WENATCHEE — The Almira/Coulee-Hartline Warriors claimed a 64-51 victory over Neah Bay in the opening round of the 1B state tournament. With this victory, the Warriors move on to the quarterfinals as they push toward a state championship. 

“We got to the point where it’s kind of survive and advance, so a win is a win and we move on to the next game,” said Warriors senior Caden Correia. 

The Warriors came out strong on both sides of the court in the first quarter. By the end of the first eight minutes of the game, the Warriors had gained a 10-point lead over Neah Bay. 

Coming into the second quarter, Neah Bay picked up more steam and stayed right behind ACH. At the end of the half, the Warriors maintained their 10-point lead.  

The Warriors found some trouble after halftime when Neah Bay began to close the gap between the two teams. ACH quickly got back into the groove in the final quarter to dominate the rest of the game and take the victory. 

Nolan Grindy, a freshman for ACH, led the team offensively with 22 points scored during the matchup. Warriors senior Josh Booker followed with 14 points scored and juniors Max Grindy and Tucker Bayless were right behind with 11 points each.  

“We got off to a decent start and then we got in a stretch where we couldn’t rebound the basketball, so that definitely hurts us,” said Correia. “But we regrouped and played well to finish off the game.” 

He said the key to getting themselves back into their groove during the third quarter was taking a step back and getting calmed down. This helped them refocus and get back to playing the type of basketball they’re known for. 

“I think we just have to keep playing loose and having fun, and I think that’s what we’re doing really well,” said Corriea. 

Warriors Head Coach Graham Grindy said he was glad to see the steady lead that the team built in the first quarter. The lesson learned from the struggles in the middle of the game was that making blocks and being more efficient on rebounds will be essential to claiming victories as they move forward. 

“We’ve proven over the season that we are a good rebounding team. It’s just teams like Neah Bay and every team from here on out, you better be ready for a battle and you have to do the little things,” said Grindy. 

The coach added that every member of the Warriors squad contributed to the victory Saturday as the players were ready to go and contribute off the bench.  

As ACH gets ready for the quarterfinals of the state tourney, he said their main focus is just to earn the victory.  

“I told them in the locker room, ‘It’s ok if it doesn’t look pretty, you just try to get the W,” said Grindy. “It’s really going to come down to those little things like defense, rebounding and communication.” 

The coach said he is feeling confident in the abilities that the Warriors have been displaying on the court and knows that they’ll all have each other’s backs.  

“The whole train’s coming and I hope that we can just keep plugging along,” said Grindy. 

The Warriors’ next game will be March 5 at 2 p.m. at the Numerica Veterans Arena in Spokane. 

BOX SCORE 

NEBY: 11-13-12-15: 51
ACHW: 21-13-11-19: 64 

    Max Grindy, a junior from ACH, makes a shot with pressure from a Neah Bay defender.
  

    Warriors freshman Nolan Grindy smiles after making his first free throw shot and gets prepared to go for a second shot against Neah Bay in the state tournament.
  

    ACH junior Brody Pitts looks for an opening during Saturday’s matchup against Neah Bay.
  

    Tucker Bayless, a senior from ACH, locks in on the net during a free throw against Neah Bay Saturday afternoon.
  

    Warriors senior Josh Booker protects the ball from a Neah Bay defender while looking for an open teammate to pass to.