Not a movie-script ending, but a feel-good story nonetheless

Q: I heard that there was a "Hoosiers" type school in the 1B boys tournament last week in Yakima. Tell me about it.

A: Fun story but it doesn't have a magical ending. No player named Jimmy said, "I'll make it" in the huddle in the final minute of the title game.

In fact, tiny North River High School was eliminated after two games, but just getting to the tournament was a feel-good accomplishment that makes you smile.

North River has 24 students in grades 9-12 and a backwoods location about 25 miles southeast of Aberdeen in Brooklyn, Pacific County.

North River suspended varsity basketball for boys and girls in the 1970s until the 2004-05 season because its teams were outmanned. The Mustangs made do with a schedule against JV and sophomore teams.

After varsity teams were reinstated because there was talent in upcoming classes, the North River boys went 0-35 their first two seasons. They won five games last year and this year qualified for the 1B tournament with a 12-8 overall mark.

"The kids really did well," said proud athletic director Larry Nielson, a former Tumwater High School and Western Washington track star who made history in 1983 when he became the first American to summit Mount Everest without using supplemental oxygen.

North River earned its state berth by going 2-1 in the district tournament. It didn't get to host the first-round game because its gym is so small that the three-point stripe is out of bounds on the sides of the court. Front-row spectators can accidentally trip players if they get too comfortable and extend their feet.

At state last week, North River was eliminated on Day 2 but the nine boys on the team and coach Les Lande were touted for getting there. The nine boys represent 75 percent of the male students in the school. Of the three boys who didn't turn out for the team, one was busy with Running Start (community college) classes, one is a special-needs student and the other didn't want to play.

Q: I noticed that 1A Lakeside of Nine Mile Falls outside Spokane and Class B (1B-2B combined) Republic from northeastern Washington each had five individual champions at the recent state wrestling championships. I know Burlington-Edison had five champions on its 1993 title team in what is now 3A and Clover Park had five in 1973 in what would now be called 4A. Which school has had the most?

A: Sedro-Woolley had seven champions at the first state tournament in 1953. However, only 10 schools participated in that tournament and there were 60 wrestlers in a total of 11 weight classes.

Q: Bren Hobzek of the Issaquah High School boys basketball team has made 37 consecutive free throws. Is there a state record?

A: If there is, neither I nor the folks I consulted have heard of it. The national high-school record book published by the National Federation of State High School Associations lists the U.S. mark as 126 straight by Daryl Moreau of De La Salle High School in New Orleans. He sank his consecutive free throws over 21 games in a two-season span that started in 1978. A player from Washington, Joe Basil of Raymond, is No. 2 on the listing of most consecutive free throws in a quarter with 18. He sank the shots against Cashmere in a 1974 Class A state-tournament game won by Raymond 81-74.

Q: Who plays where next week when the 3A boys and girls basketball tournaments are held in Seattle Wednesday through Saturday (March 5-8)?

A: Boys will play at KeyArena the first 2 ½ days and girls will be at Edmundson Pavilion every day. On Friday, the four games involving boys teams that lost either Wednesday or Thursday will be played at KeyArena, but semifinals will be at Hec Ed. On Saturday, every boys and girls game will be at Hec Ed.

Have a question about high-school sports? Craig Smith will find the answer every Tuesday in The Times. Ask your question in one of the following ways: Voice mail (206-464-8279), snail mail (Craig Smith, Seattle Times Sports, P.O. Box 70, Seattle, WA 98111) or e-mail csmith@seattletimes.com