The Tenino based Nyastrong Warrior’s Academy took the long road for the third tournament in a row, as the Warriors won five in a row after dropping its opener to win the Capital City 3 on 3 Tournament on Sunday.
It’s another strong showing for the team, as they also won the fourth grade Hoopfest championship in late June. The girls, Kora Hadaller, Janna Perkins, Emily Ruiz, and Emma Ruiz, didn’t drop their first game in that tournament, but they did have to bounce back after dropping their second game.
This past weekend, the group fell to a team from Centralia before rattling off wins against teams from Kelso, Olympia, Tumwater, Rochester, and Tenino.
After losing to the Little Hoopers in the first round, the Warriors won three straight to earn a rematch in the finals. They got their initial revenge with a win to force a winner-take-all rubber match, which they won 6-5 to cap their tournament title run.
The Tenino based youth team formed in late 2019 in Yelm and was named after Nya Jaquez, a former Yelm High School student who passed away in 2016 to a rare form of colon cancer.
The Warriors also won the third-grade Tenino Middle School 3-on-3 Tournament in February.
