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SPOKANE — Flashback to the Adna Christmas Classic and when Luke Salme walked into the fabled Adna coaches office, he was beaming.
After two losses for that matter. The Pirates were on the wrong end of a comeback against Tumwater and lost to R.A. Long by double digits. Those two ended up finishing fourth and second in Class 2A, respectively.
“I don’t remember ever being this fired up after losing two games in a holiday tournament,” Salme said back on New Year’s Eve. “I think they are ready to roll.”
They were, indeed, ready to roll. All the way to the Class 2B state championship game.
Adna’s magical run to the finals ended with a 69-56 loss to No. 1 and unbeaten Colfax on Saturday night inside Spokane Arena. It’s the highest finish in team history, besting the third place finish eight years ago.
“I knew what we could be and you want to play your best at the end of the year,” Salme said in the hallway postgame. “Somehow, some magic hit us and we walked into a state championship appearance.
“It is a season to remember.”
Even after the C2BL regular season title and being the No. 1 seed in District 4, one hiccup could have foiled everything. The Pirates struggled in every phase of their semifinal loss to Napavine, falling victim to a red-hot Tigers bunch.
They had roughly 24 hours to either sink or swim.
The following three games were win or go home: Onalaska in districts, Warden in regionals and Liberty Bell in the Round of 12.
Win, win, win.
“We kept working,” Cline said.
The Winlock transfer ended up as the missing piece for Adna. It struggled in 2025, especially in Spokane, without the services of a true point guard. The junior used his dribble-drive quickness and high IQ to keep the turnovers down.
“I’m surrounded by great players and I know they'll knock down shots,” Cline said. “We all share the ball well between us. It made it easy for me.”
For a bunch of juniors, sprinkled in with senior posts Jackson Knittle and Lucas Fehrenbach, Salme was overjoyed with the maturity of his group through the highs and lows of the 2025-26 campaign.
“We have been so connected and played so hard for one another, that’s why we played for a freaking state championship,” he said. “That (Napavine) game brought us together. Boy, did they respond.
“We knew there was something special. It is hard to find another group I’ve had that cares about each other so much. They win.”
The roster will look very similar next winter.
Trevin Salme, who became the school’s all-time leading scorer for boys basketball for both career and single season, is back as is Grayson Humphrey and Cline. Jamie Greenwood is expected to anchor the post.
Kaden Richardson, the Kephart brothers Trent and Kannen, will also be back.
“Hopefully we can get back here next year,” Cline said. “We got that taste. Starting next week, we’ll all get back to it. We’re all grateful.”
