Building off Throne despair

Clarkston doesn't dwell on the Golden Throne game, largely because Great Northern League schedule-makers don't allow it. Before the commotion from the annual rivalry even has a chance to subside, the Bantams are usually on a bus heading north for a league encounter.

And they don't typically view the Golden Throne as a cherished experience, anyway.

"A lot of years we just throw it away, because it's not memorable or useful," says coach Brendan Johnson, who in eight seasons with Bantams has won this game only once. "But this year, we didn't throw it away."

Clarkston gave Lewiston all it could handle in the Jan. 9 showdown before succumbing 47-43. The Bantams were especially despondent afterward, reacting as though they had, as Johnson noted at the time, lost a championship game.

"The sadness and anger over not finishing ... it was surreal," Johnson says in retrospect. "But it was an important lesson for us, considering how we reacted and what has happened since."

A season that was shaping up as dismal - Clarkston was 1-5 at that juncture - took a drastic about-face. The Bantams responded with nine consecutive wins and, ultimately, enough momentum to carry them into the Washington Class 2A state tournament.

Clarkston (15-9) tonight kicks off its third consecutive State appearance - this is the program's best streak since qualifying four straight times from 1950-53 - when it faces Sequim (9-14) at 7:30 in the Yakima SunDome.

"We drew a whole lot of motivation from that (Lewiston) loss," says junior guard Dustin McConnell, the Bantams' undisputed catalyst and the GNL's co-MVP. "It motivated us to do well in league, and it's carried over (into the postseason). Hopefully it will continue this week."

After laboring down the stretch - Clarkston lost it last two regular-season games, then fell to Pullman in a district tiebreaker - the Bantams rediscovered their stride. They opened the District 7 tournament with perhaps their most complete performance to date, hammering Colville 83-51 in a loser-out contest, and followed that up with a 54-51 win at Pullman.

Then, in the district title game, they showed their balance and resolve. Even with McConnell held scoreless through the first three quarters (the relentless left-hander still finished with 15 points), the Bantams subdued top-seeded West Valley 46-38.

The benefit turned out to be substantial. While Clarkston received one of the state tournament's four No. 1 seeds and was paired with Sequim, the only school in the 16-team field with a losing record, Pullman, the district's other qualifier, drew a daunting first-round challenge. Today the Hounds will face 22-1 Squalicum, the top-ranked 2A team for most of the year (see accompanying story).

"I like our bracket, I like the fact we play our first game at dark," said Johnson, noting that the Bantams had been given morning or afternoon first-round assignments in their previous four State appearances during his watch. "Hopefully we can continue to play at night all week."

The more immediate, and perhaps realistic, goal would be to play on Saturday, which would mean a top-eight finish. The Bantams haven't reached the trophy round since placing seventh in 2004.

McConnell, making his third trip to State, acknowledges that qualifying for the event is no longer a definitive accomplishment. "Getting there is still great, but we're expecting a lot more."

And not just over the next few days. McConnell, who averages 16.5 points per game, is one of eight nonseniors on the Bantams' roster.

"When you have a young team, there is always a temptation to look ahead," Johnson said. "But you've got to temper those expectations. So many things can happen, you don't always get a second chance.

"Whether you're a sophomore, a junior or a senior, you've got to focus on now."

What transpired over the weekend should keep the Bantams trained on the task at hand. Lewiston's run to the Idaho Class 5A state championship did not go unnoticed on the west side of the Snake River.

"I'm very proud of Lewiston; that's a great accomplishment for a great team," says Johnson, himself an LHS alumnus. "But we can take something from it too. Hey, they're state champions, and we were right there with them. That tells us we can compete this week."

---

Browitt may be contacted at jbrowitt@lmtribune.com or (208) 848-2260.