Caribou Chatter
Doug Flanagan
Tonasket boys an early surprise
By Doug Flanagan
Dec. 24, 2010
Last season, the Tonasket High School boys basketball team won two games.
This year, the Tigers matched that total in their second game of the season, on Dec. 4. They haven't stopped winning since.
There's no doubt that Tonasket, which sports a perfect 7-0 record heading into the holiday break, is the biggest surprise in the early going of the Caribou Trail League season. Granted, the Tigers haven't faced a non-B-league team yet; the've played Oroville twice, Bridgeport twice, Pateros twice and Liberty Bell.
But they've shown enough so far that they deserve to be considered contenders in the CTL once league play starts next month.
Caribou Chatter asked Tonasket coach Glen Braman if he's surprised by his team's start.
"I am, and I am not," he said. "We had a great summer. We attended Gonzaga Team Camp, and really came together. We have a veteran team, lots of kids that have played a lot of minutes, and it is their time to step up to the challenge. I knew this group had it in them. It was just going to take one more year of seasoning."
The Tigers have been equally adept at winning close games and blowouts. Their signature victory so far might have come on Dec. 4, when they outlasted Oroville 85-83 in a wild game that lasted two overtimes.
"We are playing good team basketball," Braman said. "We are sharing the ball well and keeping our turnovers down. This is allowing us more looks, and easier looks at the hoop. We are shooting well, too. Defensivley we are working hard on being in the right position to help, and we are focusing on being the best rebounding and blocking out team we can be."
The fact that the team returned four starters from last season is probably the biggest reason for the Tigers' excellence. On offense, the team has received contributions from several players instead of relying on just one main scorer. Forward Colton Ayers leads the team with 17.9 points per game, and he's been receiving assistance from forwards John Stedtfeld (15.9 ppg) and Corbin Moser (10.6 ppg) and guard Damon Halvorsen (8 ppg) to form a well-rounded attack that can beat opponents in a multitude of different ways.
"Our whole team, starters and bench have contributed to each win," Braman said. "The bench is getting deeper, and the starters are kids that have played a lot of time in the past one or two years. We have the best leadership that I have had since my first year. Moser, Zach Neal and Ayers, the senior captains, are willing the team forward. They have put in a lot of time into their games by going to camps, individual shooting, weights, etc.
"Our starters are rounded out by two talented juniors in Stedtfeld and Halvorsen. They compliment the seniors by scoring and handling the ball as well as playing good defensively. Off our bench, Brandon Clark, Justin Dellinger and David Goyette, Dylan Fewkes and Kevin Aitcheson all fill significant roles on our team. At different times each one of them has had to step up and play a bigger role due to foul trouble, injury or someone missing a game. They are all capable of stepping in a doing a good job."
It will definitely be interesting to see if the Tigers can keep up their high level of play once league play starts. At the start of the season, Braman thought that his team would be a middle-of-the-pack team, but now, who knows? Maybe the Tigers can inject themselves into the race for a league championship, or at the very least a playoff berth.
"As you know, the CTL is tough," Braman said. "There is never an easy night. We have to stay true to our core values of hard work, determination, effort and attitude. We have to play clean, limit the turnovers, shoot well, defend as a team and rebound. If we can do these things we should be around when the end of the season comes."
