'Gorilla' is the one to beat

By SCOTT SANDSBERRY
YAKIMA HERALD-REPUBLIC

They have a 6-foot-9 center who can reel in a dozen rebounds a night and shoot 3-pointers, a 6-4 shooting guard who can slash to the basket or light foes up from outside, and five players 6-5 or taller.

They have trounced their opponents by an average of 24 points a game while winning 22 of 23 games, the only loss coming by two points to a Portland team that finished its regular season ranked third in Oregon's Class 5A.

In five victories over teams in this week's Class 1A state championship field at the SunDome, they have won by an average of nearly 16 points.

They are the No. 1-ranked Vashon Pirates and they are, says the coach of one tournament team, "the gorilla in this whole thing."

The 2009 1A boys tournament has a slew of talented teams -- Brewster (21-5) and Bellevue Christian (17-6), the two teams that combined to win every 1A title from 2003 to 2007; Winlock (21-2), which boasts a lineup just as towering as Vashon; Port Townsend, which built a 20-3 record even while playing in a predominantly 2A and 3A league; and Chelan, which starts arguably the 1A ranks' top scorer in 6-6 junior Joe Harris (26.4 points per game). Six other teams have won at least 16 games.

But even with that loaded a field, the Pirates are the unquestioned favorite. They might lose, but it would definitely be an upset.

"They're amazing," says Bellevue Christian coach Mike Downs. "They're very, very deep. They've got unbelievable size. They're the best team in the state. By far."

"Their 2-2-1 press just covers the court; they're so big, it doesn't seem like there's an inch (of court room) left," said Tim Black, assistant coach of third-ranked Port Townsend, which lost by 21 to Vashon in district play. "It's not like they're taking the ball away from you, but there's just nothing you can do with it. They're good at everything they do."

But Vashon coach Andy Sears, whose team has been ranked No. 1 in every Associated Press poll this season, knows the Pirates still have to get the job done this week. Three years ago they reached the 2A semifinals at the SunDome but lost; last year they came to the 1A tourney as one of the favorites only to be stunned by White Swan in the quarterfinals and then ousted by Brewster in a Friday consolation game.

"We've had some nice teams in the last few years," Sears says, "but we've got to take that next step to get over the hump."

Vashon opens against Ilwaco (16-9) at 12:30 p.m. Wednesday, following the most intriguing first-round game in the boys' bracket, No. 4 Winlock against perennial power Brewster. Winlock has a huge lineup that goes 6-9, 6-6, 6-5, 6-4, 6-2, while Brewster has a guard-oriented lineup led by explosive guard Wade Gebbers (20.0 ppg) and the most impressive championship pedigree among the state's smaller-classification schools.