualities to these kids,” he said.

Whether it’s volunteering at a local food bank, organizing a cleanup crew or offering free camps to youth, the Red Tails have been present in the Mattawa community, Williams said. He also noted as they built their roster, players who share the same value of community service were a non-negotiable.

As they scouted players across the country, Williams and the Red Tails sifted through several highlight tapes and social medias of players who reached out. They spent a lot of time vetting players for their experience with community service and youth outreach, Williams said.

“We’re looking to be here for the long haul and provide long term value. We wanted to make sure organizational fit wise, being that we want to be volunteer first, being community driven first... the player side is second for us,” he said.

It hasn’t been smooth sailing in year one for the Red Tails, Williams said. Jeremy File, their former head coach, had to step away from the team to deal with family matters after a 4-4 start to the season. Filling in for him since is Elijah Macon, who was originally supposed to be a player.

From Columbus, Ohio, Macon is a former center for West Virginia University from 2015-2017. Like the rest of the roster, he joined the Red Tails as he continued to pursue his dream of playing basketball. Instead, he finds himself stepping into coaching for the first time. On Saturday, he led the Red Tails to their first win under his leadership.

Grant County Red Tails vs Great Falls Electric

The Red Tails defeated the Electric 116-110 at Wahluke High School after a long competitive game that saw Grant County fighting from behind most of the game. Despite that, they were able to come alive in the fourth quarter to seal the win.

“Just a game of adversity, honestly, just a game of (scoring) runs tonight,” Macon said. “I told them before (the game), ‘The only way we are going to lose this game is if we beat ourselves.’ They came together and focused toward the end of the game, those last little four minutes of that stretch, and came home with a win.”

The first half was tightly contested between both teams. Though the Electric held the lead most of that half, the Red Tails were competitive in the paint behind Chayse Culpepper, Jaylin Gibson, Alontay Gould, Ajing Ajang and Sarion McGee. At halftime, they trailed 47-48.

To that point, the Red Tails were able to score consistently, but it was not coinciding with rebounds and stops on defense, allowing the Electric to pull ahead at halftime.

From there, the Electric carried their momentum into the third quarter, outscoring Grant County 34-26. However, the Red Tails were able to start drawing fouls to get to the free throw line. By the end of the third, they trailed 73-82.

The Red Tails were quick to show they still had plenty of fight in them during the fourth quarter. Gould made six free throws throughout, while McGee, Culpepper, Gibson, Denzel Smith and Ernest Carter also got to the charity stripe.

Gibson also hit back-to-back three pointers to provide the offense with a spark.

“After I hit those two threes, Alontay came in feeding off my energy, and we just need guys feeding off each other’s energy. Once we feed off each other’s energy, we come out and we’re unguardable if we stay together,” Gibson said.

McGee, Smith, Carter and Culpepper also knocked down a shot from the perimeter. After trailing most of the game, the Red Tails outscored Great Falls 43-28 to pull of the comeback win. Providing the cherry on top was Gibson with a one hand dunk at the buzzer.

“It felt good,” Gibson said. “The only reason why I feel good is because last week against 4-Bears, I had fallen on my tailbone, so I wasn’t able to really move after that. This is really a get back time, so I wanted to see if I could get up, and I was able to get up.”

After the game, the players showered Macon with water and congratulations after earning his first technical win as head coach. From his perspective, no singular player stood out to him, he said.

“The whole team, as long as the whole team is winning, I feel like we’re all winning. Feel like everybody’s holding each other accountable. The whole team did a good job tonight,” Macon said.

The Red Tails hit the road Tuesday as they travel to play the Tri-Cities Sun Devils at 10 p.m. Their next home game is slated for April 19 when they host the Willamette Valley Jaguars at Wahluke High School, with tip off set for 6 p.m.

As they continue to embark on their first season as an organization, Williams and the Red Tails are eager to work with the community. For anyone interested in supporting the Red Tails, they can reach Williams at [email protected].

The Red Tails fell to the Electric in their game Sunday 114-117, additional stats for that game were not available at the time of press.

BOX SCORES:

Saturday

GFE: 26-22-34-28: 110

GCRT: 22-25-26-43: 116

    Chayse Culpepper (8) shoots a free throw for the Grant County Red Tails during their game against the Great Falls Electric Saturday. The Red Tails are in their first season as a professional basketball team. Based in Mattawa, they also have a passion for community outreach.
  

    Alontay Gould (3) shoots a midrange shot for the Grant County Red Tails during their game against the Great Falls Electric Saturday.
  

    Grant County Red Tails Head Coach Elijah Macon, in black shirt, talks with his team during a timeout. Macon took over as head coach weeks after the season started, Saturday they earned their first win under his leadership.
  

    The Red Tails’ Jaylon Gibson, in black shirt, practices a between- the-legs layup ahead of their game Saturday.
  

    Soloman Mohamed, in black hoodie, hands a card to an employee at the Mattawa Market while out doing community service earlier this season. Sarion McGee and another employee pose for the photo
  

    The Grant County Red Tails pose for a group photo while volunteering at the Mattawa Food Bank earlier this season.