Tayshawn Colvin leads Liberty past defending champ Brewster for WIAA Class 2B title, trophy heads back to Spangle (photos, highlights, trophy game recaps)

SPOKANE, Wash. — A season after being upset in the quarterfinals before subsequently losing in the consolation as the No. 1 seed in 2B, Liberty is at the peak of its sport.

The second-seeded Lancers (23-2) weathered a poor second quarter, before getting hot in the second half, to win the State 2B championship by defeating No. 4 Brewster 64-55 at the Spokane Arena on Saturday.

It seemed as if the Lancers would coast to their second-ever title – last winning it in 1986.

They were up 8-2 with left four minutes as senior Tayshawn Colvin was orchestrating an efficient offense on a rim that has not been friendly to them this tournament.

The Bears, (21-6) as the defending champions – won in 2020, the last time a Hardwood Classic was held – were not ready to relinquish their crown as they shut down the Lancers in the second quarter.

As the second quarter began, the ghosts of previous games cropped up and they went cold, scoring six points in the quarter, putting them down 27-17 at halftime.

“I told everybody we gotta start hitting shots,” Colvin said. “'We've been cooking from that hoop.”

Head coach Jared Hodl just wanted the Lancers to slow down, trust in their skill, settle into the gameplan and, above all keep the faith. If they believed they would win, they would be hoisting the golden basketball when the final buzzer sounded.

A furious offensive came out on fire, scoring 47 points the rest of the way. Colvin finished with 28, as he sliced and diced his way through the Bears’ defense at will. Colton Marsh controlled the paint, scoring 15 and Jake Jeske hit two monster 3s down the stretch.

Colvin met Jeske – a transfer – at an open gym and knew he would be a vital piece for the Lancers in a state title run.

And that he was.

With the Lancers down two, Jeske – a lefty – hit two 3s midway through the fourth quarter that flipped the ever-changing momentum back to Liberty for good.

Brewster went toe-to-toe with the Lancers for most of the second half, as junior Kelson Gebbers – playing on a bulky left ankle he injured in the quarterfinals – put together a gutsy performance. He had 23 points and provided a calming presence for a young Bears team.

As Colvin cut down the last piece of net, gathering the entirety of it and wrapping it around his neck, he beamed with pride.

“It's a surreal moment,” Colvin said. "It’s the best feeling you could ever experience as a high school basketball player.”

Colvin is going to miss the camaraderie of the Lancers and the welcoming nature of the Liberty community – one that he transferred into like Jeske.

“Honestly the community, you walk around and you have adults, kids, everyone's just there for you,” Colvin said. “Everybody's on your side, everyone wants you to win, everybody is rooting for you. So, I mean, that's just a great moment and just something that's just sentimental to me.”

Liberty is graduating six seniors on a roster of 14. This group has seen heartbreak and now they go back to Spangle as state champions, forging a legacy that will continue long after they graduate.

“They put in work when nobody was watching, were driven for each other, picked each other up and when you put in work, it will show off,” Hodl said. “You don’t know when, but thankfully it happened this year.”

2B boys trophy games

Fourth place game: No. 3 Colfax 80, No. 10 Columbia (Burbank) 45

Result: Colfax wins fourth place; Columbia win sixth

John Lustig averaged 37 points per game during the tournament.

He finished off his three games with 34 points, his lowest output, on 14-of-20 shooting and also snatched 11 boards and dished out eight assists.

Almost matching his total was Damian Demler, who knocked down nine 3s en route to 31 points.

For Columbia, it was a struggle on the offensive end, not finding much room to operate. Quincy Scott was the leading scorer with 10 points.

Third place game: No. 1 Kalama 63, No. 5 Morton-White Pass 48

Result: Kalama wins third place; Morton wins fifth

Senior Jackson Esary was the main offensive weapon for the Chinooks as his 29 points and four assists led the team.

He was the primary ball handler and dictated the tempo for both sides.

While the Timberwolves seemed to be playing too fast, Esary kept Kalama at a good pace.

Jace Peters led Morton in scoring with 18 points and nine rebounds. Leytan Collette had a rough day, going 2-for-15 for five points.

---Justin Reed; @JustinReed99.

PHOTO GALLERY

(All photos by Erik Smith)