The Tenino boys basketball team’s season came to an end on Saturday morning, as the No. 16 Beavers fell 70-52 to No. 9 Chelan in the Regional Round of the 1A State Tournament in Wenatchee.
“They jumped on us,” Tenino coach Ryan Robertson said. “By far the best 1A school we played. They should go trophy.”
The Beavers went down 10 in the first quarter and entered the locker room down 21 at halftime. They played better in the second half, scoring 32 after putting up just 20 in the first two frames, but it wasn’t enough to make a significant dent in the deficit.
“They’re just a really good team,” Robertson said. "They are physical and they took us out of our game … We had a hard time slowing them down and they hurt us on the boards. They’re complete.”
Will Feltus finished with a team-high 17 points, while Austin Gonia scored 12 and Jack Burkhardt added 10.
It was the final game for Tenino’s six seniors — Feltus, Gonia, Burkhardt, Preston Snider, Jaxson Gore, and David Ruedy — and Robertson made sure to give them credit for the season’s turnaround.
The Beavers started the season 0-7 and were 2-11 before winning eight of 10 games, including two straight elimination games in the district tournament, to even make it to state.
“All credit to these guys,” Robertson said. “There was a smattering of fans and in Wenatchee, we packed the place. These guys changed it … They made basketball big in Tenino.
“Sadness, but there’s a level of satisfaction of what we accomplished,” Robertson added. “We know it is over. The run is done. It is just hard.”
With so many steady contributors leaving, Robertson knows that next season will look a little different, but he’s excited about what the future holds.
“We have to put in a lot of time,” Robertson said. “I played the freshman a little bit, there’s potential there. They’re going to be willing to do this.”
