by Merrick Parnell

Orcas Christian’s historic and monumental season came to an end after a 43-37 point loss to Tulalip-Heritage High School in the second game of the Tri-District Tournament. In the first round of Tri-Districts, the Saints fell to the Evergreen Lutheran Eagles, 67-52.

In the first game against Evergreen Lutheran, Senior Guard, Michael Harris had 19 points, while Junior Forward; Cyrus Amour had 11 points and excelled on the low block. In their game against league rival, Tulalip, Junior Guard, Cameron Aragon led his Saints teammates with 12 points, all from beyond the 3-point line. Forward Cyrus Amour kept the Saints in the game with a solid rebounding performance and post scoring performance which earned him 11 points.

The Saint’s season was filled with great memories and moments of triumph. The Orcas Christian Saints were ranked the number 1 basketball team in the State’s  1B classification for several weeks, and held a top 5 ranking all season. The Saints won the Northeast 1B League Championship with an impressive 14-1 league record, and won 9 straight games in the process.

On top of the league title, the Saints were crowned District 1 Champions after they beat Mount Vernon Christian in a decisive, 52-28 game.

“Winning the league title and district title reflected on the hard work we put in over the last off season,” said Harris. “We were successful because we were motivated by the attitudes of each individual, every step of the way.”

The Saints changed the landscape of the role of 8th graders playing at the varsity level with the breakout season of 8th grader, Corey Aragon. Aragon started most of the games for the Saints and led the team in three-pointers, along with showing tremendous courage on fearless drives against the league’s “Big Men.”

The Saints had a solid second place finish in the Walla Walla Friendship Tournament. A tournament that featured the west coast’s top Adventist High School teams. There the Saints beat Auburn Adventist Academy, a school with 230 students, Walla Walla Adventist Academy and put up a fight against the “2A” classified San Gabriel Academy, in front of a sold out crowd of 2,000 fans at Walla Walla University Arena.

The Saints will continue to build on their staples of: class, team play and sportsmanship. The Saints set a new level of sportsmanship on the floor, as no one was given a technical foul all season.

The Saints made a dramatic turnaround from just one season ago. This time last year, Saints finished with a 5-15 record. This season, the Saints, under new direction, led by Ryan Davis, established themselves as contenders. Their home games were often standing room only, as the atmosphere embodied a game at Madison Square Garden with the crowds electricity and the program’s professionalism.

“This was a great season. We showed people we are contenders and that we are a strong program. I was very proud of our guys and how they play the game,” said Davis. “Winning league and districts was very nice. Going into Walla Walla and beating schools 10 times our size was great. Seeing the guys’ development and their understanding of the game was something that we are proud of.”

The future looks very bright for Orcas Christian Basketball, as next year, they will have a new class of prospects and a solid core of battle tested upperclassmen going into next season.