Freshmen Quincy Scott, Tristan Frimodt combine for 50 to lift 10-seed Columbia-Burbank to state 2B berth

RICHLAND, Wash. — The day after beating Cle Elum to win a district title, there wasn't much discussion within the Columbia-Burbank locker room about the team's state seeding.

Once the regional fields were announced on Sunday, the Coyotes were named a 10-seed, and, admittedly, felt its RPI record (No. 4), its record (21-1) and the district title net cut into pieces would give them a shot at a much higher seed.

"Everybody felt slighted, but there's nothing you can do except go play a really good team," Columbia-Burbank coach Todd Schumacher said.

And, if you really want to prove yourself, beat said really good team.

That's exactly what they did on Saturday at Richland High School. The Coyotes carried a narrow lead through three quarters and pulled away in the fourth to beat No. 15 Ilwaco, 80-64, behind a combined 50 points from its two standout freshmen guards, Quincy Scott (28 points) and Tristan Frimodt (22).

Their run continues into the Spokane Arena on Wednesday, where they play 7-seed Adna in a first round elimination game at 5:30 p.m.

(Washington high school state basketball scoreboard)

Admittedly, Schumacher wasn't sure what this season would have in store for his group. He'd lost four starters from a team that won the district title in the spring, but his lone returner was a head-turner: junior Michael Lenke, the two-time 2B EWAC football MVP who was a standout as a sophomore.

The wild cards were his two incoming freshmen in Scott and Frimodt — both of whom he knew were good, he just didn't know how quickly they'd adjust to the stage.

Immediately, each showed maturity beyond their years. And once Lenke recognized that, the trio became a cohesive unit. Whichever has the hot hand, the others defer to. In the district title, a 60-56 win, Lenke had 31.

"They understand it’s not about them and if they need to do it, they’ll do it," Schumacher said. "Mikey, he’s let these guys grow."

Columbia-Burbank's two tallest players are Scott and Frimodt — both 6-4 guards — and have found success dropping back into a zone with both patrolling the interior.

"We’ve played bigger than we are," Schumacher said. "Obviously, we score a lot of points. But that energy on defense has been really big for us."

On Saturday, that's how the Coyotes pulled away. They opened the fourth on a 14-3 run, held Ilwaco to 10 points and Scott his one shot after another to grow the lead to double-digits.

With 4:25 left, Scott hit a contested 3 and let his shooting hand hang as he tracked back on defense. Burbank stole the ball on the next possession and flipped it up to Frimodt for a transition layup and Scott scored on a runner in the key on the next drive to complete a 7-0 spurt and take command of the game.

"Quincy, it was his show in the second half," Schumacher said. "With those 3s, we needed every one of them."

In the end, The Fishermen's length was no match. They were led by Jaden Turner's 18 points, 13 from Beckett Turner, Jaden's younger brother, and 12 from Joey Fitzgerald, who finished 4 of 4 from the field.

The Pacific 2B champs' season ends at 20-5. They are set to return a strong core next season.

Columbia-Burbank hopes it's just getting started. And its path inevitably was headed toward an opponent from the vaunted Central 2B, which garnered four of the top eight seeds.

Before the game, as Schumacher and his staff watched the 4A girls regional game that preceded their, they were excited, and also nervous.

Their freshmen? Cool, calm and confident. Scott hopes to carry that to a stage he's long dreamed of gracing.

"It's a really cool experience, watching state growing up and finally getting to play in it," Scott said. "The atmosphere is going to be really hype."