Lights Too Bright for Acorns in State Round of 12 Defeat to Vikings

Posted

SPOKANE — Sometimes, it just isn’t your night. 

After a long bus ride in the morning, and a tough 9 p.m. tipoff at Spokane Arena in the 1B state tournament Round of 12, the No. 8 Oakville boys basketball team was eliminated from the tournament in a 72-43 loss to No. 16 Orcas Island Wednesday night. 

The Acorns shot just 31% from the field, and looked razzled after the nearly seven-hour bus trip the day of their game Wednesday night against a hungry Vikings squad. 

“We left this morning and played at 9 p.m. that’s rough on the body,” Oakville coach Marcus Whittaker said. “I don’t want to use that as an excuse, but it was a tough ask. Hats off to them for coming out here and playing hard till the final horn and hats off to Orcas for playing well.”

The Acorns were led by Ashton Boyd’s 15 points and 11 rebounds, with Eddie Klatush adding nine points and seven boards, Courtney Price scoring 10 points to go along with six boards, and Shayden Baker adding another 10 points. 

The loss wraps up a banner year for the Acorns that included its second straight league championship, a second-place finish at districts, and their first trip to Spokane for the state tournament for Whittaker’s current group of players. 

“I told them when I first got the job that I was going to get them here,” Whittaker said. “Just trust the process and keep working, and they’ve been working. If that ball keeps rolling right we’ll be right back here next year stronger and hopefully better.”

The Acorns graduate five seniors: Haezen Charles-Cayenne, Latrevious Groninger, Shayden Baker, David Spears, and Ashton Boyd. 

“It’s definitely tough losing them,” Whittaker said. “As long as they have these memories, you know they can tell their kids they made it to state and let other kids know, it’s going to be big for the community. We just have to keep building.”