PASCO — In 1993 Bary Gould was a senior on a Marysville Pilchuck squad that made it to the state tournament.
More than 20 years later, the Tomahawks are making their first trip back since with Gould at the helm.
Michael Painter scored 24 points and the Tomahawks shook off a long trip to Pasco and defeated Kennewick 51-47 in a 3A regional playoff game at Chiawana High School Saturday afternoon to clinch a spot in next week’s state tournament.
“It’s really incredible, awesome and all the good adjectives you could write down,” Gould said. “It’s also surreal. It doesn’t feel like it’s real life yet. It’s just been so long. These guys earned it. They had to work at it, going through the back end of the district tournament and then getting this draw, where you think, ‘It might be fun to play more close to home.’ They worked really hard to get it.”
Painter was 7-of-8 from the free throw line as the senior, who is the lone holdover from a team that went 1-19 two years ago, helped provide an offensive spark for the Tomahawks.
“We’ve always talked about how, if you’re watching another team or you’re watching your own team, big-time players step up in big-time games,” Gould said. “And Mike Painter proved he’s a big-time player.”
Cole Grinde added 14 for Marysville Pilchuck (19-6 overall), including a pair of key 3-pointers in the fourth quarter as the Tomahawks held off the Lions.
“The experience in the close games (this season) definitely helped,” Gould said. “… Our defense was so energetic and flying around. I think they sensed the urgency of the moment. Even when we weren’t doing well offensively, our defense was just really, really impressive.
“A lot of things were going their way. We would make it an eight or 10 point game, and they would come back. We were able to sustain and persevere and handle the pressure because we’ve been there before.”
Senior Alex Garcia scored 17 points to lead Kennewick (17-7).
At Chiawana H.S.
Marysville Pilchuck10101120—51
Kennewick118513—47
Marysville Pilchuck–Bryce Juneau 2, Bryce Vitcovich 0, Josh Bevan 3, Michael Painter 24, Cole Grinde 14, Aaron Herrera 0, Nate Heckendorf 8. Kennewick–Alex Garcia 17, John Wuol 5, Daryuntae Young 5, Kafaya Bugal 2, Sam Szendre 2, Nico Benavidez 6, Dillon Plew 1, Jacob Vargas 9. 3-point goals–Bevan 1, Grinde 2, Garcia 3, Wuol 1, Young 1, Benavidez 2. Records Marysville Pilchuck 19-6 overall. Kennewick 17-7.
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